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Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Blogging Relationships

Not long ago they used to air a show on TV called "Six Degrees", which lasted only 14 episodes. Still, I saw parts of it here and there, though that was mainly because of Shiri Appleby. The premise of the show was interesting - it showcased six individuals living in New York that have no apparent connection with each other, but impact each other's lives and situations through different chains of events. I'm rather surprised it didn't last longer than it did, but that's besides the point.


Looking at the lankan blogosphere I am somewhat surprised to find out that we're not as alien or anonymous as we'd like to think or portray. I've only been around kottu for 6 months now, making me a relative newcomer compared to the great 'legends' out there. Yet, I have since discovered a interwoven web of connectivity between several bloggers. When I first discovered this thread I assumed it was just among a few select bloggers, but as I sat about unravelling it I soon realised that it was attached to several bloggers, some directly and some through just the faintest touch.



If I were to sit down and draw a diagram, I'd probably end up confused and also somewhat embarrassed at my sheer joblessness. Glancing at my blogroll, I realise that almost every single one of the writers on it are connected to each other. Some work together, some know each other personally, some dated, some are friends of a friend, some are internet buddies - it truly is fascinating! I used to think that perhaps only Gypsy, Scrumpy and Pseudorandom were truly anonymous, but I see that Gypsy has come out of her shadow of anonymity and connected with The Missing Sandwich, while Pseudorandom isn't on Kottu so technically she doesn't count. Scrumpy has met a blogger and apparently exchanged phone numbers with another too, so she's out (happy birthday by the way!).


It was suggested not too long ago that there should be a kottu meet-up somewhere. There was a lot of resistance towards it at that time, but I wonder if such an idea is just pointless seeing as we'd probably bump into our own circle of friends there and the meet-up would end up rather anti-climatic. Who knows, maybe your own friends are some celebrated blogger on the blogosphere! I can imagine the scene right now as you feed your pals a fake excuse to go to the kottu meet, only to bump into them there and find out that they were [insert ridiculous pseudonym here] all this time!


However, I am convinced that I am at the moment the sole blogger from the hills of Kandy, so I'm sure that to any blogger from Colombo, meeting me would be like running into some form of urban legend, if I do say so myself. At least, that's the impression Jerry has given me. Yes, I'd love to meet Jerry. Just to tell him in person that yes, we DO have electricity up here, and then politely smile at him as I piledrive him through a table.



But that does make me wonder - how is it possible that such a diverse crowd as that found on kottu be from such a small circle of people? Are the literary types part of a minority that is so tiny in its size? And how can I be the only blogger from Kandy?! [Insert Jerry-esque joke about hamsters, farm animals and medieval methods of generating power here]


Or is the world really that small.....?


17 comments:

Sabby said...

A post. Finally.
True that, everyone knows somebody. Funny business, this blogging business. =)

Makuluwo said...

Dude, I knoooww, it's insane how interconnected everyone ends up ultimately.

The fact is it's a really, really small world, socially. Or atleast it is on this island.

Anonymous said...

'no man is an island' is certainly true about bloggers on this lil island:)

PseudoRandom said...

Haha very true! Actually I was telling a friend yesterday that a lot of the bloggers whose blogs I follow seem to know each other. It is a curious phenomenon. I wonder whether the blogs preceded the friendships or the other way round?

Hmm...

Baby Z said...

Six Degrees was bunk that's why it didn't last, sh**t like that never lasts.

10 on that, the world is small, but not THAT small. I can be sure nobody on Kottu knows me. I'm not even Sri Lankan, my husband is, but he wasn't born in SL. Lanta considers himself to be 100% American and doesn't give a flying f**k about SL. Since I'm mixed, I don't know what its like to belong to any one specific culture.

tash said...

so true... almost everyone is connected in some way!!! its insane!

tash said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
TheWhacksteR said...

haha! funny post man. yeah i think uv got a point when u talk about a small literary circle of people. added to that the meager entertainment in the city. (restrains himself from cracking joke) :D

cheers!

