I find this blogging experiment rather interesting. As much as I sometimes feel like it's possible to fit into online communities better than the 'real world', there are also times where I feel very different from most of my online contemporaries. Particularly in the Christian Blogging community.
1. I think I'm a fish.
Okay, let's get this one out the way right up front, so it doesn't become the elephant in the room so to speak. I pretend to be a fish. All the time. My blog posts and comments often have fishy overtones, and sometimes even bad puns. In fact, I am so into my fishy persona that only a handful of you readers even know what my real name is. Sometimes it feels like I'm hiding myself away, even though it also gives me a lot more freedom to say things. Sort of like a mask.
2. I am a boy who thinks he's a fish.
Strange as it sounds, this is a big deal. Most of the blogging circles I find are almost exclusively women. I don't know whether women are taking over the blogging world, or if they just make better bloggers. Probably both. Seriously, what guy is going to sit down at his PC everyday and share his feelings with the world. We don't even do that with each other. DUDE!! But I noticed that often I would be following a blogger for a while before realising that she assumed all her readers/commentators were ladies. She would call us ladies, or some such, and I would notice the distinct absence of males on her blogroll. I don't mean the 'single mother' or 'homeschooling' type pages, but jsut general Christian blogging. I was even once given a 'shout-out' for being "not our usual commenter, he's a guy."
3. I am a boy from far away who thinks he's a fish.
So maybe you think the boy thing is not so unusual, but the living far away is. Almost without fail, the blogs I follow and people I interact with fall somewhere on the North American Continent. (With one or two Aussie and UK exceptions) It might not seem like a big deal to you, but sometimes it is a little isolating. The fact that I will probably never actually meet any of yuo guys. The fact that I have to watch conversations like "Who's going to (insert cool church gathering) in July, it will be awesome.", "My friend Mindy finally came to Portland for a visit, and we got to hook up.", "That was a great sermon you preached on Sunday, and all the other bloggers at Smallville Community Church agree." Not to mention the fact that half the videos my friends post on their blogs are "restricted to US only", as are many of the special offers, giveaways and "join our network (not yet in foreign countries)" opportunities.
And don't get me started on the fact that I don't understand most of the sports, TV or product jokes. Why is Walmart funny? I have no idea.
4. I am a single boy from far away who thinks he's a fish.
Okay, this one's kind of my fault I guess. No one forced me to still be single in my 30s. And to be quite honest it doesn't really bother me much. (Being a single blogger I mean, the single part does suck a leetle.) It just seems that many of the blogging communities I interact with have families and children. So sometimes I just smile and wave when I see the cute post about your kids. Seriously though, I do love them. I love kids, I love the insight into your family. It just sometimes feels like I have nothing to contribute, because I have no one to tell you about.
So here's my question...
What makes you feel different?
Is there some way you sometimes feel like you don't fit in with others?
Let me know I'm not the only freak out here, swimming in unfamiliar waters.
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