The world is shrinking, my friends.
I've had this blog for just about two and a half years now, and I've been reading other blogs for about that same amount of time. There are some bloggers that I started following pretty much since day one, my virtual friends, if you will. But since I haven't gone to any happy hours or met up with any of my fellow bloggers, they are just that -- virtual acquaintances. Even if I do have them on my blogroll, subscribe to their RSS feeds, accept their MySpace friend requests, follow them on Twitter, and correspond with them via comments just about as often as I talk to my "real" friends (sometimes even more).
I signed up for Facebook this spring. All of my "friends" are people that I actually do know in the meatspace: friends, former classmates, former coworkers and the like.
Today, on Facebook, I saw a notification about someone that I have known for pretty much forever, from someone else in the "Washington DC" Network. So, out of curiosity, I clicked on the profile and saw a wall post from a blogger that I have followed pretty much since Day 1. Apparently, all this time, I've been two degrees separated from this person in real life.
This, of course, is causing me to reconsider my stance on whether I should actually meet up with the other bloggers that I correspond with. I mean, at a minimum, I am quite sure that I would have had a grand old time hanging out with Paige Jennifer and Ryane last weekend.
16 comments:
Hmmm, you propose a really interesting question that is strangely front and center these days. If you correspond with these people and follow their work, why shouldn't you be "friends" with them...ie be able to follow their lives more closely and correspond on facebook. But its sort of, well, weird the first time. I know some people that conduct most of their business on 2nd Life, which to me still seems so strange, but that is where things are moving. Anyway, if you find yourself trawling facebook with your 'new' contacts, you might want to check out the new Life Changing Box app which is the only one in which you can win prizes (great ones at that, like home theaters and nyc trips to yankee games). I am promoting their app for my PR company and after some initial skepticism am now addicted. Let me know if you have any questions.
I've had similar situations with Facebook. In fact, my relationship with Facebook has also taken off this spring, and earlier this week I thought that I wished I was still blogging, so I could rant about it.
There's something to be said for true anonymity. But, um, I almost peed myself from laughing on Friday night as I sipped a frozen pomegranate margarita, ate some guac and swapped stories with Ryane and Amie. And to think we had an extra chair at the table!
PS: There's always BlogHer (cough, I'm-still-looking-for-a-roommate).
Dara, I would've loved to have had you come join us!! If you decide you want to stick a toe into the really-know-a-blogger-pool, shoot me an email.
Chessia: Um, you had me until you started promoting your site.
tingb: For the record, you are another person that I feel that I know really well thanks to this blogging thing. But maybe that's because of all our strange similarities . . .
PJ: Alas, I was just in San Francisco -- but if I was going to be at BlogHer, I would definitely hang with you.
Ryane: So tempting. You may be disappointed, though, when you find out that I am really one of those girls who wears flip-flops on metro.
I feel that way, too! Even though my blogging break has (apparently) turned into a blog retirement. And I bet we are really a degree or two away from each other in real life, given the similarities.
tingb: I like to think of it as an indefinite hiatus. But you can totally come back from that.
You may have inspired me to reemerge...or relaunch after I move. tingbinphilly.blogspot.com is probably not taken....
This has been a bit strange for me as well. Being relatively new to the blogosphere, I was completely unprepared for the virtual relationships that form and form quickly. I was even more shocked to discover the dwindling degrees of separation between myself and other bloggers as we examined things a bit more carefully. While there are a few people that I have known for years that have business related blogs, I have yet to “dip my toe” into the real-life interactions with others.
Dara, I can overlook the flip-flop confession, just please say you don't wear Crocs. Ev-Er. ;-)
tingb: You're moving? Now we're never going to get to hang out. Unless I go to Philly.
RestaurantRefugee: It started out with a desire to keep some shred of anonymity -- but all my friends read this thing anyway. Now it's just a matter of inertia -- I've never gone to a happy hour, so why start now?
Ryane: I have never work Crocs, and never will, unless I really truly need gardening shoes. Which won't happen, seeing as the new condo is on the 7th floor.
But this is better -- I threw out my Nana's Crocs and bought her replacement sandals.
Yes, am Philly bound. But not gone from DC forever, most likely....
Have you ever been to Citizens Bank Park?
I have not been to Citizens Bank. I had been to the Vet, though -- having spent most of my childhood in Jersey.
I had a similar occurrence a few months back - but then realized I didn't want to meet the blog friend in reality, since I like to keep my blog life and my real life separate. It was almost a shock.
We do the occasional small get together. I'll let you know next time around.
We do the occasional small get together. I'll let you know next time around.
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