2012-07 WCB Putting the -Social- Back in Social Media- Building Community Through Blogging
Channel: Boston WP
Date: 2013-04-28

Presented by Adam Even Engel • Education & Government Track


Writing should be a social experience. It worked for Tolkien and Lewis, didn't it? Instead, we bloggers are often a solitary bunch -- we want our ideas to be heard, so we create our own blogs and fill them with our ideas. Bathed in the light of our monitors, we put out posts about fashion, comic books, and our own lives. What would happen if we came together to create this content? Entice the fashionista with a new recipe. Introduce the devoted Metallica fan to Guster and Dispatch. Inspire the armchair activist to get involved in their community.

We can use the power of the blog to bring people together and try new things. Especially on college campuses where social groups may never mix, writers (some of whom may never have even thought themselves worthy of publication) can join in one room as a community of diverse and interesting people. Check out this talk if you want to make the internet a truly social experience. You'll be shocked, or at least pleasantly surprised.