{"id":2825,"date":"2011-06-20T10:55:24","date_gmt":"2011-06-20T09:55:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/richardlittledale.wordpress.com\/?p=2825"},"modified":"2011-06-20T10:55:24","modified_gmt":"2011-06-20T09:55:24","slug":"it-started-with-a-click","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/176.32.230.12\/richardlittledale.co.uk\/2011\/06\/20\/it-started-with-a-click\/","title":{"rendered":"It started with a click"},"content":{"rendered":"
…never knew it would come to this<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n Unlike Hot Chocolate’s<\/em> romance, my involvement online started with a click, rather than a kiss. In the early to mid -90s I only ever used computers as\u00a0standalone\u00a0word processors. I enjoyed doing it, and they helped me both with writing and\u00a0graphics, but it was an\u00a0isolated\u00a0experience. Later on in the 90s I moved to a church with a well -established website, and got involved with writing a monthly online column and discussing new content. Over time my time spent online grew, and in late 2009 I started a blog, shortly followed by a Twitter account. One thing led to another, the blog grew beyond all expectations, \u00a0and this afternoon I find myself addressing the #medialit11<\/a> conference as a real live minister who engages online about my views on digital authenticity. How did that happen?<\/p>\n It happened, I think, not because of the kind of technology on offer but because of the kind of person I am. \u00a0I am passionate about communication, fascinated by people and proud to wear the ‘L<\/strong><\/span>‘ plate of a discipL<\/strong><\/span>e who still has lots to learn. My online\u00a0involvement\u00a0is an extension of what I do offline – meeting people, hearing their stories, winning the world more by embracing it than by confronting it.<\/p>\n I have written on here before about magpies<\/a> and giraffes <\/a>online -so I won’t repeat it. As I think about how to introduce myself in 15 seconds to #medialit this afternoon,maybe a seal might be the best image. They are reputed to be naturally curious and to enjoy human company. For me that is the same online as well as offline.<\/p>\n There has been a good deal of discussion recently about whether we should drop the labels ‘virtual’ and ‘real’ and adopt ‘online’ and offline’ instead. Overall, I think the latter are preferable. However, the trouble is that ‘offline’ sounds like a rather poor cousin to ‘online’, and as if it is the thing which happens when you haven’t paid your electricity bill. Maybe as disciples of a foot-washing messiah we should go for ‘online’ and ‘on foot’. What do you think?<\/p>\n