A Virtual Montparnasse (Part One)
Friday, September 19, 2008 at 1:00AM in JT Ellison by J.T. Ellison (with Kaye Barley)
I've been talking for some time about our virtual Montparnasse, the various groupings of artists who coexist online: encouraging, sharing, bickering, feuding and cheering for one another. It's a precious resource, this institutional knowledge, and with the ease of use of the interwebs, we can all interact. The playing field is level when you're virtual. It's a world where readers, writers, librarians, booksellers, editors, publishers, agents, screenwriters, movie producers, actors, playwrights, artists, photographers, bloggers, critics and reviewers all float around, bumping into each other like little dust motes in an abandoned room.
And while there are curses to the Internet, something I'll discuss next week, there are bonuses. Friendships blossom out of these interactions. Strangers become friends, and sometimes become enemies. Relationships bloom and fade, deals are made, books sold. It's a very, very powerful medium, and as such is open to great abuse as well as scintillating intellectual largesse.
This is the first part in what I hope will be a series of essays about our Virtual Montparnasse. Some will be by me, some will be by guests who I think have a unique perspective on the subject, or embody the spirit of the global collective, the artistic social consciousness that I believe has been created by the Internet.
With that in mind, I hope you'll welcome a dear friend of Murderati, Kaye Barley, while she sits in for me this week and opens the discussion about the Virtual Water Cooler we call our online community.
Take it away, Kaye!
____________________________
I am tickled and honored to have been asked to drop in here by JT while she’s off gallivanting. I have no idea what the woman was thinking, do you? I’m no writer and my resume includes exactly one blogging gig besides this one. But, we all love her, and I for one don’t want to disappoint her so what the heck, let’s see where it takes us, and have some fun with it. Being invited places is always nice. But dang - being invited someplace to speak your opinion is just about as cool as it gets.
My one and only other blog gave me the opportunity to write about my experiences and feelings about smoking and quitting. That I was invited by the delightful women at The Stiletto Gang was a kick and I had a lot of fun. After reading what I had written, JT suggested I consider writing my impressions on how the internet compares to the figurative office water cooler. Smoking and quitting was a fairly easy thing for me to write about since it was all direct experience. After thinking about JT’s suggestion for this piece, and fretting about it a little, I realized how the two pieces are actually part of the whole.
The first thing that pops into my mind when I think about the office water cooler is probably the same image that pops into your heads as well. It’s the cartoon we’ve all seen for years - a group of people clustered around the cooler, little paper cones of water in hand, engaged in conversation and looking thoroughly entertained with themselves. We know, of course, they aren’t really there for the water. Nope, this is where everyone knows to come to meet up with co-workers and buddies to exchange a bit of gossip, catch up on office news, talk about last night’s ball game and/or night on the town, and, in some cases, over time, form significant friendships. It's the place I might have gone for some words of encouragement while I was trying to walk away from my cigarettes.
There’s just not a lot of hanging out around a water cooler these days. Literally or figuratively. Offices that once had plenty of staff to get the necessary work done are now making do with a lot fewer people, which means not nearly as much free time to hang around and visit with co-workers. Not as many co-workers either. With the economy the way it is, and jobs disappearing the way they are – who can afford to be seen goofing off and hanging around the water cooler? Much easier to goof off and visit with friends over the internet. Hooray email, discussion groups, Facebook and blogs! The newest equivalent to that tired old water cooler. And an answer to an introvert’s prayers. Someone who may not have felt comfortable joining these water cooler groups may find their niche in an internet group. (A fun topic for another day, don’t you think?)
Some of us have worked long enough that we can easily remember when the water cooler hangout was a reality. And if, come Monday morning, you didn’t care about discussing football, you knew which office water cooler to avoid. There were days you just didn’t want to listen to that guy tell you why your favorite team lost again. Same deal with internet cruising, but better – no one can force you to listen to their opinion, ‘cause you’re in charge. You can even walk away without hurting anyone’s feelings. You are the master of your browser. Don’t like what that person’s got to say? Ta da – Hit that delete key! Or your scroll key, or, by gum - just leave. You can go anywhere you want to go, and meet a whole lot of people along the way. You can collect a group of like-minded souls to hang out with, and you can leave behind those you don’t want to spend time with. Leave one water cooler and find another. We’ve all managed to find our own special on-line water cooler. We’ve all met friends who may have started out as “virtual” friends, and who may in fact still be “virtual” in that we have not yet met face to face. But their importance in our lives has, in many instances, become every bit as important as the friends we see on a regular basis.
