(Web) Logs

Well, hello to the world of Web Logging. I emplore you to forgive me while I wrap my head around this concept, but hopefully you'll find something to laugh about while you do.

I understand that people call these web logs 'blogs', a term I'm firmly rejecting. To me, it seems to be just a catchy, arbitrary name. Why couldn't we call them Net Logs, or 'Nogs'? 'Tlogs' even? It 'clogs' up bandwith, so that name isn't out of the question either. Is it possible then to look at web-logging like timber-logging? Wow, 'Tlogs' really is a keeper. Well, a name is a name is a name, but we can safely say that this act of journaling wants a 'log' at its core.

When we log something, we register and record it. This is done to preserve things of value, but from what I hear of other web logs, there are many disposable commentaries online. I'm not a MySpacer, but surely sites exist which are about as appealing as the term 'blog' itself. Still, the act of logging is one that requires your presence -- it's not just content, we're capturing a space like a Polaroid photograph (certainly, this one is out of focus). To log, then, is to force a something into existence. Let's realize too that as the entries pile up, they do stack very neatly like logpiles. If you wanted to argue for dogpiles though...

All this means is that we have a multitude of opinions, multiplied by their desire to log, and consequently splintered by many or few who read them. It's that last part which, I think, draws us back into this world; these imagined communities are surprisingly mobile, decentered, provide tremendous potential for interaction, and yet I know I've stayed away from them like I stay away from Heidegger. (Great irony in that "Being is the most universal concept", right? Riiiiiight.)

I'm sure everyone who's reading this piece (Dave, Ru Paul, thank you) have already come to these conclusions. I'm new to this world, so bear with me. But going forward, I think it's useful to be quite aware of our presence in this medium. I'm also going to recommend reading "Multitude" by Michael Hardt and Antonio Negri, because I believe it should give some useful perspective on the positive application of this dispersed place of Being. That said, I haven't actually read it yet so it may be a waste of time; as a Leftist book, fans of the Harper government would definitely argue it belongs on the 'dogpile'.
-JW