Earlier I posted that Jay McCarthy’s blog makeoutcity is like a party. Since I wrote that post, I’ve realized that what happens at a good party is that people connect. And that’s been true for my experience at Jay’s blog. I’ve started reading other blogs, ones he cites. And like any party where friends meet, I’ve started to connect on my own with a few bloggers who I met via makeoutcity, creating our own dialogues.
These experiences sparked me to realize how I’ve acquired the blogs I read, and how I’ve developed the relationships I have.
As an example: I met Lisa Williams through Enoch’s medmusings . And through Learning the Lessons of Nixon I noticed some other great reads, such as Halley’s Comment and Collision Detection.
Anita’s LOL is worth reading for the blog roll alone. I’ve found fun blogs simply from exploring her list of reads. Through Anita Rowland’s site, I’ve discovered Fragments from Floyd, Northwest Notes and eclecticism, among others.
It’s been fun to find those who have read and commented, such as Jeffy and Stephen Noels and Paul Beard and to see who else they enjoy. Like people at a party who come up and introduce themselves. (And as I think about this, I feel more convinced I should post a blogroll, as Ted did recently.)
Last week Anita was interviewed on the radio and asked the common question: how is a blog different from a journal. That one always bothers me and I think Anita’s answer has helped me put my finger on it. If I wanted to write a journal under my pillow I would. But this is a blog. It’s public. It’s not just a diary. It’s a dialogue. It’s an invitation to conversation. Whether or not I had comments or trackback enabled, by its presence on the Web this writing space in cyberspace invites others to talk with me. Respond. Reply. I want to know. Else I’d leave it on paper under a pillow.
And I realized that all blogs are like parties. Some like Jay’s are big parties with all kinds of conversations. And some are quieter gatherings. More intimate moments. More like a tea party. Tea for two: the writer and the reader.
If I’m asked how to define a blog:
It’s a newspaper. It’s a mirror. A house of fun mirrors.
It’s a white space. It’s a storefront. It’s a marketplace.
It’s a bulletin board. It’s a chalk board. It’s a dart board.
It’s a studio. It’s a stadium. It’s a concert stage.
It’s a diamond. It’s a lump of clay.
It’s an art gallery. It’s a library.
It’s an invitation to a party.
It’s an Open House I’m having:
Please come!
