This summer is going to be phenomenal. After all, one could say that it’s the story-making season.
I would also say that it is the season of life experience – when you build up your street smarts, when you work the right side of your brain, when you finally get around to the list of fun things you didn’t and don’t have time for throughout the rest of the year.
Three months.
That is how long you have to really learn what school can’t teach or doesn’t teach you before next semester begins. Three months is what you have to dedicate to self-teaching, to personal development and to sharpening the skills that will give you the edge in an interview for your dream job.
But, I have to ask. Why only teach yourself?
What are you waiting for, Blog already!
Yes, that’s a capital “B” because Blogging is a significant action. What’s even more significant is that so few people do it.
In a journalism(!) class, I asked if anyone had a Blog. One student raised their hand but said, “I rarely ever post on it.” For the hell of it, let’s count her as a Blogger. That makes two students (including me) who have a Blog. Worth noting again, this is in a journalism class.
Contrary to popular belief, it seems that an extremely low number of people actually Blog. So when I read a post from Slashdot.org by user ‘Dancin’ Santa,’ in The Myth of Digital Democracy suggesting that everyone has jumped on the Blogging bandwagon, I had a hard time believing it. ‘Dancin’ Santa,’ says:
“If everyone has a voice, no one really has a voice. Any single voice will be drowned out by many thousands of “Gee, this is my blog, I thought it would be a good idea to start one because my cat is so cute. I’ll post pictures of my cat and I love Jesus.”
Really though, that’s the complete opposite of what happens on Blogs.
Real content, real interaction
I’m not sure if you have noticed this or not, but I have found that the more I research content online for homework assignments, I catch myself landing on Blogs that philosophize on concepts on which the assignment is focused.
Prior to Blogs, you had Wikipedia or strictly academic material – far from the dynamic, open-minded content that Blogs provide. On top of widening your mind by reading Blogged content, you also have the opportunity to interact with someone who, at least somewhat, specializes on a topic. (Note that if the Blog did not contain strong content, typically it would not have been ranked in Google.)
So, while you can view academic material surrounding the tragedy of the commons, it’s much more difficult to interact with Garrett Hardin who coined it. Especially given that he is dead. You can, however, communicate with the writer of tragedy-of-the-commons.blogspot.com.
What you need to take from this is that you and the writer of tragedyofthecommons.blogspot.com have a lot more in common than you think. Especially more in common than you have with Garrett Hardin. (Again, the fact that you are alive and he is not makes connecting impractical.)
Returning back to ‘Dancin Santa’s’ comment, I have to say that writing isn’t about sharing your voice; it’s about finding it.
Starting a Blog doesn’t mean you have a voice, and certainly creates little competition with someone else with a voice that wants to be noticed.
In fact, Blogging is simply about reflection, discovery and self-experimentation. (And in some cases, sure, it involves LOLcats. I’m not complaining.)
All entertainment aside, the social development, the number of voices that are found each day and the relatable experiences that are Blogged about are contributing to the connection economy.
A person interviewing at a coffee shop can say they have been Blogging about coffee for two and a half years and have connected with every local coffee shop in the area. A student interested in interning for Wired Magazine can say they have been Blogging about tech development throughout all four years of college. Heck, they may even be able to say that they have interviewed previous contributors to Wired.
No matter what your interest is, you have a voice. It’s time to find it and use it to connect.
Garth Beyer ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in journalism.
