On Blogs and Blogging

Tom here:

One of the interesting twists of this experience has been my introduction the the world of Blogs and Social Networking. Of course I have read about these things, but dismissed it as a place where a lot of silly kids were busy saying silly things, something that I am sure on one level of the Blogiverse (is that a word yet?) is true.

But what I missed completely was the extent of a social communication revolution unequaled since Guttenburg invented moveable type. We are seeing nothing less than the Democratization of Discourse, where every individual can publish their thoughts and language, and whether their audience be large or small doesn't matter. They can have their SAY, and what they say is often beautiful and laced with ideas and turns of phrase that are breathtaking.

I am far from being a a blog expert, in fact, I have only read one blog: my daughter Lizzy's, but what I found there has thrilled me to the core of my English teacher's heart! My daughter is a writer! She is already a far better writer than her father, and if her own flesh and blood didn't realize that until he saw her blog, that alone should show how important this revolution is.

I am waiting to read my other childeren's blogs. I expect more surprises. And I hope that I haven't blown the whole thing by having them think "Daddy is looking over my shoulder." That would be a tragedy, since it is the unbridled flights of imagination and freedom of expression that makes the whole thing so wonderful.

So trust your old Pappy, he is much more broad minded than you think and wants nothing more than for each of you to be your own person and be happy. In fact that is the greatest thrill of his life, next to being married to the most wonderful woman in the world!

And yes, I have blown my cover. I was an English Major. I have been an English teacher. I am a horrible speller, and I constantly forget the rules of punctuation but I love grammar because it gives us a peek into the most amazing invention in the universe: language. And language is nothing more than what makes us what we are. After all, can we even be aware of our existence without language? Can we know what we are thinking if we haven't expressed it? We are creatures who live in our past, we only are aware of existence only after it has happened and our language helps us express that awareness.

And I love good language. I laugh out loud at the inventiveness of Dickens descriptions. I thrill at the imagery of Frost and Dickenson. I LOVE a good story, even if its literary merit will never make it a classic. I see Mark Twain as a kindred spirit, and hope to meet him some day. And I know good writing when I see it, and I have seen it in my daughters blog.

My dear Abby introduced me to social networking, helping me set up a Facebook account and start growing my list of friends. I haven't done much with that, but I see its potential. And again, while this seems to be a world for youth, the fact is older people might benefit most from a system of keeping in touch. Kids, help your parents get it, it will be a source of great joy in their "Golden Years" when family becomes more and more the center of their lives.

For years I have had the ability to use Apples excellent software to start my own blog on my .mac (now .me) account. I think I might do it, because I also have a lot to say and there may be some surprises in store for some of you who think you know Tom Davenport.

All the best,
Tom