Mathemagenic: learning and KM insights - 07 June 2004
Lilia at Mathemagenic explains that the weblog world is like a city...
For me the closest metaphor is a city, a shared living space. Usually we don't know many others in our neighbourhood, but we walk on the same streets every day, see the same familiar strangers, get wet under the same rain, miss the same bus... We have a lot of context to share and meeting each other abroad we will connect easily. Living in a same city creates a sense of belonging and a sense of community.
Weblogs do as well. Of course, not for everyone (as in a city, you may not feel it). I was thinking what creates such shared context in case of weblogs. I guess it's weblog reading.
I think this is a valid point. We are all navigating the weblog world on our own terms and finding our own communities.
For me, blogging without knowing my niche and community wouldn't be nearly as rewarding. I want to make a contribution to my community and it's that pressure that makes me feel good and take time to blog. This feeling isn't that much different from the feeling I get in taking care of my front yard or speaking at a community meeting.
Lilia follows with this quote, which I'm taking directly into a project I'm working on (thanks Lilia!):
I'm getting more and more convinced that when introducing someone to blogging the most important thing is to help newcomer to start feeling rhythms of blogging cities: getting a map for an orientation, learning basic terms to find a way around, finding good guides (blogs to start reading), taking time to explore and soak...