I've posted to ACPL blogs before (today's contribution was to the Mac discussion), but admittedly not often.
I should love using blogs to discuss work matters. I've always preferred writing to speaking, and you don't have to wait for your colleagues to shut-- er, finish speaking-- before stating your mind on a blog. However, I've noticed several things that keep me from embracing them wholeheartedly.
First, I'm hyper-aware that someone may misconstrue what I type. So I edit. And edit. And edit again. What should have taken me 5 minutes to tap out turns into a 30 minute search for les mots justes.
Second, you don't know who's reading. Are the people you want your message to get to reading? More important, are the people you might not want to hear the message reading? If you're sitting in a meeting, you know who's hearing your message. (Egad, did I just defend meetings? Somebody shoot me.)
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4 comments:
I understand what you are saying. One of the problems that I have heard here and in other organizations is that people feel that they do not have a voice. Others feel that there voice and ideas are not listened to. While blogs do not solve the second problem completely they do provide an avenue for people to express their ideas and have a voice within an organization and ultimately I think that is healthy. On a personal note I did enjoy reading your ideas on this topic.
~Sean
You should stop editing ad nauseam and just do this: Type your 5-minute post. Post it. Wait until someone comments, misconstruing what you said. Edit your blog post and republish. Then comment back and say, "I don't know what you're talking about. I never said that." ;-)
What I like about blogs is that they can be edited so easily, and as often as I like. The very moment I used a word processor to type (OK, I was in high school) I couldn't go back to my typewriter, even though my thoughtful and sacrificing parents recently bought it for me. I could move stuff around, change my mind, take stuff out. Suddenly, writing could help me process my thoughts instead of simply documenting them.
It is so very true that people can misconstrue what's said in written communication. I can't help but think the same thing happens in email (or in person) every day whether we know it or not.
I do concur that once you've written something, though, it's truly "out there" in a way that words cannot hang in the air-- unless, of course, you delete your post and deny the whole affair. Comments allow for a wide range of opinion and discussion, but can leave bloggers feeling more vulnerable in the process. It's a tradeoff.
I'm glad you *are* blogging. I've always admired your emails -- they're cogent, well-considered and frequently make me laugh out loud. Your writing, hyperedited or not, is well worth reading.
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