Beyond Blogging
last week, I had the good fortune to speak at the Personal Democracy Forum ("Technology is Changing Politics") in New York City. the topic of the panel was something along the lines of "Winning Friends and Influencing People in the Blogosphere " Yes, another panel on blogging.
While the panel meandered and veered pretty well off course.I did have the opportunity to make a point I feel strongly about - get the hell off the computer. I don't care how well you write, or how engaging your podcasts are - no form of electronic communication serves the same function of relationship building as dinner and wine. Every long-term political movement demands a level of relationship far, far, beyond email (and who hasn't a written an email explaining a miscommunication in tone from an earlier email?) and into the so-called offline world. I prefer "real" world, actually - as much else is just fiction.
In that vein, I had a wonderful dinner with some friends tonight. Not everyone was there - the most conspicuous absence being my lovely better half - but all the same - it was a great evening. Wine, homemade lasagna - catching up. Good stories and laughs. And we're all better friends for having shared a meal together.
The blogosphere could learn a lot.