America's Life Stories
Thursday, April 3, 2008
When it comes to blogging I am rank amateur. I have read quite a few and intended to start one on numerous occasions, but never got round to it. In any case though, I do stay busy at times more productively than other times.How blogging matters in life and work could become a good masters dissertation. I, in no way could do that. I will take a stab at what I think may be some interesting aspects.
Why do people blog? Why do people read blogs? What benefits accrue to each?
The recent and astounding growth in blogging creates some very interesting dynamics regarding interpersonal communications. This technology gives voice to many who otherwise have been mute. One reason why people blog could be the result of an inherent need in many of us to express our opinion, and more importantly to have those opinions validated by others.
Why do people read blogs? For those who choose to be readers and by extension ‘commenters’ fill their need to have their own beliefs and opinions validated in an eloquence they believe they lack. Having bloggers explain a position in a way that the reader agrees with but fails to be able to express adequately. All of us understand far more than we have the capacity or ability to explain. With the great number of bloggers, readers can now seek out and find those that put into words and images the readers deeply held beliefs. The blogger provides a perspective the reader needs. Something akin to “preaching to the choir”. There are though those other readers who seek out conflict to define themselves and suffice by taking snipes at the blogger and feeling better about themselves despite lacking the talent to provide a coherent argument. So, on the one side you have those readers who have their own pre-existing beliefs reinforced and done more eloquently and those others who gain a small satisfaction from believing they have jousted with a dragon.
There are of course other types of blogs that express themselves in a more collaborative manner with multiple participants arguing a line of thought, like a tug-of-war and arrive at conclusions neither party would have presumed.
The mere existence of blogs for many is as much a boon as it is a bane. When you give voice to the masses, when you give them the tools to become recognized and respected (by their choir) the benefit also is an obstacle to achieving the goal of recognition in as much as, everybody has a voice. How do you stand out in a crowd? How do you rise above the din? Competition exists and thrives in an open structured environment. There will necessarily be winners and losers. A few rising stars and many others who will be preaching to empty pews. The good news though is that no longer do we have to accept or suffice on what the traditional media serves up. No longer can pundits and public officials vacillate with out some sharp tool calling them out. Blogs are the first great leveler of the public opinion playing field. Blogs are like the editorial section of the newspapers on steroids and LSD.
How do I network and form online social communities? I am not sure. I have some ideas and I think I will find out if they are correct. I think social networks, much like blogs but to a much lower magnitude are going to trend much more niche-y. You have the granddaddy of them all in MySpace that for all it’s potential is devolving into a very base, meat market.
What I am trying to do with you could write is to peel away the flash and the trash and to run a clean (non-cluttered) site with a broad yet specific focus. I love the social network’s tools and the collaborative potential that those tools provide. I love the idea of bringing many people together upon a fairly mutual interest. I like giving everyone an equal chance to make their mark (PUBLISH) and if they miss on their first attempt, that they have many second chances and can learn from their missteps, particularly with help from others in the community (POLISH) and ultimately if their efforts meet with the approval of the masses that they be able to succeed. (PROMOTE) In my case, in my social network I have chosen the niche of Writing and collaborating artists. Authors can find editors and illustrators, musicians can find lyricists and composers, producers can find screenwriters and poets can find their muses, experts can establish their credibility, and all of them can find and build their audiences.
This medium also lends itself well in the changing and crowded media environment. Web users tend to have the attention span of a gnat. I think that is one of the reasons for the success of blogs. A reader can get in and get out in short order. Unlike trying to read “War and Peace” web readers can slake their thirst with a series of sips rather than long gulps. I do believe that ‘texting’ is going to have a serious impact on people’s ability to express deep or complex ideas.
Changes in technology that are on the horizon suggest that soon we will have inexpensive ‘readers’, like I-pods, into which you can load volumes of books and which are as easy to read as the printed word is today. How about downloading a novel as easily as it is to download music files, and transport and access just as easily. How about letting the public decide what and who it wants to read as opposed to the editors and publishers in the big houses making those decisions based on what they ‘think’ the public wants. What if the cost was only a fraction of what the publishers charge. Lots of changes on the horizon for the media and publishing industry, making for lots of opportunities for those who can be out in front of it. Blogs and the ‘user-generated content’ sites are just the beginning of this transition.
The market for ‘writers sites’ is crowded and there are many who are doing a pretty good job of it. I just hope my ‘you could write’ concept prevails with the right combination of people and formula to achieve a good share of this market. The good thing is that it is an incredibly huge market. I hope mine is a “Success Story.”
Comment by Maria:
The concept of networking and forming online social communities you have presented here is very interesting. Seems different. Could you explain a little more?
Answer by Dennis Stack:
Thanks Maria, for all the great promise and potential the internet, blogs, and social networks, etal provide, it seems that the baser element prevails. Porn, mind numbingly dumb content, over abuse of advertising, among others swamp the content making it harder to wade through to find the gems.
What I am trying to do with www.youcouldwrite.com is trying to appeal to those who want to use the site and network to improve the quality of their art, collaborate with people they have never met yet share uniquely common interests. In the short time I have been running this site I have met and gotten to know a number of really neat, quality people, through their writing. When people write, how they write and what they write about, you get an insight to their soul.