Those of us who hang around the internet a lot have learned that you bump into the same people quite often while you’re cruising around, which makes sense, of course. Those interested in books and reading are going to be hanging out at websites, blogs, and discussion groups that focus on books and reading. Folks who are interested in building treehouses probably run into the same group of people wherever they tramp around on-line. Bumping into the same people at different internet groups brings, at first, name recognition. After awhile you’re able to remember certain little things that go with the name – if they’re smart and funny, or dreary and sarcastic, if they seem kind, or tend to be grumpy and cynical. From this initial awareness, a casual acquaintance might blossom into a friendship. The casual camaraderie we experience over the internet has become a daily part of our lives.
There is, of course, the dark side of this relatively new social networking in the cyber world we’re all a part of, but for today, let's focus on the positive. We’ve all met people who have become quite dear, and quite important to us. I’m still a bit amazed and in awe of this phenomenon, and would enjoy hearing from some of you about your experiences with it and feelings regarding it all.
And to the Murderati group – Thanks so much for having me. You’re the best!
(Thanks for being here today, Kaye!)
Wine of the Week: From a Texas winery, in honor of all our friends in Houston and Galveston who are suffering this week - Pheasant Ridge Merlot
Reader Comments (48)
It's funny, I'm such a physical person - not someone to ever do the Internet dating thing because I need to hear someone's voice and see them move and yes, even smell them to know if I want to know them. But I agree with Earl, above - there are some people who are just charming and appealing even without all those senses to judge , and you are definitely one of them.
As to feedback on the Internet gathering holes - I far, far, far prefer message boards to the other Internet formats because message boards are so much cleaner and clearer - and you can put trolls and BSPers on IGNORE - a software function from God, if you ask me!
The Yahoo groups and other lists are driving me just about insane and blind with their stupid formatting and the people who copy the ENTIRE discussion to their posts. But some of the best groups use that format so I grimace and bear it.
I recently figured out Twitter and it's also a godsend - you can very easily link your tweets (little posts, okay, I hate the word tweet, too...) to Facebook and MySpace and keep those sites up at the same time.
Earl Darlin' - I don't know when I'll ever meet you face to face, but I know it'll happen. In the meantime, since the point of this blog was to bring up some of the good things we've gleaned from the internet, the virtual wedding Earl and I planned for ourselves, with help from a large and crazy wedding party, would have to be one of them. It may not have been one of the more tasteful weddings in the world, but it surely was fun!
We meet people online, become efriends and sometimes, somewhere along the way those relationships deepen into friendship. I met Pari online, and look where it got us. ; )
Honestly, I met 90% of the people I know in this community online first, and I have to say, it's been an invigorating and blessed ride.
I'd never met Santa Tom but cried when I heard he'd died, simply because his online spirit was so strong.
Good things can come from the internet. Thanks, Kaye, for starting us off on the right track.
For me, the internet has been such a boon :-)
Living in NM, I know many writers but feel isolated from the broader mystery community. Through yahoo groups, blogs, websites and some of the social networks such as CrimeSpace and MySpace, I've begun to build a network of like-minded people that I never would have met any other way.
What makes it even better is that through some of the conventions, I get to meet these people in the flesh and have the kind of extended conversations that truly enrich my life.
As JT says, we met online. I've never met Rob, Tess or Ken Bruen in the flesh. If I've seen Toni, Zoe or Allison, it's been in passing at best. Still I cherish these cyber friendships and hope they'll grow in the same way those with people I HAVE met such as Louise and Alex, JD and Brett are.
Oh, I could go on and on, but then I'd be the gasbag at the water cooler.
Thanks for the upbeat take on the virtual community. You rock!
There aren't enough hours in the day to do it all, so I limit my participation. Signed up for Twitter but have not followed through. Signed up for LinkedIn but have not followed through. So I have stopped signing up.(-:
Two blogs,two websites,and four lists are my limit.
Cheerio --
Pat Browning
You've got me thinking about online friendships today. Let me tell you about one of mine.
Three years ago, while I was touring with my first book, I needed to reach one of the guys I was working with on a "Best Paperback Original" judging panel. I didn't have his email address with me, so I guessed at what I thought it was.
It wasn't his.
But it started a conversation with a Vietnam-era POW now living in Costa Rica. We've shared tears and jokes and photos now for three years, and I'm proud to say that he's now begun to write about the horror of his days of captivity. "It's healing," he says.
But I also suspect that the nature of the online world makes it often too easy to isolate ourselves intellectually and socially in the sense that we gravitate toward online communities that serve as reinforcing echo chambers. The internet makes it easy for us to avoid being challenged. It accentuates our instinctual tribalism and, I suspect, has contributed to a general erosion of the implied social contract in the face-to-face world.
