Monday, December 04, 2006

Billions Of Minds Are Better Than One

I remember a couple of years ago when I created my first blog. It was a LiveJournal blog, and it didn’t go so well. I wasn’t discussing anything of importance (or was I? Read on...). Most of my posts consisted of what I thought to be unsystematic thoughts that made with no sagacity, daily occurrences that I was certain no individual was concerned with, and my personal deliberation of intelligence. Back then (I write that like it was fifty years ago) blogging wasn’t “cool” at all. Now, though, it’s really starting to pick up. Two of my very good friends, Brooks and Eddie, have both stepped into the blogosphere; both of these blogs are quite impressive. On my educational blog, which has been set up didactically, I have been asked as to what the definition of a blogger really is.

Wow. I’ve been exploring this inquiry for a couple of weeks now. I’m actually publishing to this blog instead of the more appropriate blog for a number of reasons. Mainly because I haven’t truly figured out what it means to be a blogger. I guess consistent writing is of utmost importance, but does that make me a blogger? I digress to Wikipedia (my new savior).

This site labels a blogger as “a contributor to a blog or online journal.” I can live with that. Or can I? I would actually like to argue that there are some people who consistently publish ideas as to which I care nothing about. Then again, I’ve found useful information in stranger places.

I continue to stress over the idea that I would like to believe that there is more to a blogger than someone who regularly maintains a web log. After careful consideration, though, I would argue that there isn’t. No, the learning network that blogging in general creates is huge. Everything and anything that anyone has to say can and, most likely does, have informational worth. A blog that deals strictly with movie reviews is valuable for obvious reasons. But, a high school boy who anonymously keeps a blog outside of the classroom only to vent is precious on many different levels.

Psychologists are already studying why people write blogs, and I wouldn’t be surprised that if in upcoming years psychologists are studying blogs to explore individual people. Just as we explore the literature of famous authors as a view into their lives. More and more people continue to jump aboard the blog train; for a blogaholic like me (I maintain three blogs) this is encouraging. I’ve studied and recognized the educational value of blogs and I hope that more and more people become in tune to this revelation.

I know I got off on a sort of tangent there, but, overall, it seems easy for me to label anyone who jots down his/her ideas onto a blog, regularly, is indeed a blogger. This question seems to echo a similar question mark, though: what is a writer? I’ve studied writing on many different levels and I’ve had a blog; I consider myself a writer and a blogger. (I don't believe that a person must "study" blogs in order to become a blogger.) Am I right in making this conjecture? I’m not completely sure, to be honest. All I know is that when I wrote, in the first paragraph of this post, “On my educational blog, which has been set up didactically, I have been asked as to what the definition of a blogger really is” I was actually being redundant. I truly believe, whether intentional or not, that all blogs are created with value for each and every reader. Even my first blog (I would link to it, but it appears that it's been deleted)!

It’s like the common phrase “two minds are better than one”, right? Well, what about millions and millions and millions and millions of minds. Think about it. Cheers.

1 comment:

Pseudonym Jim said...

Ray, does this make me a blogger? I think so! I have to confess I too am becoming a blogaholic. I'm pretty thrilled about it. I'm trying to become a writer through blogging, and maybe I am also "studying" other blogs... I don't know if that's really significant, but I figured I'd write it anyways. The other reason I'm making this post is because I'm a publicity gigolo. Which reminds me, thanks for the constant shout-outs.