Introducing Topic Factory - a Separation and an Extension
Recently have I been more and more dissatisfied with Circular Communication being too much about blogging and too little about communication. Starting out was it natural to focus a lot on the media that I just engaged in and which is all about communication, but as I early on wrote on my about page is this not a blogging about blogging, but blogging about communication with blogging just being one aspect of it. I am thus not throwing away all my ideas about communication related articles related to blogging nor am I turning this into an anti blogging blog. It is merely about focusing on what I initially set out to do namely relearning what I once learned about communication and related concepts from a system theoretical perspective as well as teaching about them.
Evaluating your own blog and revisiting your initial thoughts about it something I can recommend to anyone who have been blogging for a while. I was already in the process when reading Chris Garrett asking What is Your Blog About Really? and Lorelle’s challenge to Blog about the path your blog took to get to now, but both certainly helped fuel my desire to take a closer look at not only this blog, but also my entire approach to blogging.
Looking back am I not unhappy with the themes and subjects that I have covered so far. In fact will you see more on several of them. There is however so many pieces missing that would help understand how I think about the core concepts and why I write about what I do as well as why I write as I do. As I crafted the new design I even added a small section to the right top corner telling you what this site is about or rather what it is supposed to be about:
Circular Communication flows in two directions and is woven in a second layer thus communicating about communication. Rooted in systems theory what you witness when visiting is theory meeting practice in a community based on learning and teaching.
Writing it and constantly having it before me helped me realize that change is necessary and a stronger focus is needed. Having already stayed away from the most off topic subjects should this not be too hard to change. It will in fact be more about adding than about cutting away I believe.
Speaking of adding have I collected a vast number of ideas about blogging as well as links to great resources on blogging since I started blogging myself. Combining the desire not to let that go to waste with my way of thinking about blogging, communication and community I decided that I would try starting a new initiative. A blog where the main purpose is to help bloggers and (thinking circularly) helping bloggers helping bloggers. This is not supposed to be merely another blog about blogging or meta blogging as it is sometimes referred to. Hopefully will it with time develop into a resource as well as a collective that although based on information, but which is about much more than that. A dream would be to see it turn into a collective experience. Perhaps even a genuine blogging community.
It is thus both a separation in terms of content and an extension in terms of purpose. Topic Factory is just as much as Circular Communication about contributing to and contributions about connecting and collaborating. The main difference is the center around which it all turns. Consequently will the two blogs share some themes and subjects while they what the rest of the content and how they deal with it are concerned will be very different indeed. Hence is this what I imagine that the Topic Factory will be about:
In essence Topic Factory is circularity applied to the Blogosphere. It is blogging about blogging and helping bloggers helping bloggers. It is a tribute to connecting and collaborating in an effort to highlight the best and help improve the rest.
With that in mind I hope to welcome you there as well as here and would love to hear what you think about it. If you are interested in helping me can you either comment or send me a message through the contact form. You can read more about the Topic Factory on its about page to see which themes and subjects I would like it to cover etc. As you will see do they cover a broad spectrum and everyone who have a genuine and valuable contribution to make are welcome. Perhaps you have a blog that covers other subjects and seek an outlet for your thoughts on blogging or you actually always wanted to write about it, but don’t have a blog yourself. You could also be looking for somewhere to guest blog on occasion or simply find the concept so appealing that you would like to lend a writing hand. Either way should you get in touch if you are interested in making a contribution to my humble effort of trying to make the Blogosphere an even better and rewarding place to be than it already is.
Related Articles
Comments
2 Responses to “Introducing Topic Factory - a Separation and an Extension”
Leave a Reply
I’m so glad you are putting your focus on communication, which will help bloggers and so many others. It’s a vast area and I’m anxious to see where you take this.
And thank you again for being a part of my blogging world!
Thank YOU Lorelle, although not sure exactly where I am, I am sure I wouldn’t have been here without you
Communication is indeed a concept encompassing a lots of things. I do already think I am concentrating and contributing to the understanding and use of it, but I want to get more intellectual and theoretical about it as well.
Not forgetting all the everyday stuff and practical tips and links do feel the need to define and put together some of the concepts and constructs that are often used without much thought to what it all means.
To me this is initially about relearning, but hopefully will I and everyone participating eventually be able to learn something new as well while we teach each other.