I think it's clear that most people interact very differently online than they do face-to-face. And yet what I've noticed of late is that the generally more volatile and rancorous communication styles which seem so prevalent on the internet have started to infuse the analog world. I'm no wilting flower, but I do appreciate a generally courteous approach to interactions and I am troubled by a public discourse that seems to reflect the kind of "lmao u r teh suk" approach to communication that seems foundational on the internet. The internet makes it incredibly easy for us to talk past each other, congratulated ourselves for our cleverness, and then rush off to the next shiny thing.
Obviously it's not all bad. There are plenty of online communities which are friendly and respectful and offer genuine opportunities for communication. My hope is that the internet is simply not a mature environment yet. I certainly appreciate being able to gab with friends, play online games, share favorite books, movies, music, and get introduced to new ideas.
And the thanks go to Al Gore, I suppose ;)
Anyway, I gotta dash to a
And now, when I see books on shelves--well, instead of the the suthor photos being of strangers, they're people I've chatted with, or, often, just happily listened to.
And with many of us (I'm raising my hand here) being somewhat shy in real life, it's so much less stressful to belly up to the virtual bar.
Besides, you can decide to "come visit" a pal on the spur of the moment--or host a whole slew guests wthout having to dust.
"See" you soon...
Only problem with virtual: nobody brings baked goods for me to dive into :-)
Thanks, JT, for asking Kaye to join us. I know her from other forums, and she is a delight to the many, many authors she supports through buying, attending signings, and places like DL.
Shane
And lookie here - the Northern Half of Evelyn David. Girl - see what you've started?! And its FUN! May I please come back to The Stiletto Gang again? oh man - I would love that! (see you in Baltimore!)
Wonderful post -- I love how many folks I 'know' just from reading their blogs or their posts on lists. And in your case, I have to remind myself we've never met face to face, your voice is so clear in my head. Looking forward to seeing you at Bcon! ~Vicki
Oh, and Ms. Barley I'll make you a deal. I'll refer to you in whatever way you please, if you'll call me Jake (or Nantz, as my students/colleagues do). I know, I know. I still call everyone Mr. or Ms. until asked/told otherwise, just because I try to be respectful of everyone else (I would feel foolish walking up to someone like Jeffery Deaver in real life that I'd 'met' online and saying, "Hey Jeff, it's me, Nantz!!") But still, 'Mr. Nantz' from anyone who isn't on their first day of my class just feels funky. Fair?
You're the perfect person to kick off this series of essays on the "Virtual Montparnasse." You're the quintessential virtual water cooler conversationalist! I count myself among the most fortunate of mystery authors, for not only have I chatted with you at the virtual water cooler for more than a year, but you and I got the opportunity to meet in person last weekend. You are just as kind, gracious, and insightful in person as you are in Cyberspace.
I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't be headed to B'con this year had it not been for the virtual water cooler. Yes, ma'am, one of the best features about meetings in Cyberspace is the Del key, and the fact that you don't have to deal with turkeys. On the Internet, you can socialize with as many sweeties or cynics as you want and ultimately decide whether you want to meet them face-to-face.
I hope you have a sweet tooth, cuz you'll get bunches of hugs in B'con from all the friends you've made at the virtual water cooler. Thanks for your thoughtful post today.
Regards,Suzanne Adair (www.suzanneadair.com)
You and I have done the virtual water cooler in reverse. We first met in person last weekend at the Carolina Mountains Literary Festival. Now, here we are meeting virtually on Murderati.
The virtual community concept has so many possibilities. We cannot imagine many of them.
Regards,Suzanne Adair (www.suzanneadair.com)
Oh, never mind.
BTW, Jake, I'm Alex. ;)
I've found that people who post to Murderati, and the other blogs I visit daily, are intelligent, friendly and helpful. I'm always learning something new, and I enjoy their smart, insightful posts and replies. But most of all, I enjoy talking (in the virtual way, of course) to others who understand my love of books, and the need to read, write, and live books. What a treasure! And all thanks to the virtual world...
You are the greatest group of commenters in the world.
xo
And Alex, I hope you don't mind me trying to pack the house for you, but our school has a couple of kids interested in screenwriting that are really excited to hear you speak at that series the Library is putting on. I told the film club sponsor how wonderful and helpful your posts have been on here, and she said she thought some of her kids would really benefit. I promise the ones who do come will behave, they're all creative and just really neat kids.
PS: And for the record, I was the FIRST one to propose to Kaye, not that interloper, Earl Staggs. I interviewed him, too, on my podcast, and you do not EVEN want to know his real story!