The other night at Randy's house a few of us got into a conversation that got me to thinking. We were talking about people who are addicted to the online world, myspace...facebook...etc, and the thought was thrown out there that it's just virtual. (I'm leaving out a lot of details to the conversation...so forgive me if this post seems scattered...)
Then there is the thought that if a person was JUST on facebook and myspace and spending an addictive amount of time on those sites that it could be very unhealthy. I agree with this. Then we talked about twitter and what it's about and a little about blogging as the conversation continued.
On the surface, all of these could be a virtually addictive waste of brain space, but what got me thinking was this. I love to blog...I love to twitter...but I love my life as it pertains to life outside of the online world. For me though, blogging and twitter are apart of my life outside the online world. Let me explain.
I use facebook to lead people to twitter which then leads to my blog. My ultimate goal is to get people to read my blog and engage with me on a daily basis. So through out my day I twitter to some friends and I look for that next post I'm going to blog about. Why? because what I twitter and what I blog are about my life as it happens or life as I see it.
Here's what I don't want. I don't want what I do online to not make a difference and to never connect to life. Not everyone I twitter with or read their blog am I ever going to have the opportunity to sit down face to face and have a real conversation with, but I can press my face against the window to their lives and look around from what they write. Is it real? Well...maybe not like we would normally think. It's virtual if all you do is keep it online.
So...With my friends that I really do know who are on twitter, I can know more about what is going on in their day to day lives. My friends that read my blog or I read theirs...We know just a bit more about how each other thinks.
Here's part of an interesting email I got from my dad tonight.
Son,
Your ability to express your experiences and feelings are very therapeutic for all,especially your dad and mom. You were so much fun to gently guide and nurture. I've always been amazed at your many accomplishments especially your independence from a "boxed" life. You do have vision that is meaningful and fun!! Very much love,Dad
My mom and dad, while they are both divorced, both read my blog and both talk to my about things I write...I would venture to say that in some way, it has brought them closer to me and gives us something else to talk about. Is that real? or is that virtual...
Something else...When we took all of those crazy bloggers I love to Uganda, we all instantly connected. Why? We had all been reading each other's blogs. By reading them, I know a bit more about them and what their life is like. Of all the trips I've been on, there has never been a quicker connection than a trip full of active bloggers. I believe it enhanced our relationships over all.
I have other friends who reach out to other bloggers they only know online, they email, talk on the phone...the relationship becomes a bit more real. There are some though that just stay virtual for whatever reason.
Sometimes though I think people do get carried away with the virtual world and perceived reality. Just because you read a blog doesn't always give you the open door to go inside their lives any further than the browser window. This is a place that needs balance to sometimes. Going from a virtual acquaintance to a real life friend takes time, trust, and no agenda on both sides. I only say this because of a couple of friends I know are trying to navigate their way through some new friends online and it's a weird unknown world for them.
So, this conversation that struck up the other night challenged me. I want my offline world to be so real and transparent and full of life. For my online world...I want the same. I want them to both count in very real ways and build community as I go but I don't want to fall into the trap of thinking what happens online is all there is to life. That would be wrong and I would have to stop.
Is your world real or is it virtual? do you have balance? are you expectations realistic? why do you blog and/or twitter? Just a few questions i would ask you if we were having coffee right now.