Extending the table
On the way back from Dean's house a few weeks ago, I shared some thoughts with those in the car on hospitality and blogging. Basically, I've been thinking about the strengths and weaknesses of the blog medium and how the classic Christian virtues could apply to this communication form.
The virtue of hospitality comes to mind when I think about the individualistic nature of blogs: one person spewing their thoughts across cyberspace. Bethany once said that blogging is the most solipsistic of writing forms; I might add "egocentric" to that list. To counteract this tendency in blogs, I think it is important to remember the communal nature of blogging. I like how most of my posts start as conversations with friends. We comment on each other's blogs. We read books together, talk about them, and then continue the conversation online. Thus, blogs are not a substitute for ongoing conversations, but rather an extension of preexisting relationships.
Hospitality takes this further: not only do our blogs mirror an existing community, but they open up this community to others. I like the metaphor of extending the table. We pull out the ends of a grand old oak table and grab the leaves out of the closet, dust them off, and add them to the table. We pull up more chairs, make room for friends, add some plates, put on another pot of rice, and keep talking. Laughter rings through the night.
I think as we strive to be hospitable bloggers, we need to be intentional about our efforts to include others. We need to avoid insider language, welcome others into our conversations, and keep each other accountable.
I'm curious what other people think about how hospitality relates to blogging. Any ideas? Critiques?
The virtue of hospitality comes to mind when I think about the individualistic nature of blogs: one person spewing their thoughts across cyberspace. Bethany once said that blogging is the most solipsistic of writing forms; I might add "egocentric" to that list. To counteract this tendency in blogs, I think it is important to remember the communal nature of blogging. I like how most of my posts start as conversations with friends. We comment on each other's blogs. We read books together, talk about them, and then continue the conversation online. Thus, blogs are not a substitute for ongoing conversations, but rather an extension of preexisting relationships.
Hospitality takes this further: not only do our blogs mirror an existing community, but they open up this community to others. I like the metaphor of extending the table. We pull out the ends of a grand old oak table and grab the leaves out of the closet, dust them off, and add them to the table. We pull up more chairs, make room for friends, add some plates, put on another pot of rice, and keep talking. Laughter rings through the night.
I think as we strive to be hospitable bloggers, we need to be intentional about our efforts to include others. We need to avoid insider language, welcome others into our conversations, and keep each other accountable.
I'm curious what other people think about how hospitality relates to blogging. Any ideas? Critiques?
posted by James at 9:42 AM
2 Comments:
Good thoughts James. I definately see blogging as a way to extend the relationships and conversations I already have.
I think you have a point about hospitality, I struggle because using insider language and jokes is fun, but not very hospitable. Who is the audience we are hoping to include here? How do we be hospitable without being condescending?
On Spring Break us guys had a long conversation on the way back from a café in Wilmington about the danger of insider language. During that week, we often slipped into theological discussions using jargon (half of which I did not understand myself). We expressed some frustration about feeling excluded from a lot of the girls' conversations, then realized that we were guilty of the same exclusion.
Hospitality is tough. It's about making room for someone else within your circle. It's not about denying that groups exists - after all, communities are part of the fabric of faith. Hospitality invites, welcomes, shares - but what? The relationship? The communion? The faith? Hospitality places the burden of action on the welcomer to extend the greeting, stretch a bit to make room, maybe even to the point of discomfort.
I have no idea who our audience might be. I guess it doesn't really matter, as long as we strive to be welcoming.
A practical thing I try to do is always link to things that someone might not know about - previous conversations, names, words. Good writers will be able to do that without being condescending or heavy-handed. After all, let's leave a little room for mystery!
Post a Comment
<< Home