LDS to download copy of blessings

By April, stake patriarchs will be able to digitally submit a copy of each blessing they give, and stake presidents will have the ability to log in and view the activities within their stake, according to the announcement.

Also announced is a new LDS "wiki" — a collection of Web pages that allows users to add, edit or change content following a specific set of guidelines (one widely known wiki is Wikipedia). Members who want to use their technical expertise to help develop the church's wiki — which will contain articles on a variety of topics — are encouraged to participate.

Those who are interested in creating or expanding an article they believe would be useful as part of a specific project on the wiki are also encouraged to do so, and users can add attachments, links, sample documents, spreadsheets or templates that will "add breadth and depth to the articles," the announcement said.

The site also details how the use of technology is being expanded for church members who can't personally attend LDS general conference twice annually in Salt Lake City.

A summary of technology use during the last conference earlier this month shows there were 6,838 satellite broadcasts, covering 85 percent of the earth's land mass and enabling approximately 87 percent of church members to participate in 60 languages, provided in real time.

It also lists the number of computer users receiving the broadcasts live via the Web and the percentage change since April 2008:

• Average number of audio and video streams (Windows Media Player and Move Player) per session: 93,133 — an increase of 132 percent.

• Average number of audio streams per session: 21,065 — an increase of 89 percent.

• Average number of video streams per session: 72,068 — increase of 148 percent.

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