Bloggery/Technophilia

February 28, 2005

Powerline points to the conversation between Austin Bay and Mark Steyn. Steyn in his inimitable style publishes an essay in the Telegraph.  Bay disagrees on his blog. Now, this is the modern, post-modern, 21st century moment.  Steyn responds with a collegial, constructive reply in the comments that clarifies his position and extends the argument. The medium + the message: it makes a new place and time for a more developed, refined, complete, serviceable message, encompassing more of us in the conversation.

Once upon a time they would, maybe, have exchanged a letter.  And we couldn't have eavesdropped. We are in good company these days, if we want to be.

And go here to hear Mark Steyn on C-Span.  I'm eager to find out whether he is as finely-tuned and fearlessly articulate alive as he is in print. Turns out he never went to journalism school, even to college...

Furthermore, anyone can webcast a lecture or conversation anywhere. Jeff Jarvis tells how. "The possibilities are endless."

Comments

[Adriana Bliss]

Really excellent point about eavesdropping - there's definitely an element of that when one person comments on another's blog without ever talking to the original blogger. Never thought of it in that way.

[Dilys]

Hi, Adriana, thanks for the comment. I use the term "eavesdropping" as almost totally positive in the blogosphere, rather like the theater audience eavesdrops on the characters in Shakespeare, or melodrama, with that mixture of the actors knowing they're there but not talking directly to them.

It's one of the great opportunities of the internet, that fly-on-the-wall role. Then we buzz home and think and talk about what we've heard, and others overhear, and...