Ten years ago, I never would have envisioned being connected by computer to the lives of millions of people. As a librarian accustomed to ferreting out information manually and laboriously, I would have been agog at the concept of Google. To have the world of information at one’s fingertips and at an unbelieveable speed! Granted, there is about as much dross on the web as there is gold, but it’s possible to concatenate information from a much broader base. Information is a power, and the more we can access and sift through in efficient ways, the greater our personal power.

The community of blogging manifests in more than online connection. I have a tribe, so to speak, of bloggers in Austin who are available as friends and resources. It’s a new form of neighboring. I have also discovered blogging minefields; it is a revolutionary form of communicating and publishing, and I’ve learned the hard way on a few occasions just how this affects people in my personal life. Yet it’s been exciting nonetheless, and I’ve learned from my errors. Such are the risks inherent in new ventures.

Google offers several new services, still in beta mode, that intrigue me. One is the web alert, where one can ask that Google send email whenever a particular phrase is mentioned on the web. Since I’m curious about where my name may be linked, I set it up to search “Kathryn Petro.” I’m not the only person name thusly, so I’ve received notification about other Kathryn Petros. Yet tonight I learned that I had been selected — along with Real Live Preacher and Hoarded Ordinaries — for review by a new blogger, Betty Tew, as she joins the community of blogophiles. She’s taking a class and the assignment has been to assess three weblogs for their accessibility, style, and content.

Like me when I began blogging, she is still in the process of developing her voice and style, as well as deciding what themes she may focus on. Many of us find that blogging provides a venue for personal expression and exploration that is more satisfying than writing in a private journal. Betty mentioned that it’s akin to writing a letter to the world, something I’ve often said. She later wrote about missing her father on his birthday. He passed away last year, and she is learning to live without him; various holidays come and go, and one observes them, feeling the gap left by the beloved’s absence. This post was especially poignant for me, given that my partner’s father is battling a rare form of lymphoma at a relatively young age (61); this cancer does not respond well to treatment, and it has impressed upon us the urgency and heightened awareness that comes with confronting a deadline (no pun intended). It’s a destiny we all face, and the fact that we manage to get up daily, pocket that awareness, and pursue life amazes me. Yet awareness of death — to a certain degree — enhances living.

In any case, I am grateful for the technological developments that have afforded me this new community. I welcome Betty to the world of blogging and hope that she finds great satisfaction in it.