SansBlogue: NT Greek music videos and publication

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Danny has published another NT Greek music video this time the catchy title is "Present Active Indicative Song". I don't teach Greek, heck I don't even get to teach Hebrew any more, though I still have an interest in Hebrew teaching, but such resources are really useful.

After making this video available to the world and her uncle (if she lets her uncle share her Internet connection, as most of the world [outside Western culture] does [and even inside Western culture close family are usually allowed the odd share]), Danny then ponders the future: "as I am trying to ultimately get them published, I’m not sure how many more to share freely online

Photo by the justified sinner

So, let's get this clear, in 21st century biblical studies making something available to almost anyone who wants it is NOT publication. Publication involves somehow controlling access to the resource so only people who pay can use it. That is a necessary, unavoidable (in the current situation) step to getting paid for your work, but what we habitually call publication is really privatization - making a work LESS public.

It is time we stopped calling a spade a "magic wand" and started calling it by the job it does - in this case the job "publishers" would perform for Danny is selling, not publishing.

Photo by teachandlearn

Now, selling is fine and necessary. Without some way to pay for work the "works" do not get produced - except in various amateur (for even when produced by highly trained people and even when those people are employed in the field unpaid work is "amateur") ways. But, "to sell" and "to publish" are two different terms with different meanings. It is high time we had a model for getting people payment for work consumed that allows them to really publish because currently all we have is a model that allows people to get paid for their work by rationning publication.

Labels: culture, digital, funding, internet

¶ 8:47 AM

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I agree whole heartedly with your post, but is that more than day dreaming? I think in the realm of theology and biblical studies some hard questions need to be asked about the availability of scholarship. Why do academics who are payed salaries by institutions need to make money out of selling stuff? if they are being paid a living wage they should be glad to share the fruit of their labours for the glory of God.

As for Danny, setting a verb table to frere jaques is hardly something he could copywrite. It's a nice thing to share, but no one would pay money for that, it doesn't require any particular skill or specialist equipment to do. Danny should stop worrying about cashing in and feel the joy of giving.

By Jonathan Robinson, at December 18, 2008 3:13 PM

Well thanks for the encouraging words Jonathan. As a matter of fact they are copyrighted and if it did not require any particular skill it would probably been done already. These songs and videos took a whole lot of time and effort. And I think that mixers and professional recording equipment and software are "specialist" equipment.
Time will tell I guess if people will pay money, but my students have been encouraging/harassing me through this semester to try and publish these. And I have several colleagues who have also encouraged me and are ready to endorse it, and I am talking to a publisher right now.

Perhaps it is different where you work or live, but the problem is that academics in biblical studies, especially those that choose to work in a confessional institution, choose pretty low salaries and are sometimes struggling to live on their wage. I'm not quite rolling in the money working at a seminary, in fact I'm in a lot of debt.

Trust me, I am not worrying about cashing in on this. I made them for my Greek students to help them. And if I don't have them picked up by a publisher I won't lose any sleep. I have already felt the joy of giving these and the enormous time I put into teaching, which I take very seriously as I believe it is my spiritual gift. I don't think any of this negates trying to have this better distributed by a publisher and hopefully earning a little something.

If I wanted to earn money, I could have done a lot of other things.

By Danny Zacharias, at December 19, 2008 2:54 PM

May i apologise unreservedly to Danny and to Tim for what appears to have been an unwarranted personal attack on Danny. I should have walked away for minute before posting and i would have said things differently. I did not mean to impune Danny's motives (I have never met him) nor the effectiveness of his learning aids (nothing works better than a catchy tune). Nuff said.

By Jonathan Robinson, at December 19, 2008 4:10 PM

thanks. (I understand saying things too off the cuff, I've done it too)

By Danny Zacharias, at December 19, 2008 4:45 PM