Serendipity

Dictionary.com has the definition of the word “serendipity” as:

“-noun
1.  an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.”

This word describes the end-result of blogging.  I throw out ideas that I come across, and hopefully someone else can (or will) share their own stuff, based on my discoveries.  I’m a fan of comments.  I actively share ideas on other people’s blogs, Tweets, Facebook posts, etc.  I appreciate genuine comments (not spam) on this blog.  There’s just something beautiful about the exchange of ideas and experiences, and being able to participate in a civilized dialogue.

But some people claim blogging is just “too much information”.  I just read the New York Times article stating we have this tendency to over-share on the web.  Personally, I don’t give out mundane details like the color of my boxer shorts, or how much I spend at McDonalds.  I realize it’s all relative, but I’m a firm believer in a balanced effort.  When it’s too much, back off.  When it’s too little, step it up.

Speaking of over-sharing, there is a trend to geolocate people’s status updates.  That means I’m suppose to volunteer revealing the location where I eat, watch movies, store visits, etc.  On the surface, it seems like a harmless activity. With Foursquare, they took it a step further and provide prizes as reward for the most check-ins.  I think is a stupid idea.  Do they not expect someone will end up gaming the system?  I’ve used Brightkite before, and now using Yelp for check-ins.  For a while, announcing my current location is not one of their popular feature, simply because there was no additional incentive to check-in.  It was all purely informational.  No competition. No loss in novelty.

It’s the same thing with blogging, Twittering, or Facebooking.  When I use it for educational and personal development use, it’s more rewarding than trying to prove how much money I can make or how popular I can be.  There’s nothing wrong with healthy competition, but it should not be the main goal.

So serendipity — let it happen, without the over-sharing!

Photo Credit: bluryee

Tags: geolocation, share, social media