Shall I respond?
As someone who spends much of his spare time writing about other people, it is pleasantly surprising to see that someone has decided to write about me. But it turns out that this is just what prominent Southern Gospel blogger averyfineline (Doug Harrison) has done, in this post. At issue is whether or not it is appropriate for me to reply to comments made on this blog. Apparently Harrison doesn’t like the idea and thinks it is beneath me to reply to what you say.
There is no question, Harrison and I do find common ground in some things. For example, we agree that a blogger starts conversations. At issue is whether it is appropriate for the blogger to participate in the conversations he starts.
Essentially, we are dealing with two different models of blogging here. Let me borrow a page right out of his playbook and give them names.
Let’s call the first the “patrician” model. (A patrician is a member of a hereditary aristocracy, a ruling class.) In this model, the blogger is viewed as somehow above his readers. He starts conversations, but to participate in them is beneath him.
On the other hand, we have the “populist” model. Unlike the patrician, the populist is “one of the people.” He relates to people one on one, and doesn’t consider himself any better than the people. He starts conversations and participates in them, interacting with his readers.
One side issue: A particular complaint of Harrison’s is that my comments are often enthusiastic and to the point. Unfortunately, that is just who I am. If anything, I am more subdued in an online setting than I am in person. There are just no two ways about it, I’m a people person. If I’m going to comment, I can’t help being friendly and enthusiastic. It’s who I am.
With that said, let me know what you think. Would you like me to start conversations and leave you to have them all to yourselves, or would you rather I be an active participant in the conversations I start? Have at it and don’t be afraid to speak your mind.