I intend to keep the site www.youcouldwrite.com free of trash and flash. I want to create an environment where people feel free to express themselves, in their best light, and to allow others to discover those special attributes that makes them who they are. I will not tolerate abusive interactions, foul language and any other activity that bring disharmonious airs to the site. I want to stay with people who regardless of their level of expertise and skill, want to improve themselves and who reach out to others for that help. In the weeks to come I am initiating a number of programs designed to build the network population and to expand the site's mission, features and capabilities. I want to do this with the input of my early members.
We are going to be increasing our bandwidth, once we work out some bugs and awkward navigation issues, and enable up-loads of audio and video submissions. In saying as much, I don't want to clutter the site with 'stupid pet tricks' like you see on you-tube. I am brining on-board a couple of new partners who have talents that I only dream of someday having. One is a very accomplished audio and video, and film producer, the other a very accomplished copywriter and author. I even want to build an aspect of the site that will provide families and friends a means by which, regardless of their disparate locations, to communicate and build their own Family Archive - a site wherein the different members can contribute to their own legacy, recording information and stories about their family and their family's history.
In this new and exciting virtual world our youngest can get lost in the mix. Being influenced by forces that previously they would never have had to deal with. It's easy to forget the self-esteem challenges we faced in our youth, as we age. You eventually learn to put them into perspective. Today though, many of our youngest do not have the space and closeness of family to develop themselves and make more solid those attributes that truly make them unique. When they see all those things that others have done, whether they are real or not is another question, they seek to emulate those characteristics in an attempt to be recognized and respected.
If they have the opportunity instead, to know who they are and from whence they came (their family history) they are better equipped to deal with the outside forces impacting them. I read a disturbing report recently that many of the young today, when asked what they aspire to gave responses that are very, very, very different from those common aspirations of my youth. (I am 52) Today's youth define success as being famous first, connected in some way to fame second, building a talent or skill, working towards an admirable goal, follows in a distant third. This bothers me tremendously.
If every kid today dreams of being famous, too many will follow a course doomed to destruction and disappointment. Not every kid in the city that shoots hoops will become an NBA allstar. If they are not shown different paths to a satisfactory self-actualization, they will increasingly feel insignificant and become overwhelmed by that sense of being all alone in a crowded room. Not everyone can be a star in the public domain, as much as I wish that were somehow possible, but we all can become happy with who we are. My other endeavor www.americanstorykeepers.com and www.capturinglifestories.com are all about preserving the history and traditions of each individual family. In the hope that we can all strive to be a star with those who matter most to us.
Because ultimately it is where we came from, the struggles we endured, the successes and the failures, achieved not just in one lifetime but realized over successive generations of a family that is a true and enduring legacy, capable of helping the young find themselves in a safe and productive way. Every family and every family member is unique, has traditions and characteristics, and has heroes and villains enough to be the guide. Entering the public domain with a strong sense of self, confident in their abilities and cognizant of their shortcomings can go on to achieve great things. I want to help families create this archive of knowledge and experience to inoculate their successive generation from the onslaught of the coming cultural mediocrity. I strongly encourage everyone to take a little time out from exploring the whole world and instead explore their own roots first. There are so many things that our parents and grandparents can teach us, if all we did was take the time to ask and listen.
Previous Posts: Liz Strauss, Aliza Sherman Risdahl, Mihaela Lica, Sterling W. Camden, Peg Haustetter, Steli Efti, Vicky Stringer, EXSENO, Axinia, Daniel S, Turo Jantunen, Alina Popescu, Dine Racoma, Chris Garrett, annamanila, Wifely Steps, Rolly, MrsPartyGirl, Ghee, Gitr Kargath, Richard Miles, Robyn McMaster, Elizabeth, Zep Hopper, Ellen Weber, Anita Bruzzese, Auntie Hattie, Bob Glaza, Isabella Mori, Paula Neal Mooney, Albert Pascual, Margot Potter, Ian Smith, Jean Yates, Christina Cedeno, Ayelet Noff (Blonde), Kristine, Kirsten Harrell, Lisa Gates, Evi Christodoulou, Peincess Haiku, Kent Newsome, David Johnson, Danica Radovanovic, Ev Nucci, David Johnson, Danica Radovanovic, Feng Brum, Janette Toral, Silviana Prioteasa, Pallab De, Jeanne Dininni, Laura Spencer, Maria Celina Gallo, Melanie, Damria Senne, Tammy Lenski, Enigma, Lizza, Pisces Iscariot, Maria Palma, Carol, Gayla McCord, Starr, Marc Faletti, Callie, CAPaige aka CapCity, Claire Carroll, Sylvia Hubbard, Allison Dickson, Bill C, Maryanne Moll, Papi Monkey, Lillie Ammann, Chad Perrin, Polliwog, Joseph Bernard, Roberta Ferguson, Julie R. Custodio-Fuertes, Lynda Winsor, Ilker Yoldas, Fracas, Daddy Papersurfer, Old Horsetail Snake and Yvonne Russell
Labels: Fine Art of Blogging
posted by Shirazi @ 12:03 PM,
3 Comments:
-
At 13:20,
said...
