…the world will not end.
When everyone has a blog…
Posted on July 18, 2011 Written by
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[...] In seeking input for the post, had actually reached out to Arik for his thoughts on the topic when he turned the tables on me and asked for a guest post; obviously, I was happy to oblige. However, several people did provide their input, including Ike Pigott who sent this short, but straight to the point response in the form of a video (which is an Ike specialty, albeit usually from behind the wheel of a parked car). [...]
Prolly the smartest thing you’ve said (written).
Hey, I see what you did there…
Ike, you present a compassionately kind point of view. In a world where people increasingly see things as black/white (or red/blue), I love that you point out the upside of the democratization of journaling and journalism.
Thanks, Meryl. It’s been quite some time since either “compassionate” or “kind” were invoked near my name.
For me, the breakthrough was getting beyond the “individual’s right to expression” versus the “effect of amateurism on Journalism.” There is also that aggregate effect on the individual, multiplied by us all.
Put another way… if you can get an entire village to take a step, you have in fact moved the mountain one step closer.
Thanks for stopping in…
Hi Ike,
I just popped over here for the first time when I saw your comments on Spin Sucks.
Such a good point – and I’d add – commenting has also helped make my mind more critical. It’s a more active way of reading. It’s easy to read and move on….
thanks, and thanks for the laugh – didn’t expect the prolly at the end. Hilarious.
Thanks for coming by, Lisa.
I used to be quite a bit more active, but hope to provide the occasional value here.
I read somewhere (I wish I could find it) a study from a presumably reputable source (some Stanford prof I think) that said IMing and SMSing and the like are actually making us more literate for the exact reason you point out. We’ve NEVER as a society written anywhere close to as much as we write today. Word-of-mouth is dying. Word-of-keyboard is taking over.
…and the last time I checked, there was a little more forethought and intent in the written word than in the spoken.
Not always much, but a little.
Thanks for the external validation, Jay. (Who reads this site anymore, anyway..?)
Incremental improvement…kaizen…”every day in every way I’m getting better and better”…you articulated these thoughts beautifully in your vlog. I’m a stickler for spelling and grammar (and yes, I use old-school “Canadian”/”English” spelling like honour, colour, valour).
I love the written word. And you’re spot on when you say, the more something is done and practiced, the better it gets. Coming from an athletic coaching background, I can say: practice doesn’t necessarily make perfect, but it makes better. Cheers! Kaarina P.S. I’m a newbie here, and I know that you have a razor sharp wit and tongue, so I’m being brave with my comment here. Won’t ask you to be kind: just constructive. Then I can practice:)
Of related interest..
Ever heard of open source intelligence? Some in the intelligence community believe that bloggers, in each of their chossen subjects, are going to have more say every day about the world than most given them credit for.. each “subject” blogger not only learns to write better with time but he also climbs up his only information pyramid, until he alone is sitting at the very top. The higher up he climbs, the more people send information upward his/her ears, until it becomes a steady stream of information, which also tends to become increasingly more relevant to their covered interest/subject…
http://bit.ly/f5XV8T
Just food for thought..
I got to see this happen firsthand.
Early in my blogging days, an admittedly very undereducated woman started reading and commenting on my blog. Her first comment is barely legible, absolutely filled with vocabulary and spelling missteps. However, she was inspired her to start her own blog, and since I try to interact with my readers as much as I can, I would occasionally read her blog. Over the course of a year, her posts went from being jumbled, error-filled confusion to fairly well-written posts. Her spelling improved, her vocabulary improved, and, as you said, her critical thinking skills most definitely improved.
However, though she thought better on paper, her life choices did not improve, which eventually forced her to quit blogging and fall off of the face of the planet. Or at least of my planet. But I have to hope that her critical thinking will one day catch up with her actions.