Comments on: Virtual Friendships http://doableevangelism.com/2008/11/10/virtual-friendships/ What if evangelism meant just being yourself? Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:44:16 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Randy Siever http://doableevangelism.com/2008/11/10/virtual-friendships/comment-page-1/#comment-18040 Randy Siever Tue, 11 Nov 2008 16:22:21 +0000 http://doableevangelism.com/?p=945#comment-18040 The issue of the power of words, particularly on the internet, is a really interesting issue for me. I've found a lot of people in blogland who say things to others that they would never say face to face (at least I can't imagine anyone saying such mean, hurtful, angry things to someone in person...especially someone they don't really know). It's as if they feel they have a license to obliterate. There is no real consequence or accountability (unless careful blogmasters block the offender from their own sites). Some of these hate-mongers set up their own sites from which they broadcast their vile without impunity. Cyber-space is a self-monitoring world where the idiots have the same voice as anyone else. I am not accustomed to this lawless world and find myself growing weary of it at times. In person such behavior would not go unchecked (not in my presence anyway). I have little ability to check it online, but I am just a novice at this, really. I would hope we'd be able to bring a degree of civility (safety) to this form of communication so that real relationships can actually happen. Of course most blogs are expressions of opinion, and not everyone agrees. We simply must learn to disagree respectfully...or disengage respectfully if we feel unheard or battered. I'm still learning how to do this myself, and frankly it has been of some use in the non-cyber world of relationships I live in, too. Thanks for the thoughts, April. The issue of the power of words, particularly on the internet, is a really interesting issue for me. I’ve found a lot of people in blogland who say things to others that they would never say face to face (at least I can’t imagine anyone saying such mean, hurtful, angry things to someone in person…especially someone they don’t really know). It’s as if they feel they have a license to obliterate. There is no real consequence or accountability (unless careful blogmasters block the offender from their own sites). Some of these hate-mongers set up their own sites from which they broadcast their vile without impunity. Cyber-space is a self-monitoring world where the idiots have the same voice as anyone else. I am not accustomed to this lawless world and find myself growing weary of it at times. In person such behavior would not go unchecked (not in my presence anyway). I have little ability to check it online, but I am just a novice at this, really. I would hope we’d be able to bring a degree of civility (safety) to this form of communication so that real relationships can actually happen.

Of course most blogs are expressions of opinion, and not everyone agrees. We simply must learn to disagree respectfully…or disengage respectfully if we feel unheard or battered. I’m still learning how to do this myself, and frankly it has been of some use in the non-cyber world of relationships I live in, too.

Thanks for the thoughts, April.

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