Where is your digital home?
Just look at this: As usual (almost every day), I popped over to Robert’s blog (robertbirming.com) and came across a post titled ‘Blogs are alive’. It included a quote from an interview with Patrick (patrickrhone.net) as part of a series hosted by Manuel (manuelmoreale.com). Before I read the interview, however, I visited Patrick’s blog to get to know him a bit. There I came across the ‘About’ page, where I found this sentence:
My little place on a quiet street of the Internet.
And it was precisely this that inspired me to write this post.
Let’s start with a question: If your blog were a house, where would you want it to be? There are plenty of possibilities. Let’s assume we have access to all the places we know – in other words, the whole world. Mountains, seas, forests, islands, deserts, bustling cities and peaceful villages.
Patrick chose the “quiet street of the Internet”. An interesting choice. Given how crowded the Internet is, I’d say he’s done quite well for himself. Probably a peaceful neighbourhood, close to everything, yet a place that allows you to escape the hustle and bustle.
I think this is supported by a certain path taken by many personal bloggers – an escape from the hustle and bustle. A search for peace and quiet, whilst still being able to communicate easily with others.
That’s exactly how I view the opportunity to blog. A bit like a home where the sounds of everyday life don’t intrude, but which is open to others. It allows you to cut yourself off from the noisy world, if only for a moment.
But would I want to live next door to Patrick? I suspect he’s a nice bloke, and I probably wouldn’t mind having him as a neighbour. But – going back to the original premise – if I could choose any place on Earth, I’d want to set up my digital home (personal blog) in a slightly different setting.
I’d choose a charming village situated somewhere in the highlands, but not quite in the mountains. A place where the hills are covered in lush greenery, and down below a stream flows and birdsong can be heard.
Greenery, flowers and wild nature are the elements of the landscape that appeal to me most. I like to smell nature and sometimes feel part of the flora and fauna.
I sometimes describe my blog as a ‘digital garden’. It is in just such a natural garden that I could live. In a place where my blogger friends, whom I enjoy chatting with, would come to visit. In a place where time passes more slowly, or where the passing of time has some value. It happens to me that, in the rush of daily duties, it’s sometimes difficult to control the flow of time. It goes by so quickly.
And where would you like to build your digital home?