The blogosphere, including relationships - more accurately, especially relationships - is all now. And the now, by its nature, keeps changing every fraction of a second. How can we old-media people accept this? Not easily, my pretty.
Maybe that's why Buddhism has become almost necessary for us, at least those of us over-50. I have almost memorized Pema Chodron's "Awakening Loving-Kindness." It's the 190-page version of the best of the nothing-to-hold-onto way of thinking. Chodron captures succinctly what we feel we need and what we'll never get. On page 72, she says "You want something to hold on to, you want to say, 'Finally I have found it ..."
It was 2 years ago when I started to consider blogging. On the American Marketing Association's LisServe I came across Toby Bloomberg's name. I asked her where to start. Bloomberg was so generous with her knowledge and time. "Finally I have found it," I thought. I assumed that this whole new world of blogging was it.
Bloomberg referred me to Paul Chaney. If you can believe it, Chaney was equally generous. This circle of wonderment kept getting larger and larger. There was no money, at least back then. But the purity of the blogosphere made up for that. During Katrina, we were at our noblest. Thanks to Chaney's suggestion we used our blogs to help out. We didn't sleep for days.
That was 2 years ago.
Bloomberg has moved into experimental territory with her clients' blogs, including inventing fictional characters.
Chaney has taken a full-time marketing job with startup BloggingSystems.com which custom-makes multi-blog platforms for the real estate and mortgage industries.
The mighty duo of Seth Israel and Robert Scoble, who co-authored "Naked Conversations," have gone their separate ways.
And, indirectly from the blogging - I now have 2 and will add a 3rd - monetary success has come my way.
I miss what was. I was certain that I had "it," the "it" I had been searching for after the 1970s CounterCulture collapsed. The now of now is, of course, better than that "it." I'm more confident. Let's reframe that. For the 1st time in my sorry life and career I am self-assured, so much so that I take gigantic risks. I don't have to pull so many all-nighters any more. Maybe confidence allows you to work more efficiently. Although the purity of the early blogosphere is gone so is the self-righteousness. I hated that during the CounterCulture and I was wary of it 2 years ago. Now, not so many are boasting that they get it and the rest of the world doesn't.
All this is occurring to me because it's the holiday season. I don't expect to get a digital greetings from those I started out with in the blogosphere. But I will receive them from a whole new crowd. And it is a crowd, as anyone who blogs knows. This medium is made up of many intense but short-lived relationships. Perhaps that is what makes it so fresh and, yeah, now.
Jane - it's rather fun to see where we were 2 years ago and where the social media winds have taken us today. Thanks for the shout out .. I am especially thrilled that you're finding a niche in this space!
Posted by: Toby | November 28, 2006 at 01:25 AM