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Well, this is new…

I am one of those people that hasn’t been very far from a computer since the world wide web became mainstream in the 1990’s. I absorbed everything I could for a time and then, of course, launched my own web site. Looking back on this site I think today it would be called a news aggregator blog. I updated it at least once a day, but quite often I would just update it whenever I found a link that I believed would be of interest to my readers (the British Columbia soccer community). Sometimes I would post my own commentary or commentary from people who emailed there thoughts are particularly topics. By 2005 I had passed on the responsibility for this website to a co-collaborator who continues to run it today.

However, I have never actually sat down and poured out content in a daily blog the way Andrew Sullivan described it in 2008. So this is very new. In some ways I’m intimidated by posting my personal take on things for everyone to see. I encounter this regularly when participating in chat forums. I’ll find something that I want to comment on, write a quite substantial post, and then just delete it. It’s a habit that became a huge waste of time for me. I would become consumed with the feeling that “no one could possibly want to read what I’ve got say” or “these people are never going to understand my point of view.” I have also become discouraged from continuing to post after posting something I believed to be interesting and NO ONE comments, either positively or negatively.

But I think things should be different in this environment. For instance, on a forum you are really imposing your views on a topic. People that are part of that forum should expect all kinds of opinions but at the same time they are not necessarily looking for YOUR opinion. On the other hand, anyone that reads this blog will be expecting to see my take on things… in this case on the topic of “social media”… and if they aren’t interested in the topic or in my opinion then they wouldn’t be reading it.

Perhaps McLuhan’s idea about the medium being the message for the reader also works for the writer? That is the medium for which you are writing is more important than the content of that writing?

11 Responses to Well, this is new…

  1. librarianincognita

    Hey Marty, I just wanted to say that I’ve always enjoyed listening/ reading to whatever you have to say be it in class or online. I don’t think people online are necessarily looking for anyone’s opinion in particular but the sum total of everyone’s opinions makes a conversation – as long as everyone is listening.

  2. DG

    Marty,

    I agree with librarianincognita, and that being part of the convo is as much a part of the new digital environment as saying something worthwhile. Float some ideas that are weak — see what you get back. It might trigger a stellar one.

    I see my role in this course as a bit of a therapist. I’d like to remind everyone that if I can learn to blog, so too can you.

    Dean

  3. adejesus

    Interestingly, although it probably has more to do with the theme of my personal blog, I’m actually quite happy to never get any comments. I don’t want them! I’ve actually concocted a method to avoid ever linking to another person’s blog, which is a major thing for participating in the blogosphere.

  4. Jessica Foshaug

    Hi Marty, great start to your blog! I definitely understand what you mean about feeling that “no one could possibly want to read what I’ve got say.” Added to that, once you click on the “publish” button, your thoughts are out there, and you might be able to delete them but you can’t truly take them back! But I did find Sullivan’s article somewhat heartening, and I’m going to be more bold from now on… (All writers have these moments, right?)

    I’d like to hear a bit more about your thoughts on the medium (possibly) being more important for the writer than the content. In McLuhan’s example of the lightbulb, the medium is obviously more important than the content (there is none). But in the example of writing, I don’t think I can agree: content is primary.

    Consider blogs that have been re-published in book format (passiveaggressivenotes.com is my favourite). The basic entries are the same. The blog has an advantage in that it contains entries that aren’t included in the book, and it has the comments feature. The book’s advantage is that it contains the best entries (or rather, the entries that the editors decided were the best). In this instance, and for my purposes, the medium is considerably less important than the content (I don’t bother reading the comments).

    Thanks for getting me thinking about this!

  5. martyrose

    Jessica, I agree that an online blog and a print version of those blog posts would be very similar if you don’t read the comments. Although, I do see the idea of a blog to be more like Felicia and Dean envision – more of a conversation. I used to ignore the comments on websites as I usually found them to be inane or offensive (the comments on most youtube videos for instance). However, I’ve been reading a lot of blog posts for work and I’ve found that the most interesting part of the articles now quite often come in the commentaries (for example, your post here). I now only rarely read a newspaper article (Globe and Mail or The Guardian) without also at least trying to follow some of the reaction to the article from the readers. Yes, some are ridiculous but I’ve been surprised by how many more thoughtful comments I see now. So perhaps, the quality of the conversation is getting better as more of society gets over their stage fright of posting online?

