The Four Dimensions of Blogging Series
As I recently reflected about blogging and its four dimensions as I see them did it occur to me that this could indeed be turned into a series as it besides offering a way of looking at blogging in a three dimensional perspective also offers a framework for a number of articles. It may take weeks or even months to get it done, but hopefully we will all learns something along the way.
Just to sum up do I see the traditional relation between writer, text and reader as the first dimension. Thinking circularly about this relationship makes it two dimensional as it allows the flow in both directions and connects the reader and writer beyond the text. The third dimension is when you turn the circle into a sphere by considering all the relations between writers and writers, texts and texts and readers and readers. The fourth dimension is time, which unfortunately is a dominant a force when it comes to blogging as in life in general.
You are surely familiar with the question about what came first, the hen or the egg? Although I do know the answer (which is quite simple once you break of the circularity of the question) I am not going to flaunt it as this is not about knowing the answer, but about understanding the question. Sometimes it seems impossible to know what came first. Sometimes you shouldn’t be able to tell.
Splitting things up like I do thus makes little logical sense. Still does it provide a platform for examining the elements isolated. You can not have text without a writer, just as you cannot have a writer without a text. You cannot have readers without texts, while admittedly you can have texts without readers. The elements are nonetheless closely connected and not really logically separable. Still is it worth looking at each of them isolated as that brings new perspectives into the light and makes it possible to think differently about them.
You do perhaps ask yourself what all this talk about circularity is good for and where it comes from. I always loved circles more than straight lines, I believe that most things are circular in some way and I think that reflecting and communicating accordingly is often more rewarding. Think about how we communicate to get a response, how we receive when we give and how we often return to the same places or ideas when we find ourselves lost. Admittedly, does thinking this way seem to make everything more complicated, but sometimes it is really worth it.
As I get the articles written will I link them to this post and add links to them here so that this post ends up being the hub around which they are hovering. Your comments and input are as always not only welcome, but deeply appreciated.
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6 Responses to “The Four Dimensions of Blogging Series”
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I don’t know if you’re familiar with a neat WordPress plugin called In Series. When you create a series post, you indicate the series it is part of, and the plugin automatically creates a table of contents for each post in the series, showing the entire series. The TOC is updated with each new addition to the series so you don’t have to manually update anything.
I knew that a plugin existed, but not what it was called. Since I don’t plan to write more series am I not sure it helps much, but now where I know what to search for I will check it out. Thanks!
These are interesting posts, I have a few blogs and to be honest never really gave the process (of blogging) a great deal of thought. Some interesting analysis going on here. I like the sound of the AM plugin BTW, I had never heard of that.
As for me, I write for both the readers and also for myself. If I find something useful to my readers , I will write post about and let them know. If I am also interested in certain topics, I will also write them but in general, I will placed those general topics in the general catagory.
I don’t know if you’re familiar with a neat WordPress plugin called In Series.I knew that a plugin existed, but not what it was called.These are interesting posts, I have a few blogs and to be honest never really gave the process (of blogging) a great deal of thought…
From time to time I look here by and read the always interesting and well written contributions. Here I would like to leave gladly a greeting from Thuringia in Germany!