I gifted myself a week away from work and the internet in celebration of my birthday last week (the big 3-0!). By week's end, I was drawn back. It seems that I missed a lot of conversation during my absence. I received an email from Heather over at Closet Case Files, reaching out, as she put it, to make sure I didn't feel picked on or attacked by her recent posts on pattern testing. Huh?, I thought. I got online and started reading. First I read Heather's posts(1 & 2). Next I jumped over to Cashmerette's post where I was linked to Charlotte's post. Holy smokes. You guys. There's a lot of chatter happening! And, you know what? I think it's really awesome. I didn't read all of the comments, but I did read a good deal of them. I didn't see anyone making personal attacks against... anyone, actually. From what I can tell lots of people have been able to express their points of view on a topic that they have opinions about. Aside from a bit of Hamleting, it looks like there's been a really great conversation taking place. Also, it looks like there's already been a good deal of responsiveness to feedback on both sides of the line as a result. That's cool, right? Heather's email and expressed concern got me thinking about the way we communicate online. I think it's really difficult to know exactly what someone is saying and how they are saying it by solely reading words on a screen. While a lot of us know of each other online, most of us don't know each other in real life, and there's a lot of room for projection and (mis)interpretation. We all communicate differently. In real life, I work as a litigation assistant. It's my daily experience to listen to persons expressing opposing points of view in a well organized and respectful manner. This method of communication is very normal for me; I am very aware that it's not the way a lot of other people carry-on discussions. But, I most certainly do not take offense to general statements of opinion. I also probably think that you're a good person, even if we disagree. I would feel differently if I was singled out, called names, etc... That's not what I see happening. I hope we can all continue on this way. I truly think it's wonderfully beneficial to maintain open channels of communication. And, I think it makes our community better and stronger to feel comfortable enough to start this type of dialogue. That is all. I'm not a fan of posts without pictures, so here's a little snippet from my birthday shenanigans. And, as an aside, holy shit! I'm 30!!!!
16 Comments
6/10/2014 07:49:04 am
Woohoo! 30!
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Haha. You're so right! Clear communication is much easier with the assistance of emojis.
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6/10/2014 11:55:47 pm
Happy belated birthday! 30 isn't so bad!! :)
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Happy (really belated!) birthday, Michelle. I haven't been in my thirties for too long, but I've really been enjoying them so far. My twenties were fun but rough! I'm glad to know more about who I am now. It sounds like you celebrated your new decade in high style.
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Happy belated birthday! I'm sorry for being so late to this post. (I'm reorganizing my readers and blogs, and everything is getting lost in the fray.)
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6/23/2014 04:24:03 am
happy belated birthday! I'm glad you had a nice birthday week off. :)
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