International Weblogger's Day

Written by Tara Tainton

Monday, 09 May 2005 00:00

Prepare for a gathering of the online masses. June 14th is the second annual International Weblogger's Day, otherwise known as "InWeDay." I came across the icon on another blogger's site, followed the link, and voila!

I wish there was more information offered on the site by "Kines." I can't even find a link to his own personal blog, though he/she speaks of having a presence in the BlogExplosion blogger directory. Yet, any excuse for bringing together a group of people is a good one, and it's about time we webloggers join together a little more formally. We form the new trend in culture and self-evolution. We're the global community reaching out via the technology our ancestors spent their lives developing. We're the "kids" that know that even our own personal thoughts may be of value to the general or niche public.

Hopefully, we don't just "come out" online because we're too passive-aggressive to be our real selves in the physical world, to our friends, family, coworkers, etc. Still, sometimes a separate online identity is necessary in this biased world of ours. Thus, blogging is born. The online community is more accepting than the physical, and at least our individual voices can be heard.

What's supposed to happen on International Weblogger's Day? I don't know; those that started it don't know either. That's what happens when you're starting up a new event, I suppose. So, that leaves it up to us webloggers to invent, which brings me to the conditions of officially joining the IWD campaign and choosing to participate..........

This "Kines" fellow states at least twice that "on International Weblogger's Day, every weblogger must write about what blogging has done to change them or has revealed in their internet life. As an addition, bloggers may also discuss how they initially came about to blogging. More details in the weeks to come." Now, anytime this girl hears "must" or what I "may" do as a free individual, I rise up on my haunches, my ears perk up, and I begin to snarl as I bare my fangs......

I think "must" and "may" is contradictory to what weblogging itself is all about, why it started, why it's become popular, and why each of us participates in it to begin with. We've created our own little piece of the online community for ourselves to be ourselves. So, I say we should celebrate June 14th only in the proper manner and in a way that honors all webloggers: do whatever the hell you want.

Sign up, and have your blog posted in the listing for the event. Check out the other blogs listed from around the world. Make some new pen pals and find some new blogs to read up on regularly. When June 14th swings by, be yourself. Write about the day or don't. Write about why you are a weblogger or why you think others shouldn't be. Write about your pet peeves about the online community and the pests that it has given birth to. Write your most daring entry of all, and email a copy to all your most conservative friends, relatives, and public representatives. If you've never posted a pic of your darling face or even just of the back of your head, let us see you now. Or don't.

Just be your weblogging self, sit back, and feel the vibe given out by your fellow webloggers around the world.

And on a personal note, thank you for being a part of the community and making it what it is. Thank you because each and every voice makes a difference in this stuck-in-the-mud-STILL world of ours. But it's changing and we can actually see it. At least I definitely can in just my 30 years of observing it all. But, by gosh, if one more of you spends an entire entry listing nothing but what your favorite color is, what you ate last, what kind of pet your prefer, or what you're wearing (unless it's something super sexy and you include a picture).....well, I'm going to make a nasty comment on your entry. Really, show us what you're really made of, as a human beings; don't admit to the nondescript and meaningless things that you think makes you who you are.

We read blogs because we want to get to know real people. Don't disappoint us.