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Thing 11

What do you like / dislike about leaving comments? How did you feel when you received your first comment? Why do you think commenting is so important in online communities? What might this mean for students who share their writing online?

The only thing I dislike about leaving comments is when some glitch occurs and my post that took 5.5 minutes to write won't post.

When I went online with my blog in July of '07 my first comment was from some stranger. While her words were positive and encouraging I was a bit pissed because none of my friends or acquaintances posted. To this day, I still have friends who have never posted a comment on here. It's a bit narcissistic, but I want to know what they think. That's why I write. Well, I also write because of some strange compulsion to tell a story (with fiction) but yes, there's that painting of Narcissuss hanging here too (how do you spell his name?).

Commenting is important because feedback is important in thinking and writing. One should be told that one is crazy or brilliant--just not "nice"! I won't go so far as to say this creates community, because it doesn't, but blogging does allow voices from people that you would otherwise never have heard.

What does this mean for students? To quote the Vigilantes of Love (and one of my favorite songs) "You'd better wear your thickest skin."

Comments

JSB said…
Your words were on target and eloquent. It's easy to sit behind a computer and interact. It's the face to face stuff that is hard. You can type and change it a thousand times but words between humans can't always be deleted. I went to Christmas in the Village in Manchester last night because my 4 yr old was riding on a float, I was dreading it because it was cold and Friday. She was joyous. Lot's of people came out, houses were decorated, the village was magical. That's community. People caring and creating because we want our children to have experiences that enrich their lives.
I saw you were searching for land in Washtenaw...there's plenty in Manchester. We live on a dirt road, sand hill cranes fly over our heads and deer sleep in our yard.
Scot said…
Find me something we can afford and you've just earned yourself a bird-dog fee.
Mrs. Mac said…
I totally agree with your thoughts about "being tough skinned" and all that. Posting publicly opens a person up to criticism as well as praise, and I could see some of my students getting very upset by other people's comments. A teacher must take caution in requiring comments because there will undoubtedly be a case of someone taking a comment the wrong way.

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Worth Quoting

There are but three social arrangements which can replace Capitalism: Slavery, Socialism, and Property.                                                                                                 --Hilaire Belloc                                                                                                The Servile State

Good reads of 2009

I haven't made a list like this in a while, and I believe I discussed most of these on the blog as I finished them, but I thought I'd make a handy short-hand list for you and me. These are only in the order I read them and do not indicate any preference. The Open Door * Frederica Mathewes-Green The Children of Hurin * J.R.R. Tolkien The Omnivore's Dilemma * Michael Pollan Agrarianism and the Good Society: Land, Culture, Conflict, and Hope * Eric T. Freyfogle Wonderful Fool * Shusaku Endo Up the Rouge: Paddling Detroit's Hidden River * Joel Thurtell and Patricia Beck Johnny Cash and the Great American Contradiction: Christianity and the Battle for the Soul of a Nation * Rodney Clapp (I started the following in December, but I haven't finished them--so far they are excellent: Love and Hate in Jamestown * David A. Price and The Picture of Dorian Gray * Oscar Wilde) Try one of these--let me know.

Gaudete, dammit!

     I was not at my home church for mass this morning (not that I feel like I have a home church since becoming Popish), but nevertheless my mood was buoyant.  After all, how could it not be.  Here we were standing as brothers and sisters commemorating one of the top five greatest events in the history of reality: the Incarnation.  Yet looking out and listening to the participation of my Roman brothers and sisters, one would think that something less than mundane had happened.  Something BORING, even.  We gathered to remember the God of the universe condescending to take on human dress and all we can do is half-heartedly sing and mumble ancient creeds that people died for?  I remained buoyant despite the lack of mutual awe.      Annie Dillard said waggishly that when people go to church they ought to be wearing crash helmets.  Do they really know who or what they are summoning?  Something more terrible, merciful, and real than the Great and Powerful Oz for certain.  Lest my Protestan