Like, one maybe? In the last year or so.
I don't log in to Technorati very often these days, but the other day I clicked on the link down at the bottom of Mental Blog...the one that says "Blogs That Link Here"...just to see what came up.
And I got an odd surprise. A blog called Occultural Anthropology had linked to one of my posts. It was one called "Arthur Koestler's a Dharma Bum!" posted in 2007.
Actually, it was more than a link. The author of the blog had copied the entire post and pasted it into his blog, with the original link, of course, which was how it came to be noted by Technorati.
What an odd feeling that was. But even stranger was reading through the post on this blog. Because it was written some time ago, it was no longer entirely familiar to me, as if it had been written by someone else. At least, that was the way I was reading it. I was struck by certain phrases and a couple of passages really impressed me! And for a second I thought I could not possibly have written this. Except for a few telltale Mental Blogisms, it seemed quite well thought out and well written. Finally I had to concede that it must have been written by Larry Keiler, inmate of the Yoni School for Wayward Poets. What finally convinced me was clicking on the link in the Occultural Anthropology posting. It took me straight to Mental Blog and the "Arthur Koestler's a Dharma Bum!" post.
Check them both out. It's interesting to see the post in two different contexts. The Occultural Anthropology post can be found here. While you're at it you might find something else interesting on that blog. And the original post can be found here.
2 comments:
Layout and design are interesting, huh? Does writing "sound" differently according to the way it is presented? The set-up is really nice on the linked blog - NOT that your blog isn't, but the black background, narrow print gives a different feel to it all. (I'm looking at a redesign of my website, so am thinking of such things).
Another question - your use of the first-person (well, Larry's use of it) - the "re-use" of it in the new blog. Do you feel like your words have been accredited to someone else by inference? That it reads like the other blogger wrote it? Even though it is linked? (And it does mention the previous incarnation).
Every once in a while I get a google alert that surprises me to where my work/website is mentioned. It's kinda cool...
Oh, one other thing - it is interesting to read one's own writing with fresh "eyes," huh? So you thought the words read "too good" to be YOU? LOLOLOL! You are a clear thinker, and a good writer. You shouldn't be surprised, but it is nice that you are. Humility is a good thing!
I'm interested in the vast array of designs available for blogs and websites. I'm not sure writing "sounds" different, but its impact or sense of gravitas may be affected by its presentation. I like the black format (I use it on a private test blog that I keep) but I'm not convinced that it's great for reading. It's good for visual presentations like photos, or video, or graphics, but not so much for reading. With Mental Blog, I've tried to find a format that's easy to read. Sometimes I look at it and feel bored, though, and now you've got me thinking maybe it's time to change it again.
About your second question...I didn't really think of that, but upon reflection, I'm not too concerned about it. If someone is interested enough to read the piece, they may very well click on the links too and find themselves at Mental Blog. So that's good for me. (And DoveTale too, since that's one of the first links in the post!)
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