-
The concept of networking and forming online social communities you have presented here is very interesting. Seems different. Could you explain a little more?
I will look forward to this unique sounding forum. Best of luck with that. -
At 22:23,
dennis said...
-
Thanks Maria, For all the great promise and potential the internet, blogs, social networks, etal. provide, it seems that the baser element prevail. Porn, mind numbingly dumb content, over abuse of advertising, among others swamp the content making it harder to wade through to find the gems. What I am trying to do with www.youcouldwrite.com is trying to appeal to those who want to use the site and network to improve the quality of their art, collaborate with people they have never met yet share uniquely common interests. In the short time I have been runnig this site I have met and gotten to know a number of really neat, quality people, through their writting. When people write, how they write and what they write about, you get an insight to their soul. I intend to keep the site www.youcouldwrite.com free of trash and flash. I want to create an environment where people feel free to express themselves, in their best light, and to allow others to discover those special attributes that makes them who they are. I will not tolerate abusive interactions, foul language and any other activity that bring disharmonious airs to the site. I want to stay with people who regardless of their level of expertise and skill, want to improve themselves and who reach out to others for that help. In the weeks to come I am initiating a number of programs designed to build the network population and to expand the site's mission, features and capabilities. I want to do this with the input of my early members. We are going to be increasing our bandwidth, once we work out some bugs and awkward navigation issues, and enable up-loads of audio and video submissions. In saying as much, I don't wnat to clutter the site with 'stupid pet tricks' like you see on you-tube. I am brining on-board a couple of new partners who have talents that I only dream of someday having. One is a very accomplished audio and vidoe, and film producer, the other a very accomplished copywriter and author. I even want to build an aspect of the site that will provide families and friends a means by which, regardless of their disparate locations, to communicate and build their own Family Archive. A site wherein the different members can contribute to their own legacy, recording information and stories about their family and their family's history.
In this new and exciting virtual world our youngest can get lost in the mix. Being influenced by forces that previoulsy they would never have had to deal with. It's easy to forget the self-esteem challenges we faced in our youth, as we age. You eventually learn to put them into perspective. Today though, many of our youngest do not have the space and closeness of family to develop themselves and make more solid those attributes that truly make them unique. When they see all those things that others have done, whether they are real or not is another question, they seek to emmulate those characteristics in an attempt to be recognized and respected. If they have the opportunity instead, to know who they are and from whence they came (their family history) they are better equiped to deal with the outside forces impacting them. I read a disturbing report recently that many of the young today, when asked what they aspire to gave responses that are very, very, very diferent from those common aspirations of my youth. (I am 52) Today's youth define success as being famous first, connected in some way to fame second, building a talent or skill, working towards an admirable goal, follow in a distant third. this bothers me tremendously. If every kid today dreams of being famous, too many will follow a course doomed to destruction and disappointment. not every kid in the city that shoots hoops will become an NBA allstar. If they are not shown different paths to a satisfactory self-actualization, theu will increasingly feel insignificant and become overwhelmed by that sense of being all alone in a crowded room. Not everyone can be a star in the public domain, as much as I wish that were somehow possible, but we all can become happy with who we are. My othe endeavor www.americanstorykeepers.com and www.capturinglifestories.com are all about preserving the history and traditions of each individual family. In the hope that we can all strive to be a star with those who matter most to us. Because ultimately it is where we came from, the struggles we endured, the successes and the failures, achieved not just in one lifetime but realized over successive generations of a family that is a true and enduring legacy, capable of helping the young find themselves in a safe and productive way. Every family and every family member is unique, has traditions and characterstics, has heroes and villains enouhg to be the guide. Entering the public domain with a strong sense of self, confident in their abilities and cognizant of their shortcomings can go on to achieve great things. I want to help families create this archive of knowledge and experience to innoculat their successive generation from the onslaught of the coming cultural mediocrity. I strongly encourage everyone to take a little time out from exploring the whole world and instead explore their own roots first. There are so many things that our parents and grandparents can teach us, if all we did was take the time to ask,,, and listen. -
At 09:27,
said...
-
Seeing the sincerity of purpose, I wish you success Dennis Stack. Thanks for this elaboration.
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What is a blog to you?
Internet is a lonely place without Blogging; a fine art, science, also economics. Blogs are different to different people. Fine Art of Blogging asks you to share your views on what is a blog to you?
Please contribute your thoughts on blogging in general. In particular, write how you blog? Why? How blogging matters in life and work? Success stories and inspirations. Answer these questions and more (add what you feel is important dimension for you) and email me.
Fine Art Claimer
My blogs are a resource for my writings. More often, I blog informally, sharing impressions, generating ideas to see how they invoke reactions, keeping track of others’ work in the fields of my interest, or simply ranting or pointing out things that come to my attention.
Also, I use blogging as a platform to prune ideas. This is where I meet others and share experiences. “I am neither geek, nor nerd, I am not a hacker, a phreaker, a programmer or any variety of technoid dweeb.”
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