So tell me about LOGGING!

At a cookout tonight with relatives, the topic of blogging came up. My aunt in law of retirement age asked me, "I know how to do email and MapQuest, but can you tell me about LOGGING?"

I'm thinking lumberjacks, Minnesota, Google Search... when I realized she meant BLOGGING !!!

And what is the appeal of blogging? The circle just keeps getting better and bigger.

In church life, there is always an emphasis on getting into small groups. Many experts in the business of small groups will tell you: "Groups are an excellent way to make friends and establish relationships. Lives are formed and transformed in small groups when people meet together to pray, to study, to engage in fellowship, or to work on a specific task."

Me thinks that a greater dynamic unfolds because of the technology that allows us to share our lives behind a safety of a URL, aka a blog, to share our thoughts, stories, humor and observations in life. Hard to do in public or while passing through in church, no matter how well intentioned we try to be with programs or special events.

Then when an opportunity unfolds to meet together like Nashville Is Talking's recent meetup or the ongoing Middle Tennessee Bloggers and Podcasting Group that met today at the Mothership BBQ, everybody knows everybody. I am simply amazed how quickly people connect with each other having just met in person for the first time.

I'll let dailydiablogger share the recap here as she has a better recall. I can't put my finger on it, but simply put, there is a common thread that we all have whether it's the efforts of WKRN to listen and connect us together, our interests and personalities to how many of us feel as stakeholders in Jim Ream's Mothership BBQ to see it prosper.

Rex Hammock has a piece of the puzzle on why people blog in the context of whether bloggers are journalists or not: "I think bloggers say they're not journalists because they believe to do so would place a limit -- perhaps even demean -- what it is they're doing. They're observing, recording, entertaining, interpreting, screening, pointing to, calling out, casting out, body slamming..."

Malia adds to what I'm trying to say here.

Maybe bloggers as people are finally relieved when we do meet - because what you see is what you get. You know and I know what our politics, faith, tastes are plus our warts and all. And while we may have a blog name and a URL, there are no masks when we meet in public and maybe that is the charm of why we all have a great time when we meet in person. Authenticity. That's it! Authenticity.

I had a blast today! From today's Middle Tennessee Bloggers and Podcasting Group that met today at the Mothership BBQ:



Front, L to R: Christian, me, Michael and lovely Holly; Back, L to R: Gunner , Elizabeth, Michelle, Kathy T., Michael O., John, BadBadIvy. Photo by Vince. I think Malia was out on a dessert errand and Aunt B.'s Tiny Cat Pants was in 'da Mothership with the Butcher and parents.

See additional photos at WonderDawg's Mothership BBQ Flickr set