Northern Voice

I think I’ve never previously been to a blogging conference. The whole idea seems somehow ludicrous. Still, I enjoyed the day and learned things and met interesting people; hearty thanks to the people who put it on. The crowd is more diverse—as in, gender-balanced—than I’m used to, and the sessions more conversational, and there’s a lot of mutual respect in the air. Here’s an epiphany I’ve had belatedly, others have long been onto it: the blogosphere, Long Tail and all, is not about the millions of voices, it’s about the millions of ears; it is, more than any other single thing, an improvement in our ability to listen, to find out what’s going on.