September 1, 2007
Daily life
4 Comments
I like ‘em
Once or twice my blog has been actual therapy for me, setting my thoughts in order and getting them out there helps me feel like I’ve had my say.
However, I am realistic, or try to be, when I read other’s blogs, knowing my own experience, which is this: I don’t blog about everything. There are some topics that are just not A) for public consumption, or, B) for consumption of those you know to be your regular blog friends – or not how it would come across as a blog, anyway. I honestly can’t think of anything I could not discuss face to face with the same people, where questions could be asked and clarifications made.
I know I tend to be more reticent than many, but I also guard against thinking I really know someone from their blog. It’s a weird phenomenon because often I feel closer to someone through reading their blog. I suspect this to be a trap and barrier to real talking while at the same time it can open the door for face to face conversation. Pat Stream and I have more authentic discussions because the blog gets the small talk part done for us, and we have something in common to start with. I value that. I am also much quicker to pop off an email to or sit next to Erin and Richard at a social function because I am more comfortable with them through Erin’s blog. It had been a bridge builder.
And quite frankly, (that phrase is for you, Porter) it’s a fun way to keep up with someone’s mundane daily life. The little stuff that you would blog about but not necessarily remember to fill me in on 2 weeks later. I am a firm believer that it is the mundane stuff that strengthens the foundations of friendships. Now it seems I am veering off into a digression: Instant friends. Nope, sorry. Genuine friends take time. YEARS. After all, if everyone is your super-best friend, then no one is. Anyway, I think that blogs can be a small part of that process and for that, I like em.
Oh- but you must have a healthy balance- don’t think you have to blog or read other blogs every day or it’ll take over and become a My Space page.
September 1, 2007
Daily life
3 Comments
I can say that I am “for” blogs as opposed to “against”. I would vote for blogs. For comparison, let me say that I am not, for example, personally “for” My Space or Face book or the other Social networking sites. I am not saying they shouldn’t exist or that others should not use them, many people love them. My Space is the site of choice for my loved sister in law, Kaui. Or at least it was the last time I checked. The problem for me is that in their attempt to be “sticky” they make you spend waaay more time navigating them just to check in with someone than a blog does. In order to check in with Kaui I must go to my space, log in, go to my public page, find her in my friends list, go to her public page, and click on each of her blog entries separately. This is at minimum 7 clicks, usually more like 15 or 20 by the time I read all her new entries and maybe add a comment or 2. Which, by the way I tend not to do because I am so done by then with clicking already.
Oh, and don’t forget that people will leave a message on your MySpace page and then you must respond or you have somehow rejected them, and on it goes. I know some people live for checking their my space page. I just don’t have time.
Now, for the Garcia family, it’s great! I can tell by Kaui’s guestbook that they get a lot more little “touches” with each other this way. And, I somehow feel closer to her family just by reading what they post. Exactly what a social networking site is for, I guess.
(well, not really, it’s actually for commerce, banner ads and the ability for some pre-adult to “go public” with his site and then buy really cool stuff for his “apartment“ in his parents basement, but I am not against the open market system so this doesn’t bother me at all)
All well and good, but not for me. Too much work to keep up online “relationships”. Considering how I must force myself sometimes to even want face to face relationships, well, you get my point.
An old-skool blog, on the other hand, can be delivered right to my inbox- I subscribe to 7 feeds currently. Checking in is as easy as checking my email. I get to keep up with Erin’s belly watch as I go about my daily life, which for me, just happens to include a lot of time in Outlook. I prefer it.
