After a few weeks off, I've decided to return to blogging. This informal, yet informative method of communication is one that I have come to realize is important in our society. This is today's "over the fence" conversation.
Where once people gathered on front porches and in town squares to discuss the topics of current events or even the impact of global events in their own backyards, today we bypass such personal forms of interaction. Much has been written about this phenomenon, perhaps best by Robert Putnam his groundbreaking book Bowling Alone, yet I believe that perhaps a solution of sorts has been found.
Leave it up to the ingenuity of Generations X and Y to let technology bridge this gap. Blogs are the new "coffee shop" in our day and age. I'm not suggesting that sitting in front of a computer can ever replace human interaction, but it does allow for the free flow of ideas and opinions. Even those bloggers who post mostly items about their daily lives and goings-on find themselves commenting on society as a whole or the environment and yes, even presidential politics.
I know I follow some blogs for personal reasons (such as keeping up with Pete and Leslie's kids Emily and Benjamin) and others for political news such as Mike McCarville's "Report" or gossip on Tim and Calvin's "DemoOkie". Each of us has our own reason for what we read and why we keep up with it, but at least we are sharing our thoughts and communicating.
So I'm glad to once again join the ranks of "bloggers" and share some of my own thought and ideas. Please comment and share your opinions with me and other readers, that is how the conversation works. Or, if you want to make it more private, you can always email me at chebon.marshall@gmail.com.