Anonymous said...

Wanna bet?

Only two people from the blog sphere know me:)

And anyway, I have a more seroius issue to take up with you - you are the reason I am bleary eyed today.
Stayed late into the night trying to finish reading all your blogs and still haven't suceeded.

And you have been at this for only six months? Got a major case of verbal diarrhoea havent you?

Jerry said...

Posted a "Jerry-esque joke" for you to go pilfer

:P

pissu perera said...

i'm not really sure why it's surprising, considering how small colombo is and considering it's mostly the "colombo crowd" (for lack of a better description) who are on kottu. the interwoven web of connectivity on kottu is just a reflection of the interwoven web of connectivity you find off the net in colombo. name a person and i'm sure at least 75% of the time i can trace a line of acquaintances back to that person,if i don't know her/him personally already. same thing on the blogs. it's pretty easy to figure who people are from the posts they make, and you add things like facebook into the mixture and you can say bye bye to your anonymity.

you're probably the only kandy blogger on kottu, but i'm pretty sure you're not the only blogger from kandy. the sri lankan blogosphere is a lot bigger than kottu.

another essay of a comment. i really should stop doing this on your blog..

Gehan said...

sabby: awww, did u miss me? :P lol...

makuluwo: yes, i am forced to agree with that...

delilah: welcome to the darkside :) and yes, i spose that is rather apt here...

pseudorandom: actually, i think its a bit of both.. im sure some ppl met after they read anothers blog, while some have known each other b4 they stumbled across their blog..

baby z: yes, well, ur NOT on kottu, so obviously this doesnt apply to u.. tho once again, it is a pleasure to hear more about ur cross cultured husband.. its a miracle that even HE knows who he is.. :D

tash: isnt it just...?? :D

whackster: exactly, tho im just surprised the literary circle is that small....

anonymous: well sure, its prob REALLY easy being anonymous when u, well, post anonymously :P sorry for 'keeping u up'.. im glad u like readin my posts that much.. and no, ive been bloggin since last april, but i joined kottu only 6 months ago.. as for verbal diarrhoea, well, better than the other kind i spose......

jerry: tsk tsk, such low comedy, i am insulted :P

pissuperera: lol no, by all means, vent ur heart out... :D u do have a point, but like i said earlier, im jus surprised that the literary circle is THAT small..

Dili said...

Well if you account for the fact that a few years ago there probably was only a relatively small amount of people with broadband access + the knowledge of what a blog exactly is, it makes sense that everyone is interconnected in a small circle.

That really doesnt apply anymore, especially if you count the Sinhala blogs. I've noticed Sinhala blogs come from all sorts of everywhere (those guys are really cool too, especially after getting to knw them a bit better thru FB), whereas the majority of English blogs are concentrated in the main "posh" urban centers, which goes along with what pissu was sayin.

Speaking of Kandy bloggers, i believe Malinthe is from around there somewhere

Scrumps said...

Technically I don't know anyone as in they're in my friendship circle! :-P

ViceUnVersa said...

Does coming from Kandy count? Originated from Udispattuwa and Teldeniya, onwards to Wattapuluwa.
Now in a different part of the world!
Colombo's such a small place, people are bound to know each other. I do think that people who originate from the Paradise Isle anyways are the biggest gossips and nosy parkers in the world.
Now an outsider looking in, the heir-achy in kottu does amuse me though. Guess you would have noticed that!

Unknown said...

Hmmm.... :D

Sach said...

DUDE.
I.AM.FROM.KANDY!!!

I wouldn't let you take that title alone for the love of my life!

Ha! :D

OK, I'm not in Kandy now, in a different country altogether, but still!

Also, when I joined Kottu I didn't know ANY one from here!


Btw, ViceUnVersa, you were in Watapuluwa?
Jeez... we have been living close by!
:)

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