On feedback.

I've been doing this blog for a year and a half. It's the first blog I have ever done so it's been a learning experience for me; in and of itself.  I have looked at blogging as a tool to help me work out issues and organize thoughts. When I sit down to write I don't think of any particular audience to whom I may be writing - I'm not writing to anyone in particular. When you write to someone in a letter, email, or Facebook message, you have to temper your words and thoughts so that they don't offend, or confuse, or make them think you've gone crazy (or off the deep end.)  So, in this Blog, I write to (and for) myself.

Well, if that were true I'd just keep a journal and not publish this blog. So, yes I do think of other people reading this (at least in some point in the process). I don't really believe anyone would read it, however, because there are just so many words being written these days that I can't imagine anyone having the time or the interest in reading mine. Everyone, it seems, has something important to say. I do, in fact,  temper my words in case someone who knows me stumbles across this. And there are some subjects I don't talk about in case my nieces or nephews (or grand kids) may read it. I know, at this point in my life, why should I care what other people think about me? But I do.

This troubles me a little because I think it detracts from the value of the blog. I am getting better and I continue to strive to improve. I no longer worry about turning off prospective employers or alienating prospective constituencies (I am growing more comfortable with retirement and have never aspired to public office). So to these I say; "really, what's it to ya".

Actually, the closest analogy I can think of is that, in blogging, we feel as an actor on a proscenium stage with the audience behind the Fourth wall. This works on my head in a couple ways: The audience is 'hidden' - at least from my consciousness - which is freeing (but I still know that there is an audience and that it's my job to keep them interested - give them they're 'money's worth'. But it also means that I have no way of knowing if the theater is empty and I'm just writing to hear my own voice. This also plays with my head ( I have to admit).

Enter the 'comment'. Up until now I have pretty much ignored the comment field in this blog. I have received feedback both by phone and by email (and in person) and most of it has been very positive and supportive. Many people have told me that they find the process of posting a comment both confusing and non-intuitive and most have just given up. My curiosity has finally gotten the best of me and I tried to comment (actually post a comment to respond to a comment to one of my blogs). I couldn't make it work at first and after a couple days of trying, and looking at other sites, I changed the settings to open a pop-up window for the entry of the comment. Now if you have a Gmail account (at least) you can post a comment as someone other than 'anonymous'.

I like comments and other feedback to my site. So far I don't think it's affected my primary mission in keeping this blog. When and if you decide to comment please know that my ego is rather fragile so please be kind.

Also, I do have this blog configured to send me all comments so that I can screen them before posting (via email). So if you want to contact me without posting just write a comment and note that it is private and you don't want it posted to the blog.

Thanks