The Blogspot

Most of the research I do is online.  The digital age has given the world opportunities we didn't have before and some opportunities that shouldn't be taken.  This week I ran across a story where a blogger decided to post her thoughts about a online date and how that really came back to haunt her.   It left me thinking about how the digital age has created a virtual bathroom wall scrawling that anyone can see and no one can report the scribbler to the principle.  Or can they?  In this case, the backlash came in the form of actual story, which is a little ridiculous in some ways, this is news?  But how often do I hear stories about cyber-bullying, stalking and other horrifying ways that people treat each other that lead to violence and even death?  And while the exact nature of this blogger's post were questionable if not mean-spirited, does the internet provide us sounding boards of things that maybe we think and should never speak or ways to demean and humiliate people in a very public way in order to gain some sort of narcissistic attention?  Or all of the above?   People have blogs for many reasons.  I have two, one for this project and another for my personal writing.  Why?  Because I like attention?  Yes.  And because I like having an outlet for my writing and thoughts.  Mostly I'm looking for connection.  It's a way of self-publishing.  So when writing a blog or posting on Facebook or a board and it's mean, what are people looking for?  An outlet for their rage?  For people to think they're funny?  But when it's at someone's expense, is it still funny?  Or is it just mean?  And if you're dating, are you blogging about dating because you're looking for connection or something that others can relate to?  Or are you looking to humiliate someone else?  Someone who rubs your 'blogspot' the right or wrong way may not take too kindly to appearing in cyberspace as fodder for the masses.  Then again, neither may the masses.

So far so good

Completed a few interviews so far, mostly in person but have figured out most of Skype.  What I can say so far in this experience is much like internet dating.  You communicate via various web modalities, you send pictures, you agree on meeting at a public place and the 'date' begins.   The awkward starts of who are you and what do you do, what are you looking for, what sites are you on, those questions continue to be the ice breakers and then eventually it's more of a conversation and questions arise as we go along.     I will say that of the people I'm meeting in person, we've tended to have a longer conversation than my thirty minute rule.  Of course, if the conversation didn't go so well it probably wouldn't last thirty minutes anyway.  This week I'll be putting the shout out on Twitter for some of my online connections and see what happens there.  Onward!