I am going to take a bit of a different approach to this article, so bear with me.
This article brings up a number of good ideas: rhetoric, definition of community, expectation, identity - I can go on and on. But what I really want to talk about is my personal experience with 'communities' such as these. I read a number of blogs where a person has or has had some sort of ailment. One such blog is called "Especially Heather". Heather is a young mother who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor, and her daughter Emma has had pretty severe health problems since she was born, but they have both fought for a long time. Emma passed away on April 22, 2011, which is heartbreaking for their family, as well as the community of readers at Especially Heather. Heather is a highly religious person, although I hate to use the word 'religious' because I know she would not classify herself that way, but for lack of a better description, I shall use it.
Heather, did indeed, have brain surgery, and she blogged through the whole experience. Just recently she had to go back for an MRI to check on the state of the tumor, which came back clear. A little over 3 years ago a number of Dr's told her that she had approximately 3 years to live. As you can imagine, this turned her world upside down. She is living on what she calls 'borrowed time' at this point since she has lived past the expectations of the Dr's. Dr's in her area, and many specialists told her that her brain cancer was inoperable. The Mayo Clinic said otherwise and took her as a patient almost immediately. Heather is still alive, and she has blogged through her experience with facing death, not only her death, but her daughter's as well.
I feel connected to Heather, as do the folks involved in her 'blog community'. I know for a fact that those folks gathering around Heather to support her, through the internet, feel a close connection to her. She has built a genuine community through her blogging, and I would be horrified if I found out that her story was false. Community, even an online community where folks don't necessarily meet in person, is strong. Folks have an emotional bond.
Another blog I read is called, "Noah Steven 'Crowned in Peace'". Adrienne is another young mother who has gone through a harrowing experience. Her son died before he was a year old, and the Dr's had no idea why. He simply stopped being able to process nutrients in his body, and he slowly passed away. Adrienne and her husband are amazingly strong folks. They have blogged about their experience from Day 1, sharing it with the world.
This blog is a bit different because I know Adrienne personally from about 15 years ago. She and I served at the same organization together, though I don't think we ever had a f2f conversation. I was connected to her blog through some mutual friends. Peruse her blog if you're interested.
Both of these blogs are examples of blog 'communities'. Those folks that read their blogs on a regular basis have prayed, banned together to raise money, supported the blog authors and each other in times of need. Blog readers have connected with each other in a very unique way, creating a very strong community.
The article "A Virtual Death" was a hard one to read, only because I am so involved in blogging communities outside of my online classes. I feel a connection to the blog authors, and the blog communities at large, and can't imagine how the folks felt who had prayed for hours on end, who had invested time to comment on Kaycee's (Debbie's) blog. Shocked - yes! Betrayed - yes! Hurt - yes!
The article brings up a lot of good points, and I hope you enjoyed reading through it as much as I did. It brings to light the length's that some folks will go.
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