Monday, November 20, 2006

Why I Travel, Why I Blog



I just returned from a two week vacation in Peru.  (And no, I won't force a slide show on you.)  But hiking along the Inca trail to Machu Picchu gave me some time to think about blogging and travelling.

For the past six months or so, I have been putting my thoughts about PR and new media to keyboard.  In the process, I have remained focused on meeting self imposed deadlines, commented far less than I should on other blogs, and yes, looked at my Technorati ranking from time to time.

But it occurred to me that blogging and travelling are not so far apart.  Like racking up links to your blog, it is nice collecting stamps from foreign countries in your passport.  But those stamps and those links are not just about bragging rights.  Each posting is a opportunity to share thoughts and get feedback.  Each glance and gesture with a "local" in a distant land forms a bond and establishes some understanding where none existed before.  Interactions are a chance to appreciate commonalities and note differences.  These exchanges are very basic -- no one-upmanships, no hidden agendas.  That too is my objective in blogging. 

Asking more questions than providing answers (for now), I go back to my original purpose for blogging -- mapping the brave new world of new media.  Hopefully my journey will be far less impactful than that of the Spanish conquistadores under Francisco Pisarro. Close to 500 years ago, he and his men arrived in what is today Peru and helped wipe out the Inca civilization in their expansion westward in search of riches and territory.  What their weaponary didn't accomplish, small pox did.  The Inca empire could not endure the Old World's most lethal export.

While away, I tried to avoid the Internet's charms.  I can't say that I was completely immune (Internet cafes abound) but it was healthy to keep my online interactions to a minimum.  Seeing men, women and children toil in fields hunched over with simple tools gave me some perspective as I seek to master new media.  Our hardships are not comparable.  At the very least, my respect for the world's cultural diversity only continues to grow.

And so I get back in the saddle, resume my blogging and seek connections with you.

Let me get back to you.

Posted by Dan Greenfield at 08:51:39 | Permanent Link | Comments (5) |
Comments
1 - Obviously, I need to get outside the perimeter more often. Who wouldn't want to be crowned King/Queen of the village! Even for a day. Beats staying at home and getting flamed in the blogosphere. (Comment this)

Written by: Grayson at 2006/11/20 - 13:24:40
2 - Hey, welcome back from Peru. it sounds like you had an interesting time! I also like the pic of the day. Very cool. - Jenny (Comment this)

Written by: Jennifer Weil at 2006/11/20 - 13:59:42
3 - Your BLOGS are very nice and all the stapes also well.
But i also give a segation-
http://www.fun-reisen.de (Comment this)

Written by: jameshkoler at 2006/11/21 - 05:04:51
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4 - Dan: I have always thought of you as a Johnston & Murphy's/Brooks Brothers kind of guy....not this, REI guy I see in this picture. Is that a pair of hiking boots? Did you return them for you money back when you got back to the States? :-)

Good to have you home. (Comment this)

Written by: Jerry Grasso at 2006/11/21 - 15:52:21
5 - Interesting thoughts. I agree that a big part of traveling (at least, the way I like to do it) is about bonding with people you would have never otherwise met. It's an interesting idea that blogging is similar. I've done more traveling than blogging, but the ratio is shifting.

I guess the desire to communicate (that is, to share communication) is the key. That's why comments are important. Otherwise, the communication is one-way, which takes the commun(e) out of communication. Or does it just take the "co" out of communication? I'll leave that for others to sort out. :-)

In any case, welcome back. (Comment this)

Written by: rob at 2006/11/22 - 23:20:11
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