June 23, 2005

Blogging and Authority

Blogging and Authority
Johnnie gets philosphical (after a little plug - see you there btw):

Just a reminder, in case you're interested, that I'm on a panel for Blogging: A Real Conversation? next week.

I think I might ask what we mean by the notion of authority. Often we see authority as being outside ourselves and one of the ways blogging helps to change that is to support the blogger in being the author (note those syllables) of his or her own experience. By writing a blog, we take the opportunity to express our own experience and arguably acknowledge it more. Perhaps we can value blogs not simply because some popular ones become a rival external authority to mainstream media, but also because the act of writing them is a way for anyone to take some authority of their own. If that's not too fancy a philosophical point.


Dictionary.com defines Authority in eight ways and I think this is the meaning Johnnie is trying to convey:

Confidence derived from experience or practice; firm self-assurance: played the sonata with authority.

Or perhaps that should be blogged with authority. It isn't then about being able to influence others, rather a sense of self-affirmation and if you get feedback affirmation (or not) from others. It is therefore the process which one engages with when one seeks to write that is the importance. Being able to focus the mind and articulate you, in a way that rarely happens in the big wide world.

I strangely find it much easier to express myself in writing than in conversations. I don't mean I am not capable of holding an articulate conversation, although some would disagree. What I mean is that feelings and deeply held beliefs are much easier written than spoken. I wonder whether this is the case for many people? I imagine its related to your learning style and way of interating with the world. Some people prefer auditory, others visual some kinesthetic (touch) and there are others. It has quite profound impact on the way we communicate with others and with ourselves if as a visual person I am spoken to or think in sounds rather than words.

The point I want to get across is that you can find authority in blogging, though I think it has to be your medium - some people may prefer to draw or speak or take photos or make videos - the act of self expression is perhaps what conveys authority.

Edit: David Wilcox picks up on Johnnie's meme, although he takes the view of authority as influence. Different point but worthwhile considering. David, as James and Communities Dominate Brands points out, notes the power of communities to influence. This event could be very informative if only I can get my verbal and auditory skills going.

Posted by Paul Goodison at June 23, 2005 09:23 AM | TrackBack

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