Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to register in order to customize?
No. Anyone at all can customize. Registration is just a way to allow you to retrieve your settings from other computers or web browsers.
See also the questions “Why Register?” and “Why collect registration information at all?”
How does this work?
LDSelect lets you select and customize your favorite LDS blogs all on one screen, so you don’t have to waste time clicking around to each blog. Once you customize your blogs settings, you can switch back and forth between your customized view and the default (un-customized) view.
To customize the assignments of blogs to categories, click on “Blog Assignments” item in the menu bar, and follow the directions to select and organize the blogs according to your preferences:
- Use the check boxes to display your favorite blogs on your main page.
- Drag and drop the blogs from one category box to another.
- Changes will be made in real-time, so there is no need to hit submit.
To customize other aspect of the display, click on “Profile”:
- Set your time zone
- Set the number of posts you want to see per quadrant.
- Select the number of post per author per quadrant
- Changes will be made in real-time, so there is no need to hit submit.
How is the main page organized?
On the left side of the screen, you’ll see the recent comments for all the blogs you’ve selected to appear on your main page. If you hold your cursor over any comment, you’ll see a preview of that comment, along with the time it was made and the full name of its post. Click on the comment, and you’ll be taken directly to the comment itself.
In the center of the screen, you’ll see the title of each post, its author, the name of the blog, and the number of comments for each post (if available). Hold your mouse over the title for preview of the post. Click on the title of the post, and you’ll be taken directly to the post itself (and its comments). Click on the name of the blog, and you’ll be taken directly to the main page of the blog.
Your customized blogroll is displayed in the right. Hold your mouse over any blog name to see a thumbnail preview of that blog.
How is “LDSelect” pronounced?
It is pronounced as though it were three letters and one word; i.e., as though it were written “LDS elect.”
Are you, or have you ever been, a “development type”?
No. Nor am I a programmer by trade.
Does LDSelect promote any blogs or reward any blogs that promote LDSelect?
No. The LDSelect aggregator does not promote any specific LDS-themed blogs, nor does it reward any blogs for linking to or promoting LDSelect.
The primary goal of this aggregator is to empower users to configure it according to their own content viewing habits, and to reflect their preferences by default.
That said, we provide a distinctive set of graphics to anyone who wants to link to our site. Please feel free to choose between either of the following:
Blue Border: 
Beige Border: 
Right click on either image to download it.
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Registering allows you to retrieve your blog settings from different computers. and different web-browsers.
Registering also gives you a voice in shaping the default appearance of LDSelect. The blog settings of registered users will determine the default placement of blogs for users who choose not to configure their own blog settings.
What is that funny symbol on the left side of the logo?
It’s a modern rendering of the ancient Egyptian symbol known as The Eye of Horus. It represents (among other things) the Sun, power, and knowledge. The Eye of Horus is the progenitor of The Eye of Providence or The All-Seeing Eye. Though the Eye of Providence is most well known as a Masonic symbol, it first appeared in medallion art during the Renaissance. It also occupies a prominent spot on the obverse of The Great Seal of the United States (as seen on the back of the one dollar bill). The Eye of Providence depicts an eye within a pyramid surrounded by the glory of the sun. It represents the gaze of an all-knowing deity.
Given this history of meanings, I deem the Eye of Horus to be an appropriate symbol for an aggregator. Furthermore, it carries some vague connection to LDS topics thanks to the Egyptian flavor of the church’s Abrahamic scriptures and the influence of Masonry on the early development of the church’s theology.
Is registration required?
Absolutely not.
What is done with registration information?
It is only used to identify registered users. It is never given out to third parties.
Why collect registration information at all?
Two reasons:
- As a service to LDSelect users who may want to access their preferences from multiple locations.
- If everybody’s blog settings (registered and unregistered) could be used to determine LDSelect’s default appearance, then wily system administrators could set up automated preference selection processes and then run them in batch to bias the default view in favor of a blog or a group of blogs. Excluding unregistered preferences from this calculation makes it harder for wily system administrators to bias the results, and it makes it easier for LDSelect to detect and undo efforts to do so.
What do you do with IP address information?
Nothing at all. The web server software (called lighttpd—it’s similar to what every server uses) logs IP addresses as part of its record of site activity by default. Other than that, they aren’t being stored by me or by anything else.
What is required to be listed on LDSelect?
Any LDS-themed blog can be listed, provided that it is not anti-LDS or dominated by disaffected-LDS content.
LDSelect requires nothing in return for listing a blog. All we need to list a blog is information; viz., blog name, home url, rss feed url, and rss comment feed url (if there is one) of a blog. Reciprocal links back to LDSelect are appreciated—the more prominent the better—but they are optional.
How did you arrive at the starting list of blogs?
I grabbed the blogrolls from several leading blogs, and I began tracking down rss feeds. Tracking down the feeds and entering them takes time. When I got tired of doing it, I stopped. Then a few people who weren’t busy programming the site tracked down some feeds and forwarded them to me. Since any LDS-themed blog that wants to send me their feed information is eligible for inclusion, I don’t believe that the starting set of blogs is terribly important.
How did you arrive at the initial default category placement for blogs?
I conceived of the groupings in this order: Large group blogs, Other group blogs, High Output Solo Blogs, and Other Solo Blogs—using the term Solo broadly to include husband-and-wife team blogs and the like. This is just the way that I view things, and I don’t expect it to be useful to anyone else. It is only a starting point. The groups have neutral names and users are free to categorize each blog however they like. My initial grouping decisions are largely irrelevant; going forward, the preferences of registered users will determine the default place of each blog.
How did you make people aware of this site?
To start out with, it was password protected. I invited several beta testers to participate. Once I had the minimum feature set put together, and once all of the kinks were worked out, I drafted an email and sent it to about 15 of the blogs listed on LDSelect. Everyone received basically the same letter sent from my personal account over the course of a few hours.
Who else, besides you, is responsible for LDSelect?
Absolutely nobody.
Why doesn’t your name appear on LDSelect?
I’m not that into self-promotion.
Also my monogram carries some amount of baggage that I do not want directly associated with LDSelect.
That said, I’ve done nothing to hide who I am—though I certainly could have concealed my identity if I chose to. When I announced the site, I sent emails from my personal email account. And those who contact me using the address listed at the bottom of this FAQ will also receive an email directly from me. Aside from that, I just don’t see the point in plastering my name all over this blog.
Why did you put this site together?
Because I thought that MA is a good idea, but I was discouraged by the difficulty of visually parsing the information that it presents and the level of functionality. Rather than complain and whine, I decided to simply create.
How will new blogs be categorized to start with?
I will initially place them in the category that I feel appropriate. Following their initial placement, they will be grouped in the same manner as other blogs according to the preferences of registered users.
How will the calculations be made?
I will publish the formula when I make the first category adjustment. I will announce the adjustments each time that they are made.
Do you still plan on adding new features?
Yes. The following new features are in the works:
- A special section for new blogs
- A banner that highlights a different random blog—not limited by preferences—each time it is loaded.
How did you come up with these questions?
They’re mostly just things that my wife asked me about. I added a few to dispel disinformation that was spread in comments made in a few of the threads announcing LDSelect.
How do I contact you?
Please use the following email account: admin at ldselect dot org.