Concerning Nell:snow and critters
2 months ago
Monday, February 1, 2010
whys and wherefores
'The online universe of blogs' - that's what Encyclopedia Britannica calls the blogosphere. I was intrigued that the term had found such a firm place in the dictionary and encyclopedic world. I shouldn't be so, I guess. The blog universe has been around for a while. It's me that's the newcomer. I can't get over this ongoing sensation that I've entered a realm that isn't real. And yet here I am, back in the zone, putting out another offering, and, (be honest Pam), delighted when there's a response. Often I have felt like a shy cook, slipping my plate of victuals onto the table with a self-consciously casual hand. Barely able to look at what I'd prepared, and astonished to discover that someone had come for a nibble. My first response to diving into this world was a huge sigh of relief to be back writing, and the small morsel approach of the blog seemed just the right proportion for me right now. It's taken not very long to learn that of course this is not just about me writing... it's about connecting. And that for me, holds both potent opportunity and pitfalls. I love connecting with people. I want to be resonating with the ideas of others - and for them to be resonating with mine. The pitfall: that I start to hanker to hear back from this non-tangible community, mostly neither known nor seen, who may or may not be reading this right now. That a blog of mine goes out and takes its place without any echo - that's ok. That's what I'm telling myself.
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Echoooo! And what a lovely photo of you. I'm delighted you're writing and sharing your cuisine; your platters are always artfully unlike anyone else's, and laden with nutrients, colour and texture...
ReplyDeleteHello lo lo o o o. Thanks for your kind words pen.My taste buds have had many a happy time in your blog too. x
ReplyDeleteWell Pam, what a beautiful description of your first toe in the water experience within the blogosphere.
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for the Encyclopedia definition. I'm thinking of writing a paper on my blog experience, but I need to explore some of the 'scholarship'.
The wonderful thing about the blogosphere is that it's so democratic. The one thing that seems to win hands down is honesty and something personal, however well disguised.
It's great connecting with you. Your experience here reminds me of mine, early in the piece, only about a year ago when I too felt nervous about speaking, and about expressing myself, essentially about talking to all these complete strangers. But in no time at all, they do not seem like strangers. We have become blog buddies and I value their ideas, their comments, their writing and so much more.
Welcome on board.
Thankyou Elizabeth. It's been great to meet you! What an interesting idea - writing a paper on this. It's really quite mind-blowing that the virtual world is truly a 'place' where community happens. How fascinating that we use the technology available to us to gather, and to seek out like minded, like-spirited people. And that in some essential way, we do in fact meet! Who would have believed it, 100 (even 20) years ago?
ReplyDeleteDear Map
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure there's such a thing as an absence of echo... am inclined to think echoes are a little independent in nature, that just because their resonance and resounding might go on beyond sight and sound, they're echoing nevertheless.
Certainly I believe this is 110% so as regards your generous platters.
xx
Thanks clarab, Yes I do get that idea. That all 'emissions' have an echo regardless of whether this is heard or experienced. It's an interesting one to ponder in the context of (vast) space. (Not sure whether physics backs it up, but oh well). My naming of this aspect of my blogging experience has been something of a confessional. It's an interesting tension. I don't want to get caught into expectations - rather just to enjoy the process. But it also felt important / good / a little scary, to name the alluring bit. (Thank you for tangibilising your echo, my friend.)
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of echoes being 'independent in nature' - I immediately thing of them resonating around on their own ... banging into each other through their sound waves, not necessarily ever physically meeting at all ... a blogosphere of echoes... And I love your name, Pam: Map. Lovely.
ReplyDelete... I meant 'think of them' -
ReplyDeleteHi Mary - yes, I love that picture too. I'd always pictured sound waves as those wavey things heading in one direction. There's a utube video of a simple experiment that shows how they have their own exact , beautifully complex and ever changing dance. (I think I remember Claire B doing this same thing some years ago too.) Here's the link to it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9GBf8y0lY0
ReplyDelete