I learned of the following on Tracy Kennedy’s web log, Netwoman, in the posting entitled “Power of Blog Voice”…

April 27, 2004
Library Boy wins fame and a room at NYU

By Karen W. Arenson, New York Times

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1592/4744370.html

Although the link in the article to http://www.homelessatnyu.com/ is currently “out of order” (the bandwidth limit of this student’s ISP was exceeded :o), you can find Steve’s (the subject of Ms. Arenson’s story) live journal at http://www.livejournal.com/users/homeless_at_nyu/.

In my thinking, voice is given power when it, through being heard, affects an action, a change in behaviour, a transformation in someone’s consciousness, a mood shift… some “thing”. Voice without ear — although perhaps cathartic — is ineffective (as in “not effecting”). This means that “ears” — given that they make “voice” effective or not — have a lot of power in themselves. So… whose ears do we wish to reach? And why do we so want to do?

Steve (I almost wish to put his name in quotes given that “he” remains an abstraction for me and I feel strange even coming close to intimating knowing this person) mentions that his initial intention with making his life available online was to make what he was living possible and… besides… being a writer he liked the attention. (And, yes, those are my words and, no, I do not at all mean that in any belittling way.)

Well, I have housing.
[Apr. 21st, 2004|09:18 am]

"… This wasn’t a ploy to get NYU to help me out, it was just me doing what I had to do to stay in school, and the website was my stress relief to begin with, but by the end it became more, a social network and an entertaining story that people actually liked. I am a writer by nature, and that’s really all that I strive for - to write something that will be meaningful to people, and that’s what the website accomplished, and I don’t regret ever making it. …"

I suppose it is the definition of “meaningful to people” that often surprises us. To some of the administration at NYU this meant making a dorm room available. To Steve’s friends it meant… well.. I will not presume to know but I will continue to read in order to find out. To some media it meant, apparently, a really neat story. To me, well, I’m not sure what it means but I do know that it has affected a bunch of thinking so far.

Looking over the journal, I find the discussions Steve and his friends have amongst “themselves” interesting — particularly those about fairness and notoriety and “what does this all mean in the long run?”. I find the change in voice/s — that now necessarily include powerful ears, of all kinds — interesting and slightly painful to be quite honest.

Perhaps the ultimate power of the blog voice is that we learn what a/our voice does indeed mean to someone else’s ear, if/when that ear also is connected to a voice, action, some expression that we in turn are privy to. So… although ears ultimately do give voice power, voice is the source material for ears. Would that the intention remain clear and the voice flowing… particularly given this new power of new (again potentially powerful) ears.

“May we get what we wish for and may it be what we wanted.”

p.s. For some more thinking around this, Tracy Kennedy on Netwoman has some more entries and articles available on that. I think of “Is anyone listening?” and “Blogging, Inequality and the Future” in particular.

p.p.s. To “Steve” — I wish you well with your studies, your writing, your friends and your family. Really.

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