http://mediamindshare.wordpress.com/2007/04/09/citizen-journalist-pr-guy-it-does-make-a-difference/
When I first started blogging back in 2003, a handful of prominent bloggers all posted that I had started a blog. I thought that this blogging thing was really easy. Every time, I posted, I'd pick up a half dozen links and pretty soon my influence would eclipse the BBC. Well, it didn't happen that way. After that neat welcoming I had to fend for myself, joining other conversations, posting often and linking to others. Over time, I became better known and in my case I got lucky because I wrote a book with a famous blogger.
That all seems like a long time ago. The whole blogosphere back then, seemed like a simple little global neighborhood. Those of us who wrote about tech and blogging pretty much either knew each other or shared a mutual friend. A great deal has happened since. A great deal of growth has been sustained for a number of years. It is a rare day when a new blogger gets welcomed with links from a half dozen prominent bloggers. While those who are new to the blogosphere are gushing about some of the wonderful things about this form of communications, those of us who have been there and doing that for several years have grown a bit complacent to such issues as say citizen journalism, and joining the conversation and so on.
Right now is a particularly difficult time, for many of us who have been around for a while. One of our own, Kathy Sierra has become an assault victim, and talking about other issues, such as a neat new social media site just seems a bit petty. The passions we bloggers usually show, that occasionally lead to verbal dust ups seems somehow inappropriate. Our usual banter of jokes and quips feel banal.
We will move on and we will get back. That's what people do. After 9/11, America was spiritually listless for a while. Out of fear that the horror would happen again, we allowed laws to pass, which have proved unwise and hard to repeal. I do not mean to suggest that the Kathy Sierra incident is of the same magnitude of the World Trade horror, but I do mean to say, that bloggers who admire Kathy are undergoing the same sort of psychological withdrawals and depressions and it will be a while before we become ourselves again.
All these thoughts have been small pieces loosely joined in my brain because of two posts that occurred yesterday. The first was from Michael Tangeman, who left a comment on something I posted about Citizen Journalism just before the Kathy incident. When I did not comment back, he wrote this post and emailed it to me just to be certain I would not miss it. Before I go any further, I'd like you to go over there and read his post, then leave a nice comment welcoming him to the blogosphere. Also leave one tip on blogging that might prove useful to Michael. he's a good blogger and he deserves it.
Later, yesterday, I came across Ashley Goldberg's post. Ashley also appears to be a new blogger, and I'm guessing a young one as well. Ashley was reading my recent post and it was clear she was lost in my references to Codes of Conduct and Kathy Sierra. I'd like you all to go over there as well and welcome Ashley and share some advice with her.
Michael had asked me in the back channel if I had ignored him because I was too busy or because the Citizen Journalist subject had become old hat to me, because it was new to him as was blogging. The answer is partly true. For old hands at blogging the Citizen Journalism issue, as well as the issue of traditional journalists vs.bloggers is old hat and there is little new to say on the topic. But I walked away because the Kathy Sierra had so over-shadowed it in my mind. It would have been like writing about free speech, a worthy subject, the day after 9-11 happened. Citizen Journalism and Free Speech are both discussed very often and points are endlessly repeated, but they are worth repeating. On most days the issues should be discussed, debated, argued and occasionally brawled over.
Ashley, you reminded me of how much bigger the blogosphere is than we insiders who have been so seriously impacted by the Kathy incident. We need fresh voices like you and Michael to come in to the blogosphere and to take the conversations into new places.
Those of us who claim to be evangelists need to write in ways that are inclusive in our conversations.
Michael and Ashley, welcome o the blogosphere. Thanks for wanting to take the conversation into new places and revisit old spaces. Thanks for helping me to move on from my personal blogosphere malaise. I look forward to talking with you both again.
