Over the past …er..almost nine years (hate to even think about it!), I’ve been interviewed here and there about blogs, etc. The interviewer usually has a rather breathless view about it all…How are BLOGS going to change the way we communicate and commune as Christians? As Catholics? Hmmm?
I’ve always (to my recollection) brushed away the “blog” part of it in favor of the “internet” part. As far as I’m concerned, blogs are just one little part of the broader revolution of the Internet, and hardly worth discussing on their own as a lasting phenomenon, even though there is a lot of good stuff about blogs and a great deal of very good writing on blogs. A lot. Things change so fast, who knows what will come next and what shape it will all take. My impression, as a non-smart-phone-owner, which also tells your right away I’m a non-Iphone owner as well, and, in case you were wondering, as a non-IPad owner, is that the way people use the Internet is heading in the app direction and away from this creative-based, daily changing content arena. Whatever I just meant by that. All I know is that if I had an Iphone or other smartphone I think I would probably use the Internet a little differently than I do now. Oddly enough, I suspect I might read more books than blogs on an Ipad.
Right now, the subjects of high interest are Twitter & Facebook. Brief thoughts:
1) I’m on Twitter, but only because Beliefnet asked me to when I blogged for them. Since then, I’ve come to depend on Twitter as a news feed for both Catholic & secular news. I mean…depend on it. The links can take me somewhere else, but I really am all over Twitter as a very useful way to scan what’s happening right now, really fast. I post to Twitter, but it occurred to me today that there’s really no reason for me to do so anymore, now that I’m no longer BUILDING MY BRAND for Beliefnet, etc. I’ll stay on it, but only for what it give me, even if I stop posting stuff myself.Because I’m selfish like that.
2) Facebook is interesting. I read all kinds of screeds about Facebook eating up people’s time, but really, it only does that if you let it. No one makes you play Farmville or Mafia Wars or whatever. I’ve never done any of that except for the month after Michael died during which I blankly, reflexively played Scramble and Word Tumble or whatever for two hours every night.
I find Facebook really useful as a way to keep up with people. I’m connected to family, friends from past & present, former students, fellow writers, editors…and I like that. I also use it as a way to post more personal family stuff.
Which means….
I get about 3-5 Facebook friend requests every day. I do appreciate them, but I also ignore all of them, unless I “know” you in some sense – I know your blog, I went to high school with yeu, I grew you in my womb….if I “friended” everyone who asked then I’d have no reason for being on Facebook at all. Some people don’t feel that way, and build up their “friends” list into the thousands, some using it as a PR/Marketing tool, which is absolutely fine! Just not for me – for me, Facebook is a more private place that’s a lot more convenient than having a private blog that family & friends need to take extra time and trouble to log into.
Oh, by the way…ten reasons you should get off Facebook, which are worth considering. (And here’s an updated post on that.) I fearlessly predict Facebook will go the MySpace route soon, but for different reasons than MySpace did.
So…what next?
I have been blogging since June 2003. Among my memories have been the scandals of the Kerry NOT WEARING A SUIT BUT A SKII SUIT to Mass. (*SIC)
Then there was the near break up of St Blog’s as was in the beginning.
Then there was the condemnation of anyone who breathed differently than the holier on the blogs that are geographically north of this writer here. And by differently I mean vote and dress and sweat correctly here in Tampa Florida. This was around the Schiavo sitch. (*Which was if you were here and alert was WORSE BEFORE SHE GOT SICK. I was there during the fighting. You just do not read about that in the papers. )
Blogging overall? I give it six more years at most. There is WAYYYY TOO MUCH i am a better than you Catholic homeschooling and / or I am quiet and better grandstanding when there DOES NOT NEED TO BE.
We have come a long way since the 2002 Franciscan Writer’s Fest. Not all of it is good.
Any suggestions dear big sis in Christ Jesus how to combat that “I am better blah blah than you tone that comes out when they present their blogs….” Problem is these folks are not MAINSTREAM AND regular earning a living and making a serious impact. Many of their viewpoints are weird.
I could do research on this. I know how to do that.
I concur, especially with the Twitter part. I was very skeptical of it at first – seeing it as the proof of shrinking attention spans for folks for whom blog entries are “too long” – but I have to admit now I see it as very valuable as a link source, in place of blogs. (Blogs seem a bit passe, already, which is amazing given how recent they are.)
I see Facebook as a pure social media while Twitter the news and link function. I get 3-5 Facebook requests a year, and like you I have to just say no unless I know them in some way. Ha. :-)
I looked for you on facebook a few weeks ago to see if yours was a public page that I could Like and therefore promote to my friends. When I saw that it wasn’t, I didn’t dream of trying to friend you–but did enjoy the number of snacks you had listed in your likes and interests.
I don’t have a good opinion about Internet culture in general. I think social communication media is just a new height in the disappearance of authentic community in society. And I think most discussions on the Internet are just counterproductive bloviating (and I say this as someone who’s spent years posting on blogs and phorums). I’m not on Facebook or Twitter. As far as Twitter, I feel the same way about it as I feel about most news…it’s irrelevant to my life. I really have no interest in knowing what people are doing throughout the day, or staying virtually connected to a world that is not right in front of me and which I do not really “live” in. As far as Facebook…the way I see it, if we’re not close enough to talk in real life, then there’s no reason to talk in a virtual world. My girlfriend lives in another country, so I do use text message with her…but I only do so out of necessity. If we ever get married and live in the same country I will have to politely refuse to use a text messenger.
I wish Christians would step back from our increasingly virtual world and become a voice of criticism and asceticism, rather than being too enthusiastic in trying to unite the Internet and the Gospel…because I think it can have some damaging consequences, both to society in general, and to Christians qua Christians.
I’ve really become a fan of the way journalists use twitter here in China to get some news out there, quickly, before their access is shut down or severly limited. There were several journos in Qinghai tweeting everything from their ride out to the quake zone to the funerals themselves. I’ve also used twitter as a back-up emergency plan myself. That day last year when we were visted by police a few times in one day, I tweeted about that, and then I kept “going to the police station” on my phone, ready to send to twitter if I did get detained. I didn’t, but it was nice to have just in case.
I am wondering if blogs will soon be outdated or passe, what will take their place or what has taken their place as one of the earlier comments said. I like your comment that they will morph into something that we may not expect. It is my opinion that they will be used for journaling our life experiences, much like they are now. However, I think they could be used in a more directed way to bring our prayer life into the light of day and connect us spiritually in a way that we cannot even comprehend right now. Unlike the other Jason above, I do not believe it will cause a disconnection to reality, because the Gospel always leads us to communion with others and with Him. It will, however, lead us to a greater connection to the reality that all of us make up the body of Christ and even when the evil one wants us to feel alone and on an island, we will know the truth of the fact that millions of others share our same beliefs…We must stay true to the calling of bringing the Good News to the world, and I think we need to start now, not later…I am wondering what the name of this new blogging will be called…catholic journaling, lol!