May 7, 2009
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Featured Grownups: "This Blog's For You"
Occasionally I will write an entry for the Featured Grownups blogring. The prompt this time out is: "Pick a Xangan. Write a letter to that person telling him/her why Xanga wouldn't be the same without him/her. Quid Pro Quo: 1. Be positive, not negative. Write about what the person adds to Xanga that makes it a good place to be.It would be cool if you could keep the person you are writing about anonymous. ...my goal isn't really to point out individual Xangans as being awesome so much as it is to show some Xanga-love. Now, raise your imaginary glass in the air, and tell some Xangan or another that "this blog's for you!"
I really don't want to select anyone in particular, because (and I can only speak for myself) I know whomever is "picked" in exercises like this will be deliriously happy, but those who might be overlooked might not feel as good. So, in the spirit of Universality, I will write my "This Blog's for You" entry to the "Universal Xangan." Something a bit different, but I'm always saying I "don't blog like most folks."This Blog is for you.
Dear Xangan,
You might have been present at the inception of this blogging service, or you might have started blogging here yesterday. You may be incredibly wordworthy, a fantastic writer and master of the English language, or you may be from another country than I, and your language is fleeting, sporadic, and haltingly imprecise. You may be pretty popular here on Xanga, or you might be shy and intimidated by others you perceive as more experienced in the art of social networking.
You may be male, female, childish, rich in the throes of youthful abandon, or older, more experienced, and sure of yourself. You may be a master of HTML coding, and your blog is fantastically presented, with lots of groovy graphics and wonderful words. Or you may be "computer illiterate" and might not even know how to make a link.
The world is a big place, teeming with wonder and specialness. Before the internet, the various denizens of the world population pretty much had to keep to themselves and the souls within their close vicinity. Now, almost a couple of decades after the institution of the internet became a part of so many of our lives, we can use this great medium not only to find the answers to almost any question, but to find camaraderie and friendship all over this grand world.
The sliver of life which presents itself on your blog is unique and also universal. You may write about your daily routine such as it is, interspersed with family tales, photos of your pets, and good tidings for all. Or else you may be a bit snarky, with a strange sense of humor you find stimulated and goaded to perfection in this environment. You may think your boyfriend, husband, wife, special gal, dearly departed family member, goldfish, dog, cat, hampster, or ferret is the center of your personal universe, and this drives you musings , or else you consider yourself a true writer, chronicling the ongoing history of pop culture, or contributing to the arts and letters of humanity.
You may be incredibly religious, and you wish to preach the word of whichever diety you worship to the masses. Or else you are secular and scientific, regaling your audience with facts and figures inherently important to you.
You are funny. You are meticulous. You are sad. You are informative. You are a human being who has coupled with the technological advances of internet social networking so much that your blog is a part of you, and your readers can tell this simply by visiting your corner of cyberspace.
You could be blogging somewhere else, but you chose to become a Xangan, a badge which carries with it the promise of new friends, new experiences, and new connections, and perhaps the re-establishment of old ones. You may blog each and every day, spitting out bits of wisdom in your pulses. Or you may have no pulse, and might decide to only pen a few important words every two or three weeks.
You might be a staple of the "front pages" of the Xanga world, constantly looking for your internet fame and forturne, or you may keep to yourself, rarely visiting other blogs in the Xangasphere.
Dear, delightful Xangan. I sometimes think I know you well, and sometimes I don't know you at all. You may be nakedly honest as an "individual", or slyly invisible, preferring to act omnipresent in the community. You are all the parts of an incredible experience in world communication, whether you know it or not.
Thank you for your posts. They are the glue which binds your blog together, and which in fact binds the whole community. Thank you as well for your comments, those reminders that we are not only together as a people, but we sometimes agree, and sometimes disagree, but that doesn't stop us from continuing the conversation.
I wrote a poem a long time ago called "Thank you for you." I wish to dedicate this sentiment to you, the eternal Xangan, whether you are here right now reading this, or whether you left in the past and will never glimpse this tribute to your blog's ongoing existence.
It's not the words or the pictures. It's not the videos or the coding. It's not the toolbars or the modules or the themes which are important in life. In acutality, it's not the blogging service or even the internet which binds us. It is our humanity, our shared existence as humans which matters most in our lives. The internet, and Xanga in particular, from my standpoint, have helped, and are currently helping to foster good will and friendship amongst humans. And this is important.
Dear Xangan, thank you for being a part of this individual life. This blog's for you!
Yours most respectfully,
Michael F. Nyiri, poet, philosopher, fool
More "anonymous" tributes to Xangans can be found on Featured Grownups HERE.
