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August 24, 2005

Blogging Effect

So, I've noticed something interesting (besides the potential for being Blankbabied) about blogging, and I don't think it's just me...

I tend to read the blogs of mostly people that I know, like Dan, Scott, Ryan, and Terry. With the exception of Terry, I don't think I really knew any of them well enough when I started reading their blogs to engage in casual conversation. However, reading, commenting, and generally following along, you start to feel like you know those people you didn't know before much better. So you IM, then you actually talk more.

Which leads to a weird point, where you're in the bathroom with Becky, and tempted to comment on a recent post in person, but can't decide if that's weird, not because you're in the bathroom, but because you've barely spoken. 'Cause really, she's mostly a stranger.

Or, when you find yourself exchanging emails with Cara, who hasn't been back to Penn in a while and is at least mildly interested in the changes to campus since she graduated (ie, McDeath no longer being McDeath, but just a normal McDonald's), as well as your skill at turning off the Word Paperclip Guy. That wouldn't be so odd, except that Cara lives in Chicago, so we've never met, and is not really like a normal, everyday person, since she's Cara Lockwood, a "National Bestselling Author," currently working on her fourth novel. Me in Hollywood Video this weekend: "So I got email from Cara today, and oh, look, there's the movie based on her first book."

That's weird. I did't write back, because I was a little thrown by the whole feeling of knowing this person, since I know all about her kitchen remodel from hell and her slacker tendencies. But really, I don't. She's not a friend. If I ran into her on the street, I wouldn't realize what was happening. She wouldn't know I was me, I wouldn't realize she was her, unless we said more than "oops, sorry" after bumping into eachother (which, in my head, happens across the street from the north point of Logan Circle, but that's not the point of my story).

Um, so, does this happen to anyone else? Is it the point of blogs? How do you deal when someone you've just met wants you to defend your comments on Lancaster County? And how are you supposed to transition to talking to someone you only know virtually?

Posted by Janice Ryan at August 24, 2005 12:23 AM

Comments

I think in many ways this is the exact purpose of all this technology. Blogs, IMing, email, all of it is design to communicate. Granted the communication takes place in many different ways, but I think this is the very effect we would wish would comes out of this technology. That and that everyone would know how to act in the bathroom.

Posted by: Terrence Ryan at August 24, 2005 1:51 AM

Who are you? ...and as long as Becky doesn't sneeze, you're allowed to talk to her.

Posted by: Dan at August 24, 2005 10:16 AM

It's totally acceptable to talk to bloggers--strangers or otherwise. You can't use your real name, put your stuff on the Internet, and then be surprised when someone comments on your material. I'm sure that even as we type this, there are a slew of phd candidates slaving away on technology and social interaction-themed dissertations. I agree with Terry, though I tend not to initiate e-mail & IM connections with strangers--I need the face-to-face visual cues to feel comfortable. The exception is Philadelphia-based strangers, since there's a lot of common ground, and there's always the possibility of meeting up in person. Bathroom etiquette--that's a very complex topic.

Posted by: Becky at August 24, 2005 12:33 PM

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