Catholic Techie Matt Korger

"Some of my basic work is just creation of websites," wrote Matt Korger when I asked him about what he does as a Catholic Techie, and then the website he pointed me to was his Knights of Columbus council (isn't it beautiful?). "Some of the other work is "back end" work. I'm a database programmer by trade.  What might surprise readers is that most website pages are actually saved in a database, not as a static html file."

Did you know that? No? Well, join the club. (If you did know it, just pipe down. No need to be a smarty pants.)

Matt continued (and I'm sharing it here as a Near Occasion of Educating More than Just Myself):

So when a parish is looking to go to a more "web 2.0" then need to find a way to take all their old legacy content and import it into a more modern and manageable system.  I'm not great at graphic design or anything like that, so, unlike many of the excellent Catholic techies out there, a guy like me is a little more boring but necessary.  Like I say often, though, when I'm working on a parish website, it is much more about how a parish can connect with their members than figuring out what color a certain menu option is (which can sometimes be discussed ad infinitum).

Like many Catholic Techies, Matt dabbles in blogging, and you'll find him at The Badger Catholic.

Now, let's get into the fun...

Tell us about yourself in five words or less.

Traditional Catholic actively participating (in) nerdity.

Of your pursuits, what's your favorite?

Well, I also blog quite a bit at The Badger Catholic.  I guess that would be it.  I don't consider my family life a "pursuit" but I have five kids and a lovely wife which is really my favorite.

When you think of the New Evangelization from your approach as a "Catholic Techie," what excites you? What makes you want to continue?

Hmm, well although there's a new focus on evangelization, it is also something very old in the Church.  I think that technology can certainly help serve these efforts, but it can't replace that human aspect, face to face.  There are many exciting things out there; to be honest I've been a bit out of the loop lately.

I love apps like iBreviary. The liturgy can be confusing figuring out what parts go where while searching through ribbons and cards to figure out where everything is, and this is a great place for technology to bridge the gap.

What's the most rewarding aspect of your work?

When I find out someone actually is using something I've worked on.

In your spare time, what are we likely to find you doing? Do you have a gadget in hand or do you go native and screenless?

I have gadgets like a Kindle, but I switch back and forth between reading on a device and reading the old fashioned way.

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Copyright 2014 Sarah Reinhard