Wednesday, March 26, 2003

Bloggidygoop

It is a lot like a community, this thing we call blog. We can go ahead and call it what we want, but in the end that is what it is. We share what we want to be public, and still keep things to ourselves. We like that some people read it, and not when others do, much like evesdropping. We have emotional attachment to our space.

And occasionally, we fight. Just like the real world. And, just like the real world, usually it is all started with a misunderstanding.

I am an asshole. No really, I am. Most people who know me know it is just a facade, and all in good fun. I forgot about all the people who didn't know me. A few of them read this blog. To them: I am sorry. Everything I say is a joke, except when I am serious. My name even means to joke: I think it has a religious meaning, too.

So when I call something "inside my head garbage" well, Iam joking about that, too. Luckily, keledy got the joke. At least, I think she does now. And as for the real diary, found under a mattress with a fake lock and a bow, if she clicks the link, she will get that too.

The truth is, I like Keledy's blog. I look for the blogs out there that I can relate to, and are fun to read. Hers is both. In fact, I have added a "Blogs I dig" link on my sidebar. She is the first one. The other blogs on the blogroll are my classmates, and as much as I dig some of theirs, and I do, this is the first blog I chose to read by myself.

Which brings me to my second point. Keledy said:
no one really trains people on what to expect in this weird world of weblogs, nor do they give us a secret pocket decoder ring to tell if such words (as quoted above) are from someone who enjoyed the blog. *shrug* this world of sharing thoughts online, in text, can be really silly.

She is right, this world can be silly. But, as I understand it, we do have someone who trains us. As I just mentioned, and most of my readers (the aformentioned classmates) know, this blog started as a classroom assignment. And along with the classroom, there is also a host of writers who deal with just that subject. I have linked to them earlier, so I won't again. But they are out there, and some of them have good things to say.

Meg Hourihan, of the O'reilly Network, wrote "What We're Doing When We Blog. This article attempts to explain, rather than gloss over, the nature of blogging. I especially like:

When we talk about weblogs, we're talking about a way of organizing information, independent of its topic. What we write about does not define us as bloggers; it's how we write about it (frequently, ad nauseam, peppered with links).

The whole article is written as a run-down, but it goes so much deeper. She uses headings that are technical to dissect the natural things we do. It's a fun read.

-
| <$BlogCommentDeleteIcon$>