Apology and A Lesson Learned

Blogging is Not for The Faint of Heart and Can Get Lonely

On Canada Day, I was sitting at my computer minding my own business, as if blogging about what Jennifer and her horde are doing to the huddled masses is really minding my own business, or at least I started out that way. Then I had a sudden brain wave, or so I thought. Come to think of it, it was accompanied by a little rumbling sound. Turns out some thought it was a collective brain f?rt. Though it might have been a collaborative brain f?rt. At age 59, it seems I have more of the latter than the former, but with diminishing mental capacity I seem to be challenged to recognize the latter from the former in time to stop them.

I have become aware that there are a number of the Bloggers out there whom I respect for their opinions, meaning that I agree with them, not that they are right or that I am either. To me their writings seem to be catholic, though many are also Catholic. Anyway, I thought of something of a Group Think (as one tiny blogger would later say) nature, or so I thought. A late respondent's take is much more subtle. He gently distinguished between collaboration and collectivism. So, I communicated it to them in an email. What the heck! It was a stat holiday. Who's going to be reading email on a stat holiday for one thing, and who's going to do more than hit the delete button on an email from mbrandon8026 anyway? Wrong and Wrong. Some folks, like Kathy Shaidle, work for a living by blogging, and writing for publication by others, and so Canada Day was not really a holiday for her or for them.

I left my computer for a while to tend to some other things, it being a holiday and all. When I returned about 90 minutes later, there had been a storm of emails from around the galaxy, some sparking a little incremental dialogue, and a couple from a blogger, short in stature, under five feet she says, but tall in verbal acuity, who proceeded to verbally rend me asunder, so to speak, kinda, but not really.

I learned a little blogging etiquette, I think. I mistakenly thought that because a bunch of people were saying similar things about the same institutions, in this case the HRCs in this country, that they/we were of a common mind and purpose, sort of collaborativish. That theory works in Corporate America where I learned it, even though I personally spent some of my own time swimming upstream against the corporate flow. You know. Common Goals. Corporate Logo on Company T Shirts. Go Team. I guess that sounds more like a collective doesn't it.

When I saw the news about the dry T-Shirt slam Jen contest, and the denunciation of the winner, with the slogan "This T-Shirt exposes Jennifer Lynch to hatred and contempt", my mind moved on to Company T-shirt and we're in this together stuff. Forgive me, folks. It was a conditioned response. I mean, I have a closet full of old corporate t-shirts, caps, jackets and even underwear. You should see my tattoo. It's right here on my ... Well, you get the picture, or maybe you don't. Anybody want to sing Kum Bay Ya.

But, I meant it in a small "c" collaborate way, like sharing recipes, not trade secrets. Not meeting in the boardroom every Monday morning at 8 am with Blackberry at the ready to brainstorm strategy, so we hit the decks running for the week. I don't miss those days. Heck, I don't even remember those days. In fact, I probably meant it more in the "can the new kid (old man) come over for a play date once in a while to see your new toys?" When I was 9 years old, I was too little to hang out with the cool kids. Now at 59, I still can't hang out with the cool kids. Maybe it's my e-breath.

So, after the storm subsided, I returned to tapping away at my keys, metaphorically bloodied, but not bowed, somewhat chastened, humbled once again in the inexorable journey of life. I mean, I just used 3 big words in one sentence, so I can't be that bloodied.

So, I apologize to the group of bloggers I sent my email out to in the first place if I offended you, and particularly the diminutive one. I shall temper my enthusiasm somewhat or maybe I won't, and use my blog to communicate my thoughts. After all, that is why I am writing it, and shall use email to communicate directly with those I have cause to communicate directly with, individually. Call it a lesson learned by a relative newby even if I am personally older than dirt.

There. I feel better.