A comment from Graham Wegner on this post from Kim Cofino got me thinking. As I commented on Kim's post (with a few edits):
We each seem to see ourselves as minnows among whales. My perspective is that I’m just li’l ol’ me conversing with the great and the good of the blogosphere. Graham obviously feels the same. He and I covered this ground once before when he referred to his home as being ordinary Adelaide and I mentioned that to some of us, Adelaide was exotic. One man's ho-hum is most decidedly another man's "wow!"
I wonder of any of those that I think of as being the great and the good think of themselves as li’l ol’ me. It seems this medium has engendered a strong sense of mutual respect, while still being a great leveller. I humbly appreciate the opportunities to engage with the likes of Tony Karrer, David Warlick, Mark Oehlert, Harold Jarche, Vicki Davis and, now that I’ve thought about it, I can just picture them reading this post and going: “Who, me? But I’m just…”
On the blogosphere no-one seems to be “just” anything. So here's to us, minnows and whales all.
8 comments:
I read today in proverbs that no man should be wise in his own eyes. In this new Internet where everybody can be somebody and the big somebodies (who do not blog) can be a nobody. It is important to keep perspective.
I believe that the humble are of more use than the egotistical, self absorbed know it all. I always say that the only person who I cannot teach is the only one who knows it all.
I enjoy our "Internet friendship" you are such an encourager to me and I love reading your encouragement!
OK! I'll be the first. I'm just me, grew up in a three stoplight mill town in western NC, learning disabled, but imagination enhanced. blah blah blah.
I honestly do not know where any measure of notoriety has come from except for a conviction that I suspect we all have,
...that it is an intensely exciting world that we live in -- and learning about that world should be just as exciting.
Who, lil ol' me? I too, grew up in a small town in the interior of British Columbia and now live in a small town (pop 5,000) in the mostly rural province of New Brunswick. For me, blogs are a way of having conversations with people, wheverer they may be, who are interested in similar topics. Here in Sackville (now with 2 traffic lights) that would difficult.
Karyn, that's an interesting insight that blogs are a great leveler and that many of us come to it humble. Really interesting insight. And your comments have always been good insights. I think we find lots of passion on some blogs which can seem like ego, but most bloggers I've met are relatively humble. It has been great to meet other folks through blogging - and recently being on panels together with other folks I met through blogging. We should link this thread into the recent LCB discussion!
I knew it! I knew it!
Vicki: I'm totally with you on what constitutes an unteachable person. My husband says of such people: "My mind is made up, don't confuse me with facts"
Tony: I aree that sometimes passion and enthusiasm can come across as arrogance. As when a person doesn't stop to observer the niceties because they're so keen to share what they have to say.
Chiming in here.....
What? People are actually reading this stuff? Intriguing post Karyn...my first thought is that I actually use my blog as my mental closet - I open all these tabs to stuff that catches my eye and then I have to put that stuff somewhere but I can't stand the thought of losing it...from that standpoint..1 reader is a bonus of enormous degree...
Second thought is that this ties into my recent new subtitle of Learning as Art..blogging feels a lot like art to me as well...sometimes you do it for yourself, sometimes for others, sometimes 12 times a day, sometimes not for a whole week. Its artistic. Its messy.
I also agree with Tony - I have been outright stupid lucky enough to meet some of the true blogging A-listers - and to date, not a jerk in the bunch. I think it must have something to do with the domain and the activity - they seem to self-select a lot of jerks out of the mix...and there is ALWAYS someone with a bigger feedburner number than you - keeps you humble.
I know I replied to Mark's comment, but it appears to have disappeared. Which only goes to prove the point that I made in that reply that I fully understand the need for a place to keep things safe in case you forget them! My Ardent Student blog (see the links section of this blog), which I created to track my journey through a Masters' degree course, seems to serve that very purpose. It is in danger of becoming a long list of links.
You're right, it is so empowering to be swimming in the same sea with all those whales you refer to. I love the level playing field of the blogosphere - especially since I’m quite obviously just a little minnow myself!
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