on blogging and generosity and all that

Apologies for my repeated absence from blogging here over the past month. Let's just say life has been complex and rather busy and I gave my "élan" (what a lovely French word that is and how I hate to have to try and translate it) to other work. It has also been very hot and for anyone with MS this means you get a bit slow now and again.

Meanwhile I have finally found a bit of time to get back to reading other blogs - for a while I thought that everyone I enjoyed reading seemed to have given up on blogging. Fortunately J.K. Gayle hasn't stopped but seems to have become a multiple personality with several blogs including Mind your language. Not sure I shall have time to read everything but I'm relieved he's still out there giving me ideas about what I should read. Over on Facebook he's also encouraging folk to donate blood to the local blood bank. Obviously a multilayered, engaged, intellectual sort of guy who loves his family and friends. If it weren't for blogging I wouldn't know he existed.

Today I've been reading reviews of Clay Shirky's book Cognitive surplus: Creativity and generosity in a connected age. Charles Leadbeater's review in the New Statesmen ends:

The web still has vast untapped civic potential. But that potential will be snuffed out unless we stand up for a free, public, open web against the encroachments of companies and governments. Cognitive Surplus tells us why that battle is worth fighting.

I love the way his review begins with Songs of Praise and moves through his son teaching him something he's just learned from the internet.

One of the reasons I like blogging and tweeting etc. is that there is an enormous amount of generosity in the systems, the fabulous amount of information and opinion out there. It's fun simply to be part of it, maybe it just gives me the illusion of being part of something - and it's interesting I notice even just typing this - blogging make me happy - I've been depriving myself of that in recent weeks and it hasn't been good for me. Perhaps it's like that for loads of other folk out there too - blogging facebooking and all the rest of it unleashes a little bit of our creativity and gives us an outlet for musings and humour.

Anyway more passing thoughts from me soon as I get back to finding my voice.