The Internet is NOT a Passing Fad

So I have this friend who started blogging like 20 years ago on what I guess you could call the "ground floor" of blogging.  Back then, there wasn't much point in blogging because only 3 people blogged in the entire world, Google and Facebook hadn't been invented yet so no one could ever find your blog, and many people didn't see the point in becoming invested in a blog because they were still under the impression that this whole internet thing would eventually blow over.


At the time, I didn't pay much attention to blogging, largely because I didn't understand what it was for or what it could accomplish.  I admit to expecting that blogging would be a fad, much like Koala Pads and breakdancing.  20 years later, I have to admit that I have come to appreciate a number of blogs.  Granted, many of them reinforce the reality that the biggest problem with free speech is that some people will use it, but nonetheless I have gained much insight over the years from a number of blogs.

As my profile indicates, I am an Anglican priest with the Diocese of Quebec.  I have just come back from our Diocesan Synod, and we had a fantastic guest speaker by the name of Reverend Tom Ehrich; author, pastor, creator of Morning Walk Media and consummate blogger.  I got the impression that he once felt the way I did about blogging, but he succeeded in convincing me that blogging was truly the best way to reach people.  "Forget Facebook!", he said.  "Facebook is on its way out.  Blogging is the way to go".

So if blogging is a nuisance to you, blame Tom that I have started my own.

I guess I always thought blogging had to have a purpose, like you had to be explaining step-by-step how to spackle or refinish furniture or discuss philosophy.  But I really don't have a goal in starting this blog.  I am a priest, so you can probably expect a lot of religious musings.  I am an Anglo-Quebecer, so you can expect a number of political diatribes.  I play guitar, bass and drums, so you can expect postings about that.  I love fly fishing, expect that.  I love animals, check.  I am an amateur photographer, yo.  I hate politics and other forms of pop culture, so you can probably expect cheap shots at Sarah Palin.  I can't guarantee that this will be consistent, coherent or even spell-checked.

What I do want to do is generate conversation.  It has become increasingly clear to me over the past few years that we are living in an unprecedented age of communication.  We text, we email, we blog, we post on FB and Twitter, we Skype, we streaming chat with complete strangers as we play campaign video games, we call each other on the phone...but am I the only one that feels lonelier than ever?

It seems that with all these different forms of communication, we should feel more connected, shouldn't we?  And yet as I pastor and as I talk with friends and colleagues, loneliness seems to be more prevelant than ever.  I myself live and work in an area which isolates me from friends and family, so I guess what I would like to accomplish with this blog is to create a space where I can hear what is happening in the lives of my loved ones, where I can let them know what is going on in mine, and where I can make new friends and converse with them.

So please feel free to let me know how you are feeling!