I came across an interesting post in another blog tonight and it got me thinking about this one.
I started this blog, or rather, kick-started it, because I was so involved with the Mike Arcuri campaign. But I also knew that there were certain expectations that I hoped to keep with how I wrote this, no matter what the topic is.
I do typically browse a number of other blogs on a regular basis. Some are those of personal friends and many are of people I don't know but who have opinions I'm interested in. Some others I read just to be aware of what they are saying.
Fault Lines has a piece about the blogging world and the interconnections of the blogs. That author is correct in how Technorati functions. And I'd hazard to guess that everyone who writes a blog does hope that someone out there reads it. And one of the ways to foster that is to read and refer to other blogs... and linking just makes it easier.
But I don't agree that the blogging community is any more or less welcoming than any other community. Just like any bordered time/space, there's great, good, bad and ugly all included.
I think that's why I don't link simply to link and when I do link, it's only after getting to know the other site enough to be comfortable to, as Fault Line's commenter called it, "enable" it.
Or, my 10th grade Social Science teacher's training for writing term papers really did leave a lasting impression. If I'm going to refer to something, I better be comfortable with it's reliability.
Do I need to do this? Certainly not. And there are times I almost wish I had an anonymous and safe place to just blurt out whatever I feel like throwing up because we all at times, want that option.
But Freedom of Speech is a right that comes with responsibility too. That's why I sign my name at the bottom of each post. It lets everyone know that the post is mine... but also reminds me that it's mine.
Maimun
