I spent almost a week in one of the busiest places in the country. If you're so inclined, you may go back to my "welcome page" and enjoy the six part series.

I promise you the intent was making photographs, not forced slideshow.

You salonistas were with me the whole time.

I jotted down some notes on a hotel pad.

With a pencil.

I know.

Free-thinker!

 

Because, while away, I carried the ennui of recent times here, the feeling that one's work was under-noticed because of x, y, or even the dreaded z.

I've gone to that place often since I joined. Even flounced with a photo of baguettes.

About six people might have just chuckled, though many more who would also remember have established themselves at venues they had wished OS would have become.

I haven't a problem with that, no.

Only I don't have all these folks on my daily rounds. ("I'll be at Shlomo's Shmegelblog from now on - hope to see you there.")

Please don't take it personally but OS is just alright with me. (It's a fact still: I can barely uni-task.)

 

I returned from DC to my usual, virtual table at the salon. Close enough to the power corners, while also near to the standing room only at the bar. The better to overhear yet more rumblings.

Rumblings of dissatisfaction. Not annoyance with sports spammers and editorial choices, but directed toward the OS metier. Surely, by now, I'd be blah, blah and certainly woof, woof says the tone poem of it all, taken in at once.

We were supposed to achieve "connectedness."

What happened?

 

That's ancient crossroads for me, savvy reader. I found my comfort level in that regard in pragmatism.

Long ago.

I would prefer to say "of necessity."

I haven't many left-brained capacities left, nor have I ever had an overabundance of pragmatic tendencies, so kindly let me plod forward while I still can.

The spheres of import here are connectivity, intent and reciprocation. By connectivity, I refer to that proliferation of appliance, that ability to get in touch, with not much more effort than wishing.

Intent is along a continuum from availing oneself of all that connectivity allows, from touching base in many, many places to refreshing bonds with just those with whom one wishes to feel connected.

Reciprocation is the response to having achieved connectivity and being in a position to choose a response, not unlike "intent."

 

We will find ourselves questioning our relationships here.

What's going on?

If the diagram has any answers at all, they run along the following lines: describing the different shaded areas of overlap, while the author remains sure the reader's meditations would never be as limiting as just subscribing to his own.

 

          1. When connectivity and intent merge, it means the satellite didn't suddenly go into "I'm afraid, Dave" mode and you're not anything more or less than you wish to appear to be. When an artist says "I do it first and foremost for me," this is not a bad paradigm.

Reciprocation might be sought, but it doesn't figure in. True connectedness is in the center of the picture. Not here.

          2. With connectivity and reciprocation only, the bandwidth consumed tells the story. The reciprocation can miss the intent by a mile or exist merely for its own sake. Makes no never mind. In order to "get" intent, you need the sureness of family or the courage to inquire further. I read in the May Atlantic about twitter-bots, programmed to sound like an actual user.

I wonder sometimes if restraining myself from being more than appreciative in a comment is viewed as a similar robotic interaction. Perhaps it has come across as commenting for its own sake. A more than proverbial waste of time.

I'm no professor, true, but I don't comment in multiples of paragraphs because I have a place where I may write without overspill.

          3. Intent and reciprocation without the connectivity is like those spam-dominated downtime days here, infamous for the inability of folks to load pages or edit their blogs. That perfect turn of phrase goes to vapor instead of the intended "post a comment."  Yikes!

Think of the poor member who has had to go to the town library in order to view image and video laden posts.

Some of us take wi-fi and high speed for granted.

Others are limited by what's available in the boonies.

I'm in the latter camp.

          4. This is the sweet spot. Connectedness.

It is that place which will test your expectations and powers of observation.

Equally.

 

Every distancing for a time followed by each rejuvenation of interest in posting again, as with the day to day interactions of the most prolific users, involves re-negotiating one's terms in this, our virtual community.

I have flesh and blood involvement with all of three members here and the rest of you, I say without malice, are what you appear to be.

That is why I thought of this Venn Diagram and why Open Salon is in the title of this post.