    Regarding whether the medium is more important than the content for a writer… obviously, content is incredibly important, but the most important thing, for most writers, is to be read. I think the choice of medium for your work is the most important decision in regards to getting it read. It really wouldn’t matter how good the writing is if someone doesn’t subscribe to the medium in which it is produced. Take the hype around the iPad or the Kindle. I know there are many people that would choose to only read things that are in formats for those devices. On the other hand, there are some people who will only read everything in print form and will not consider using electronic devices. Therefore the choice of medium is essential for the writer. If they want to reach the iPad group, people will want the work to contain elements (social media, etc) that take advantage of the device’s capabilities. Those preferring a book format would not expect such things. I would think a writer might potentially write the same work very differently for each these mediums. This already happens when a book is adapted into a movie script. It’s almost impossible to take a novel and produce an on-screen version that is exactly the same as the novel… and there is always a discussion about which version is better (I admit it’s usually the book!)

  6. martyrose

    Thanks Felicia. I really appreciate the kind words. I think this experience should be both interesting and rewarding as I think everyone will have unique experiences to relate regarding the use of social media as budding (or in some cases already full-fledged) information professionals. I’m looking forward to the banter.

  7. ajleonard

    Hi Marty, I can identify with your hesitance and reluctance to blog. Blogging is not something that immediately appeals to me either, for reasons similar to yours. I came across this interesting article online: http://tinyurl.com/mdaltu. While most of it probably isn’t relevant or doesn’t apply, I think the author does make some noteworthy, relevant points.

  8. martyrose

    Thanks Ashley! That’s a great article. Definitely speaks to how social media isn’t just for the extroverted.

  9. Michele Ramos

    Hi Marty, I just wanted to say that I can totally relate to the drafting and redrafting of a post or comment only to delete it later. Except my train of thought is more along the lines of “this isn’t interesting or insightful enough for someone to want to read it” or sometimes I don’t think my ideas are well developed enough. Also, I think that it can be a bit intimidating putting your opinions out there for people to read and comment on.

    I’m hoping that this class will encourage me to dive into social media spaces a bit more, and (hopefully) become fairly committed to some of them. I really like the idea of blogging regularly, but I’ve always found it difficult to commit the time to it, or I would find it difficult to come up with a consistent topic.

    However, in your case it seems like you’ve had a pretty successful start earlier on with your previous website 🙂 And to reiterate librarianincognita’s comment, I too have always enjoyed your comments and contributions in class/online.

  10. ledgar

    Marty, great first post! I too share a lot of your concerns with blogging, as many others have already mentioned. For me, I’m considering writing on a more personal subject/category on my blog parallel to LIBR 559M to “get the juices flowing” as it were. We’ll see if that works out!

    However, perhaps the most intriguing part of your first post was your comments on the medium. I must admit, I have never thought of it in that sense. I agree with you, today, probably more so than the past, the medium is ever changing for the writer (and reader for that matter). The options are seemingly endless and yes, the content can change depending on the medium. I am definitely one of those people who refuses to use an e-reader. It just doesn’t speak to me the way a traditional book does. So does it become about choosing the right medium for the writer’s message to reach the intended audience, or does the writer tailor the content to the medium and therefore to the audience? Interesting to ponder about!

  11. lynnpyke

    I think you have hit a nerve, Marty. So many of us seem for share the idea that “no one would want to know what I think” and have experience writing comments only to delete them without posting. I have experienced this as well, which is strange because in a P2P, I’m conceited enough to believe everyone should want to know what I think. It’s something about writing it down I guess.
    I found that the discussion requirement of online classes has really altered my views though and now I am much more willing to comment on others’ writing and believe I actually have something to say.

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