Thing #4

Blogs are not meant to be static.  It is a  form of "social networking."  The kind of social "small talk" and opinionating that used to take place at parties, ballgames, or office water coolers now can happen via blog post.  Furthermore, because it is online, you don't have to actually know the person to interact with them.  I was recently trying to find information on a product I was thinking about ordering.  It was fairly expensive, so I wanted to get some more info before I ordered it.  I stumbled onto a blog where women were commenting, asking questions, receiving answers, and offering advise.  I didn't know any of these women, but for a moment I felt like I was at an old fashioned slumber party or bridal shower, where women sit around and gossip and offer tips on their latest finds.  This blog was not only of tremendous help to me concerning the product, but for a moment I felt connected to complete strangers.  Blogs not only provide this sense of helpfulness and community in what they have to say, but they also offer suggestions and links to other blogs or web pages that may be of interest.  If I like a particular writer, or want a certain artisan product, or I'm looking for information on a historical occurrence, I can find a blog that mentions it and chances are good there will be links to items, people, or places that I may also find useful.  Its is like a community bulletin board designed with your taste and interest in mind.  It is a bit overwhelming when you begin to think of the sheer volumes of like-minded people you can discover through blogs!  Concerning two other interesting points of the provided links for thing #4, I really appreciated the information concerning the background of blogs in politics.  While I did realize that blogs were playing a larger and larger role in how political information became public, I did not realize that it was bloggers who first picked up on Senator Trent Lott's comments concerning Senator Strom Thurmond, which eventually forced him to resign.  I think that this proves that from almost the very beginning blogs were destined to play a role in political, media, and educational affairs; however, I appreciate President Obama's caution that if the future of news is blogging, with all opinions and no serious fact checking or attempt at context, then all we will end up with are "people shouting at each other across the void but not a lot of mutual understanding."  This nicely sums up some of my concerns.  The second thing I found interesting was the Cool Cat Teacher blog.  I'm not sure I agree with her comment that it is the right thing to do to comment on a blog when it is a topic  you care about.  I think wandering out into the waters of morality, right vs. wrong, is a bit much when the topic is blog commenting.  I also found it a bit insincere when she says she doesn't comment on other blogs to create traffic on her own.  She creates hyperlinks with her comments, using a tracking service, and has co-comment site.  This is obviously a lady interested in what she has to say, and wants others to be as well.  That is fine, if it gives her a sense of purpose---but please, no false modesty.  I appreciated the honesty of the Blue Skunk blog----of course bloggers want traffic and they want to be read.  His comment, "I just don't envision Emily Dickinson having a  'I Could not Stop for Death' blog  is a nice reminder that there is a time and place for the personal and private.  Posting and commenting are important, but I disagree that you haven't done the "right" thing if you choose not to share some important insight with the world-wide web. 
My five classroom comments:
1. Chassity Halpin's Thing #1
2. Chassity Halpin's Thing#5
3. Holly Hudson's Thing #7
4. Jill Hutchison's Thing #8
5. Amber Law's Thing#4
My two public comments were for 50 Must See Teacher's Blogs: Let Children Play and The Thinking Mother