Tuesday, September 22

The impact of a blog


Sometimes we hear back from people reading our blog, sometimes we get positive comments, sometimes we get negative comments, and sometimes people just read too much into what we are saying on our page.

It is funny, when we talk to our friends and family abroad and we start telling them a story, like ”Well, today we did this and this…” and the person on the other end says: “Yes, I know, I read it on the blog”. People also phone us with reactions to pictures they’ve seen on the blog, or something they’ve read, so usually a good conversation starter. The other night I even had to tell someone: “Well, if what we are writing on our blog is constantly going to spark such reaction with him, maybe it would be better if a) we stop blogging, or b) he stops reading!”

What is interesting about all of this is how impactful a blog space can be, and not only blogs but social media in general. Since Facebook really kicked off in Europe a few years ago, there has been articles in the news on crashed relationships, people getting fired from work for a comment made on Facebook, and also people meeting and getting married through social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace etc.

The number of times I have heard statements like: ”Yes, I know her, we are friends on Facebook” or “Are you alright? I saw your Facebook status!” and the number of times I have seen instant reaction when a person has changed their status on Facebook from ‘In a Relationship’ to ‘Single’. “Are you alright?” “Did you and George break up?” – Don’t people talk to each other anymore? I guess a lot of people have Facebook on their phones now as well, so no need to. On a positive note, people do tend to remember each other’s birthdays a lot more when they are members of a social networking site!

My personal opinion is that medias like the above are great for staying in touch and for sharing pictures and stories, but I also strongly believe that it has to be handled with care and looked at with a huge scoop of salt.

I love it when you call
But you never call at all
So what's the complication it's only conversation
I love it when you call
But you never call at all

Remember me,
I used to be the best time buddy
That you couldn't wait to see
But getting old, it takes its toll
And hearts getting broken lead to people growing cold
I'm flipping with a coin that's got a tail on either side


1 comment:

  1. OMG! Did George break up with his missus?

    ReplyDelete

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