Comments on: We’re not trying hard enough… in fact, we’re not trying at all http://hblog.org/2008/12/14/were-not-trying-hard-enough-in-fact-were-not-trying-at-all/ Sat, 20 Feb 2010 02:03:32 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: novelheather http://hblog.org/2008/12/14/were-not-trying-hard-enough-in-fact-were-not-trying-at-all/#comment-578 novelheather Tue, 30 Dec 2008 18:07:41 +0000 http://hblog.org/?p=168#comment-578 Thanks so much for pointing me to Bruin-ou.com, Joy-Mari! It's funny that you mention it because when I started blogging in 2005, I found it interesting that South Africans were still using the then (very, very bad) 'Blogspot' from M&G Online when there were such great tools like WP and Blogger available to all. Same thing with video and photo-sharing sites. The point I'm trying to make here is that people love local community, and that is never a bad thing. What is less positive is when you never find people from those communities interacting in any meaningful way - when you find communities who isolate themselves totally from one another. That is when you find the roots of cultural intolerance as we've seen in so many places. It's not about forcing people to blog, or forcing people to interact. I guarantee you that there are always people - from whatever community - who are interested in meeting new kinds of people. The majority of the population is often apathetic. But that's not necessarily an indictment on people. Look at what Obama did to an absolutely apathetic youth in the USA. It's clear that people just needed some leadership - they needed a platform where their views could be heard and understood. I guess, in the end, we'll just have to experiment with this in the new year. It's difficult conducting this conversation in the 'what if' and talking about what 'people are like' when what we really need to do is to just experiment and give it a go. Ne? Thanks so much for pointing me to Bruin-ou.com, Joy-Mari! It’s funny that you mention it because when I started blogging in 2005, I found it interesting that South Africans were still using the then (very, very bad) ‘Blogspot’ from M&G Online when there were such great tools like WP and Blogger available to all. Same thing with video and photo-sharing sites. The point I’m trying to make here is that people love local community, and that is never a bad thing. What is less positive is when you never find people from those communities interacting in any meaningful way – when you find communities who isolate themselves totally from one another. That is when you find the roots of cultural intolerance as we’ve seen in so many places. It’s not about forcing people to blog, or forcing people to interact. I guarantee you that there are always people – from whatever community – who are interested in meeting new kinds of people. The majority of the population is often apathetic. But that’s not necessarily an indictment on people. Look at what Obama did to an absolutely apathetic youth in the USA. It’s clear that people just needed some leadership – they needed a platform where their views could be heard and understood.

I guess, in the end, we’ll just have to experiment with this in the new year. It’s difficult conducting this conversation in the ‘what if’ and talking about what ‘people are like’ when what we really need to do is to just experiment and give it a go.

Ne?

]]> By: Joy-Mari http://hblog.org/2008/12/14/were-not-trying-hard-enough-in-fact-were-not-trying-at-all/#comment-576 Joy-Mari Sun, 28 Dec 2008 08:39:13 +0000 http://hblog.org/?p=168#comment-576 I think I'm finally getting it. Black people have the opportunity [finally!] to become content producers. We can finally rewrite the negative stereotypes that exist. We can write our own stories. And we're not doing it. I do, however, think that the points you and David made do not take into account black people's apathy. It exists. Not sure why but it does. Perhaps we should ask why black people are not blogging instead. And perhaps we should ask why black people are not attending these events. We should also ask why they use closed blogging platforms such as Bruin-ou.com instead of WP and Blogger. Heather, I don't think people from different social circles *will* interact. Or want to interact. Your thoughts on this? I think I’m finally getting it. Black people have the opportunity [finally!] to become content producers. We can finally rewrite the negative stereotypes that exist. We can write our own stories. And we’re not doing it.

I do, however, think that the points you and David made do not take into account black people’s apathy. It exists. Not sure why but it does. Perhaps we should ask why black people are not blogging instead. And perhaps we should ask why black people are not attending these events. We should also ask why they use closed blogging platforms such as Bruin-ou.com instead of WP and Blogger.

Heather, I don’t think people from different social circles *will* interact. Or want to interact. Your thoughts on this?

]]> By: novelheather http://hblog.org/2008/12/14/were-not-trying-hard-enough-in-fact-were-not-trying-at-all/#comment-571 novelheather Wed, 17 Dec 2008 20:08:02 +0000 http://hblog.org/?p=168#comment-571 Thanks for the comment, Andrew. Certainly, blogs are not central to the lives of everyone in Africa - what I'd like to see is more connections between bloggers from different social circles rather than attempting to force people from a certain group to blog :) Thanks for the comment, Andrew. Certainly, blogs are not central to the lives of everyone in Africa – what I’d like to see is more connections between bloggers from different social circles rather than attempting to force people from a certain group to blog :)

]]> By: Bloggers should drive diversity? Why? | Paul Jacobson http://hblog.org/2008/12/14/were-not-trying-hard-enough-in-fact-were-not-trying-at-all/#comment-563 Bloggers should drive diversity? Why? | Paul Jacobson Sun, 14 Dec 2008 18:19:28 +0000 http://hblog.org/?p=168#comment-563 [...] post by David Sasaki where he talks about the lack of diversity in the South African social Web and voiced her opinion that we (being the apparently white boys’ club - sorry ladies and any other non-white [...] [...] post by David Sasaki where he talks about the lack of diversity in the South African social Web and voiced her opinion that we (being the apparently white boys’ club – sorry ladies and any other non-white [...]

]]> By: Andrew http://hblog.org/2008/12/14/were-not-trying-hard-enough-in-fact-were-not-trying-at-all/#comment-562 Andrew Sun, 14 Dec 2008 09:53:00 +0000 http://hblog.org/?p=168#comment-562 truly an issue, if one wanted diverse reading online in SA we would need translation services but blogging seems to ignore the fact that blogs are not central to the lives of Africans. Further north there are two blogs which are really interesting not in their blaque-ness but rather in their translating of ingenuity of the Dark Continent into Digital meaning. The flatter the world gets the less force traditional trend setters will have. truly an issue, if one wanted diverse reading online in SA we would need translation services but blogging seems to ignore the fact that blogs are not central to the lives of Africans. Further north there are two blogs which are really interesting not in their blaque-ness but rather in their translating of ingenuity of the Dark Continent into Digital meaning. The flatter the world gets the less force traditional trend setters will have.

]]>