The power of diversity

I like what Mindy Adams was saying about how to 'clue in' to online. One of our dilemmas has always been how narrow should a category be. I'm always concerned that one of our bloggers may see something on their blogs they didn't feel was consistent to their focus or theme. Usually, when that happens, I search within to find out how I would respond when I see a post that I particularly didn't care for.

Mindy thinks that one of the biggest mistakes news people make is that they stay in their own field. Journalists (dare I say bloggers) need to spend time in other areas to gain a wider awareness of what people are saying and getting excited about. I was encouraged that someone else shared the same point of view as I did. Diversity is what adds richness to our lives. Anecdotally, I remember being a social invalid in my younger years because I had so immersed myself in software unless you spoke in bits and bytes, you would not find me interesting and vice versa.

So rather than cringe when I see a post on TheGoodBlogs that didn't seem to fit, I now see it as an opportunity to discover something I never knew about. I think, it is also a question of tolerance and humility. To tolerate a point of view and interest that may not be personally interesting but to recognize that as one more voice in the blogosphere it is no less relevant than your own. Then to be humble to know that one can learn as much as you can teach, and it, in fact, may be pre-requisite.