Blogs rock!
I have never been one to keep a diary or journal. Though I love to write, even imagine myself actually writing a bestseller some day, I have never found journaling appealing. When I first heard of blogs I asked myself "why?" Blogging sounded so narcissistic. But lately, blogging has been in the news. It turns out many corporations have begun to use blogs as a sort of public relations tool. Supposedly, a blog by a corporate VP puts a more personal face on the organization, as opposed to the slick press releases that are often viewed as simply spin. Blogging has become a staff communication tool for corporate executives as well. In theory, employees get a peek inside the mind of the executive separate from the plethora of memos and directives for which management is notorious. These bits of information piqued my interest in blogging. I wondered if perhaps the library could use blogging to facilitate a "connection" between staff and management. A lack thereof is something the staff complains about on a regular basis. On the other hand, I couldn't help but wonder what sort of burden it would place on management if they were required to write something in a blog on a regular basis. We are all already overworked and perpetually backlogged. So, I decided to give it a try myself first before suggesting it to my fellow management team members. To my surprise, I actually look forward to posting to my blog - so far. I suspect there will come times when I am far too busy to continue regular postings and dates between posts will become farther apart, but for now, I am enjoying it. I find myself thinking of various topics for posts as I lay in bed at night awaiting sleep's arrival. And now that I blog, I find myself drawn to blogs of others. Some are just egotistical ramblings not worth reading, while others are riveting. I strive for the latter, but would be satisfied if the random reader stumbling across my blog found them simply mildly interesting.
On that note, using Nathan Harrison's (my son's college roommate) blog as a starting point, I find myself captivated by not only his blog, but by those to which he has linked. It's an opportunity to see inside the mind of kids my son's age that we adults don't often get. Reading the various blogs, and the comments attached to them, I find myself impressed with these kids. They are bright, thoughtful, informed, and articulate. Perhaps these particular "kids" are not the norm. I like to think otherwise. Far too often we adults write teenagers off as self-absorbed, indulgent, superficial, and rude. Read these blogs and comments, look past the occasional profane comment, and see how passionate these young people are about the issues that matter to them. For that matter, read them and find out what those issues are. It's been heartening and enlightening. I feel a little like I'm spying on these kids. I hope they don't mind an old fart like me peering into their world. If they realized the positive impact their blogs have had, they'd likely welcome more "mature" readers. Keep up the blogging, kids. And thank you for allowing me into your world. Maybe they'll eventually read mine and understand my generation just a little better. What a tool blogs are!
