Finally a rewarding hobby – spouting off unfounded opinions to whoever doesn’t want to listen. Ah, the joys of the blog.
This little corner of the blog realm has been a cathartic experience. A place to exchange ideas and thoughts with close friends and strangers alike. It has helped me cultivate my web design skills and my ability to put thoughts into words. More importantly, it has shown me that I still have so much more to learn. Often times it is difficult to come up with something clever to write about and that is precisely when you wind up with a pointless meandering, not unlike the drivel you are reading right now. But that is the beauty of the blog.
The best part of course is the engagement with new people; total strangers from anywhere and everywhere. The opportunity to network, branch out, and learn something new is nearly limitless. So is the opportunity to get owned from some faceless (yet heavily pimpled) fifteen year old bandit of the internet. Jack Gamble Man-Overboard (not fifteen although heavily pockmarked), has been doing much of the grassroots networking these days; prowling the depths of StumbleUpon, creating a place for Babeled in Facebook’s blog network, and reaching out to other bloggers.
Active participation in this whole affair as it unfolds is what keeps me coming back for more. Wondering what and who the next post may bring. Even the best of hobbies often end in failure as the initial excitement steadily wanes from an inevitable sense of monotony. Babeling is different, its organic evolution continues to build the excitement over time. Is it strange to find such solace in a community of babelers?
Image Used in this Post
Shakespeare Comic image courtesy of Flickr user cambodia4kidsorg published under the CC license.
8 Comments
I think the best things about blogs is that they aren’t polished pieces of work. Most of the time, they are exactly what’s going on in the blogger’s head — and that has potential to provoke discussion and thought on behalf of the reader.
But your other points about networking, etc., are all well taken, and absolutely true. And the learning aspect … holy cow, since I started blogging, I’ve forced my brain to try and remember stuff that I haven’t done in years — like write coherently.
And also, depending on what you’re writing about, you can learn an awful lot about yourself as you meander down the blogging path.
Oh, and no, I don’t think it’s odd to find solace in a community of babblers…any MMO player can tell you that. However, I do think it’s a lot easier to make these connections online, where it’s more of a judgment of intellect and personality rather than a judgment on physicality (ie, dress, hair style, race, etc).
Good point, the superficial judgments are more or less thrown out the window.
Yes, sadly I am still learning how to cope with an environment in which my striking good looks, rugged manliness, and superficial awesomeness afford me no leniency.
Luckily my humility enables me to persevere.
My wife doesnt understand the whole fascination with blogging, and no matter how many ways I explain it, she will never get it.
For me, I totally agree with “Three”. My posts are so unpolished it scares me sometimes, but then, that is what I like about it. Going back to posts of the past and seeing how things have changed (I swear they were more humourous in the past on m site!) is always fun.
And a babeled facebook group? Consider me joined!
Sy,
My posts are equally unpolished. Luckily Mr. Molyneux possesses a keen eye for detail and his perfectionist disposition stands on the edge of lunacy.
Behind the scenes Claire is correcting babeled grammar when muse strikes her…I didn’t even know she was doing it.
dot com
And for the behind the scenes work of Claire D we are all truly grateful. It is clear that the rest of us cannot read or write.
Can I emply Claire please? My grammar is generally comparable to a small child having a very bad day.