Next

As blogs go, mine is a simple one. This is intentional as I think it suits the content. The essays you'll find here are basically an extension of the written journals I've kept over the years. The blog is just another box to stuff with thoughts and meditations, and though I may hope that others find them comforting or useful in their own lives, these thoughts are not meant to be a grand display. Bells and whistles were unnecessary.

Still, I love the flexibility Blogger offers, and I love even more seeing what people have done with it. Individuals and groups all over the world have used this tool to record their lives, to display their art, to imagine and to remember. There are photography blogs full of unique visions, poetry blogs of unique voices. Some have created simple diaries and others, elaborate scrapbooks celebrating an important event or endeavor. Still others use their blogs to keep in touch with loved ones while away at college or if their work has taken them far from home. There are blogs of puzzles, blogs of news, blogs of opinions and information. There are collaborative artistic expressions and solitary philosophies. People use their blogs to amuse, to vent, to advertise, to grieve, and to teach. Here in the ether, you find the whole spectrum of humanity reflected in their blog creations, and all this wondrous variety is available to anyone with access to an internet connection.

Although I have been reading some blogs for years (some of which helped to inspire me to do my own,) signing up on Blogger has opened my eyes to so many more. Early on, I discovered two features that have dramatically enhanced my experience with the blogging community. "Blogs of Note" offers a daily introduction to one of the multitude. I may not check it every day, but it's usually interesting to see what has been so honoured.

By far, my favourite feature for exploring the many expressions of bloggers around the world has been the "Next Blog" button. How exciting that simple little link is to a fan of randomness! It might as well say "instant serendipity."

Just by clicking the "Next Blog" link, one can be transported to the home of a random blogger, to see where their passion lives. In one move, you're staring into a piece of another soul that was previously unknown to you. You might never have conceived that such an individual existed, but in an instant, there they are - real, human, alive. Certainly, you're just looking at traces of them left behind like footprints in the snow, but it's exciting nonetheless. As a tool to observe the beautiful variety of mankind, to discover new interests and writers, and to indulge my taste for completely random surprises, "Next Blog" has been unsurpassed.

Now, there is a change in the way this feature works. Blogger has "improved" the button to take you to a random offering that is more targeted to match your starting point. The programming is smarter, anticipating that you will be most interested in blogs with similar content and in the same language. The thinking is sound, logical, but I'll miss the way it used to work.

Gone is the promise of encountering something completely new. The possibility of traveling to other cultures is likewise diminished due to the language matching. I think of some of the wonderful blogs I've discovered in the past by using the "Next Blog" button, and I ask myself if it would have been possible to find them if the feature worked as it does now. Sadly, it would not.

But, change happens and brings with it new challenges and discoveries. I may have lost the spark of pure serendipity, but the new "Next Blog" offers an opportunity to view connections I may not have perceived. It will be interesting to see what blogs it associates with those I regularly read. Already, I have been surprised by some of the results.

Although I will embrace this new mode of exploring the world of blogs, I still welcome any random encounters I can manage. I will continue to peek at "Blogs of Note" and let my whims lead me to such offerings as I can stumble upon. If you're reading this post, please comment with the address of your own blog, and I'll stop by for a look. Never mind if it's different from mine. Those differences are what I crave.

In the meantime, I'll dive headfirst into the change that has come my way. As always, I look forward to reading the Next Blog.

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