EDIT: 6:49 p.m.pdt. Neat to come home and see (after the maintenance anyway) that this entry is at #29 on Top Blogs and with 10 recs, is currently at #11 on Most Rec'd. I really appreciate that. Thank you so much to all of you who put me there again. This blog's for you, I might say. MFN/ppf
Comments (68)
I like it when someone takes off on a path that's a little different. I'm still debating if I'm going to participate...but yours was well written, and I could tell you'd been thinking about it a while.
A very thoughtful tribute Mike.
Thanks.
Mike, this is incredibly written. So thoughtful, I am constantly impressed by your writing skill! Keep up the good work, and thank you!
Thanks to you I just found a blogring with what I think is full of very read-worthy bloggers. Thanks.
I like this tribute too...very general, yet heartfelt....kudos sir
This is awesome that you were able to write to everyone. Too cool!
This was really cool.
Great idea. It's always nice to show people you care.
thanks bro
Awesome x 2.
this is the best sort of tribute blog.
ryc: that may be the most thoughtful comment, ever. and you're right; it's common for people not to maintain communication with the people who leave comments. that's why i try to visit a person's page to make a response, if i do. it definitely works.
there isn't much pressure to write about anything in particular when you just write what you want, and that's what i do. if it's popular, then that's cool. i remember when it wasn't, but i still do it, and here i am.
That's awesome
:love:
This was wonderful! I loved your spin on it!
You know what I really like about this post? I think that it really captures the spirit of what Xanga is, and what it can be. Thanks for writing that.
How lovely
Absolutely fabulous. I think I can speak for all of us when I say "thank you!"
everyone is saying very cool so i will say this post is totally radical dude!
p.s holy crap i didnt know bill cosby had a xanga site!!!
You're welcome
This is so thoughtful of you to include everyone! Very nicely written, enjoyed reading it; thanks!
This letter was downright spiritually uplifting! I, too found a new blog ring (I am so new) and you even made it sound like you could be writing to me because I was just now apologizing to ten because I didn't know how to make a link to one of my earlier blogs. And so, I say, right back at cha, that blog is for you, too!
This was nice, I liked that you never singled anyone out....surely everyone can find themselves in this post. I mean without......whatever it is, Xanga just would not be xanga. If there were not sad, angry, moving, stupid, helpful, etc. posts what would we all do!
Awesome
RYC; LOL...you are so right. Randy is one of the five people I had in mind. If you think about it, almost all spiritual journeys begin because something scares us.
The universal you. Good job. And you are most kindly welcome for the lovely tribute. *curtsies* Hope you had a great birthday. I see Disneyland hit your list of things to do on the big day. I subbed and visited the doctor on mine. Nell took me to dinner also.
HUGS!!!
Spot on!
A true tribute to all Xangians. Nice to see you around again. :wave:
@gwennieg - Dear Thora, I did think about it a lot last night, but the actual writing took about a half hour. It was like writing one of my usual comments, actually.
@epitomeof_aberrance - Dear Ice, Featured Grownups has always been a good place to find fine bloggers. My own Internet Island was pretty popular for a while during it's 2 year existence, but I got burned out writing all the prompts, and didn't want to repeat myself.
You always have my support Mike...One day you will be the blogging champion in Xangaland!
Mike, I think this is one of my favorite posts that you have written. It encompasses the Xanga experience perfectly.
How like you not to leave anyone out! : )
Very well said/written -- especially: It is our humanity, our shared existence as humans which matters most in our lives.
Thanks for including all of us in "This Blog is for You".
Blessings, prayers 'n cheers :heartbeat: (that emoticon my not display properly, so . . . here's this
)
That's what I always disliked about beauty contests. It makes one girl deliriously happy, but brings disappointment to dozens of other equally beautiful girls.
RE: My site: I never really droped you from my radar. I limit how many Xangans I sub to so that I'm not overwhelmed, but yours is one of those sites. So I'm usually reading even when I don't comment.
Stay well!
Hi my dear BM,
or shall i call you Mike?Well I must congratulate you on this post!Come to think of it,it is our humanity that binds us together @Xanga.com.The Xteam makes it easy also.To be honest I stumbled upon this URL by chance.Serendipitous I daresay!6 months ago I could never have imagined having a wonderful friend like u in the US.
Love sadaboy india.
This was very nice, Mike! I thoroughly enjoyed reading it!
Wow what an excellent blog
You are a great writer!
This is an amazing post. It saddens me to think that Xanga might soon be history, just when I'm getting reacquainted with everyone here, meeting new (or new-to-me) Xangans, and trying to get back into the blogging habit. Let's hope Xanga can be saved so that posts like this can continue to uplift and enrich us all.
This is a beautiful post and portrait of Xangans
Thanks for sharing x
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