It Tolls for THEE

The Bell Tolls for thee

In my recent post, The Death of a Weblog, I received a great number of responses. The post was meant to be a kind of warning to somebody. A warning to whoever would listen, that all this talk of POLITICS and blame of the country's economy on the other party could result in a mass exodus of our most talented contributors here at Active Rain (no, I do not consider myself to be one of those talents).  And, when I wrote the piece, I was not even sure whom I intended the warning to be directed at, or, what I expected them to do about it. So, when I hit the post button and went off to sleep, I never expected such a collection of heartfelt communication from both sides of the political fence. Unfortunately, I was unable to respond to each and every one who left a comment.

First, I want to thank everyone for their contributions to, what I felt was, a very real issue of the day here at Active Rain. And, while it was a bit of a cynical view of what blogging has become here at Active Rain, it was not about the death of blogging here. I was however referring to another site where (trust me) the exchange of meaningful ideas has all but ceased to exist. It was once a great place to stop by to get good industry related information that would increase your business. It was kind of what Active Rain is today. It was there, where I had learned about Active Rain and other blogging web sites. But, that Web Blog is by all measurements - dead.

Second, here at Active Rain, I can assure you, the blogging community is alive and well. Just look at all the response I got from my original post. Heck, one Rainmaker even called me direct instead of leaving a comment. I am sorry we did not get to talk much since I was in the car in the middle of the Jersey Pine Barrens. All of the comments were thoughtful communications of what life on the internet looks like, or, should look like, to them. Thankfully, most want to leave the dialog open regarding POLITICS and RELIGION and acknowledged the fact that we, as both society and real estate professionals, work and live in a very complex world. Yet, many agreed that when the topics are injected with POLITICS, they would just as soon move on.

That was my fear and the reason behind my post. The fear that if we continue to draw a line in the sand over who is responsible for what went wrong, or, who is taking us all to hell in a hand basket. Then the talent I see here with all the great advice freely given, will just walk away. I don't wish to point out the out weblog to you, but the talent has moved on. And, then, like the weblog I am referring to, this Weblog will also die. So, my plea to you is that you be kind. Watch what you write. And try to offer a solution without placing blame. Or, at least, refrain from name calling.

For as in the poet, John Donne, asks, "for whom the bell tolls?" It tolls for all of us. Thanks for reading.