5.27.2008
Hi, My Name Is....
Don't you HATE going to meetings or conferences where you have to wear one of those name tags?
Well I do, but in some circumstances, it is a good thing.
I remember when I was new to blogging and the only person I knew in the entire blog world was Grace. She was always there to encourage me as I got started, but for a very long time, I was shy and therefore silent. It doesn't help that I'm such an introvert...I felt like such an outsider; it seemed like everyone knew everyone else and had all these friends. I wondered if I would ever break in to the "circle".
For many months I had virtually *no* comments. Oh, one here or one there, but that's about it. I also was terrible about responding to comments...I didn't get the etiquette, so many didn't return.
I knew in my mind that I needed to go out and socialize, so to speak, but I was timid and certain I had nothing interesting to say. But somehow, as time went by, I met people. And they began coming around, slowly but surely. Weird, I know...I still can't figure it out...
For the first 18 months, I blogged under a pseudonym. I still think there are people who know me as Erin who also knew me as Lily, but who don't realize we are one in the same. I feel bad for that, but it was a necessary part of my healing process to be anonymous for awhile. Eventually I came out, and somehow gained a new level of confidence...I have made met more people in the last year of being "out" than in the previous 18 months of being anonymous.
Through some strange twist of fate, I am now proud to call many of those people Friend, even outside the context of online community, and I've actually met or spoken to a few in real life. In fact, I met Pam online (yes, I know she tells people that we met in prison...). We discovered we both live in Portland, and have become great friends in real life.
So getting to the point, I now feel like I have a "circle" of friends here online. It's something a bit strange, it takes getting used to, strange as it may seem, I feel like it's a support network. It really is community, as we have discussed before. People I know will pray if I were to ask, and even if I don't ask. People I share advice and stories with. People I laugh and cry with. People who call me on my shi...stuff. And it feels like friendship.
However, I realize that for people who are new to blogging, they can often feel like outsiders. Especially if they are not particularly outgoing people. It can feel difficult to break in to the "circle", but the truth is, we welcome newcomers in these parts.
So I just want to take a moment to say to those who are relatively new to the blogs, who maybe don't really know anyone: you are truly welcome here, and I'm happy to get to know you. Don't be shy...say Hi! Stick around, share your thoughts, and get to know a few of us. We are a band of sometimes-heretics, sometimes-thinkers, sometimes-crazies, but I think I can speak for most (all) of the people who come around this blog: the more, the merrier.
So stick on a name tag and introduce yourself!
Hi, My Name Is...
Well I do, but in some circumstances, it is a good thing.
I remember when I was new to blogging and the only person I knew in the entire blog world was Grace. She was always there to encourage me as I got started, but for a very long time, I was shy and therefore silent. It doesn't help that I'm such an introvert...I felt like such an outsider; it seemed like everyone knew everyone else and had all these friends. I wondered if I would ever break in to the "circle".
For many months I had virtually *no* comments. Oh, one here or one there, but that's about it. I also was terrible about responding to comments...I didn't get the etiquette, so many didn't return.
I knew in my mind that I needed to go out and socialize, so to speak, but I was timid and certain I had nothing interesting to say. But somehow, as time went by, I met people. And they began coming around, slowly but surely. Weird, I know...I still can't figure it out...
For the first 18 months, I blogged under a pseudonym. I still think there are people who know me as Erin who also knew me as Lily, but who don't realize we are one in the same. I feel bad for that, but it was a necessary part of my healing process to be anonymous for awhile. Eventually I came out, and somehow gained a new level of confidence...I have made met more people in the last year of being "out" than in the previous 18 months of being anonymous.
Through some strange twist of fate, I am now proud to call many of those people Friend, even outside the context of online community, and I've actually met or spoken to a few in real life. In fact, I met Pam online (yes, I know she tells people that we met in prison...). We discovered we both live in Portland, and have become great friends in real life.
So getting to the point, I now feel like I have a "circle" of friends here online. It's something a bit strange, it takes getting used to, strange as it may seem, I feel like it's a support network. It really is community, as we have discussed before. People I know will pray if I were to ask, and even if I don't ask. People I share advice and stories with. People I laugh and cry with. People who call me on my shi...stuff. And it feels like friendship.
However, I realize that for people who are new to blogging, they can often feel like outsiders. Especially if they are not particularly outgoing people. It can feel difficult to break in to the "circle", but the truth is, we welcome newcomers in these parts.
So I just want to take a moment to say to those who are relatively new to the blogs, who maybe don't really know anyone: you are truly welcome here, and I'm happy to get to know you. Don't be shy...say Hi! Stick around, share your thoughts, and get to know a few of us. We are a band of sometimes-heretics, sometimes-thinkers, sometimes-crazies, but I think I can speak for most (all) of the people who come around this blog: the more, the merrier.
So stick on a name tag and introduce yourself!
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