My brother has joined OS and I have mixed feelings. This is something new to me and I'm not quite sure how I feel about it. I sent him an email about a couple of my posts about our father and I thought he might read one and send me an email back. But, I heard nothing and actually talked to friends about how my family is simply unresponsive, as usual, and they don't know who I am and I should just stop sending my art into this black hole.
In early November I told my family I was blogging and where... and then on December 21st I send an email telling my family I had written some stuff about dad... and hadn't heard anything... until yesterday.
And he is online here saying all these nice things about me. I just don't know how to react. My habit around this is to deal with no response or a negative one -- I have no skills around the fact my brother is online complimenting me.
I joined facebook just this last week. I was doing it for our local publishing organization and in the process I invited friends -- writer friends, friends from Litquake, from WNBA, from an elist of writers, and the Job Forum. I searched for people I knew. And added family and a woman I knew in high school invited me to be friends. And all of a sudden, all these faces that i usually kept in separate compartments were all together and mixed up and available to each other.
Most of my adult life, my family and my friends and my business associates didn't know each other. And now they can. I feel funny about this. I feel like I'm exposing myself in ways I don't yet understand. Besides I always think of Scott(y) as being about ten years old and he is grandfather now.
What a gift for the new year -- new connections with those I thought I knew. Connections with different parts of my life in good ways. And unknown paths to walk. Welcome, Scott(y) -- I hope you like Open Salon and like you, I hope this brings us closer.
Anybody else having thoughts about connecting our various worlds?
[I'm in the middle in the top photo and on the right in the bottom photo]
A link to a good post on a similar topic by inkachka
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I just connected today with my college journalism prof on Facebook, and now I'm realizing all of the cringeworthy things on my page. Maybe I'll post a link to my imaginary Peabody Award at the top.
Then again, she's a busy woman. She probably won't click over. And if she does, she better not send me a detailed review and list of follow up questions, 'cuz I'm not answering any.
Thumbed for commiserative value.
whitenoise, what an interesting discussion we could have -- who we keep in what box and why and now that the boxes have all spilled open...
PL, i'm sure it's all a mixed blessing -- i'm glad to be in touch and moved that he reads my work but i'm nervous, too, about self-editing.. let's just not self-edit.... a good resolution for the new year
yes, Jeff, a good way to put it -- they are in the audience now. and it is complicated.
undertow, i hear you, that's a difficult one with the bro in law, but i also agree that probably i'm over-stressing about what the groups might think of each other. but i do know i am one way with one group and i am a different way with others.
thanks seattle... boundaries dissolving, convergence, silos of all kinds are crumbling -- corporate culture (yay), the media (boo), nutrition separate from food and health care (yay) and on and on. during the transition, i just feel in limbo and vulnerable.
http://open.salon.com/content.php?cid=68805
My brother-in-law and I were talking about this the other day, too. It's those of us over 30 that find it strange that our boss might see a photo of us partying with our friends posted on Facebook. The teenagers seem really cool with it. Just peek at a few of the OS blogs from teens and you'll be amazed at what they reveal to total strangers.
BTW...I love the photos!!!
I also agree that the photos are cool :)
two things: I actually ran into someone on this site who is the sister of a friend of mine... I figured it out from an innocuous comment. So much for anonymity!
second... I'm a teacher and feel like in order to keep my sense of authority in the classroom I can't have them knowing *everything* about my personal life... which is why I've never had a Facebook or MySpace account. Heck, I have an unlisted number. Of course much of this came from the fact that I once had a student who became obsessed with me to the point where I had to get a restraining order against her (as far as I know she's still looking for me)... and you can see the source of ambivalence.
Sum of comment: You've got stones bigger than mine, to tell your family about your posting. I admire your courage.
rated
what's really weird though is what mjay up there says:
"it's really interesting that you posted this post when you did. less than a week ago my sister joined OS, admittedly after i'd prodded her a bit to do it. she seems to be enjoying herself here and i think it'll be a really cool thing for her. I also have other family members who look in from time to time, though they haven't joined or anything."
the situation he describes there is beyond eerily similar to my own; it's EXACTLY the same situation. pretty freaky huh?
I would draw the line at having family members "looking in" at various times however. There are some who do not know that I am a nudist--for fear that they might ask me to take them to my club! NOOOOO! Also, at family gatherings I would fear the "what did you mean about that marijuana farm that you had?" Of course, the answer is "It was fictional. Pass the mashed POTatoes."