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.....?