Mena Trott, the “mother of blogging”, talks about–what else?–blogging

In need of a break and in search of some inspiration, I logged on to TED.com, one of my favorite sites ever. It’s a virtual repository of interesting (and sometimes not-too-interesting) talks about really great (and sometimes weird) minds, where you can find information and insight about everything from happiness to art to spaghetti to.. whatever else you can think of that someone else is willing to talk about. So I typed in the search field the word “blog”, and the first entry I found was a talk by a woman named Mena Trott.

Except that Mena Trott is no ordinary “woman”; Mena Trott is the “mother of blogging.”

Here, below, is what TED.com wrote about her on her profile page:

__

Mena Trott and her husband Ben founded Six Apart in a spare bedroom after the blogging software they developed grew beyond a hobby. With products Movable Type, TypePad, LiveJournal and Vox, the company has helped lead the “social media” revolution.

Time’s 2006 Person of the Year is “You,” which is to say, everybody: “The many wresting power from the few and helping one another for nothing.” The tools of this revolution have come in no small part from Six Apart, a 2002 startup that helped enable the blogging boom with its products. And co-founder Mena Trott, who rose to Internet fame with her own blog, DollarShort, has become a strong voice explaining the role of personal blogging in today’s culture.

Trott and her husband Ben developed Movable Type for their own use in 2001, but it became immensely popular and they dove in full-time. By the time they were preparing their blog-hosting service TypePad, investors were knocking on the door. In 2004, the company grew from seven employees to 50, with Mena Trott serving as chief executive, as well as an interface designer. Today, having acquired LiveJournal and introduced rich-media sharing platform Vox, Six Apart’s software gives online voice to millions of people and organizations worldwide.

“Like Ms. Trott, Vox is unpretentious and accessible. … She increasingly has the attention of elder statesmen who are baffled by the rise of blogging and need help in ‘getting it.’”

The Economist

__

So I clicked on her talk, thinking I might get some insight into the birth of blogging, or some stats that would be interesting to quote at some time, or some technical tips that I didn’t really know about. I expected to see a tall, lanky, Silicon Valley-ish girl–maybe with glasses and hair hurriedly tied in a loose ponytail (pardon the “racism” and the generalization)–speaking quite flatly about things that only geeks like me would like to know about.

But then this is TED, and this is social media, and so Mena Trott, the “mother of blogging”, was nothing like what I thought she would be. Her voice was nothing but flat, and her talk was nothing but uninteresting. She talked about her foray into blogging, her husband, other blogs that she visits, her pet, a blogger friend, a baby… what she likes about blogs, and so on, and the thing that struck me was that she talked the way we ought to blog.

She told stories. Mena Trott told anecdotes–as much anecdotes as her 16-minuter could hold–she painted pictures, she engaged us about account of real people doing real things. She didn’t give stats or lecture excerpts, or some jargonese or another. She told very personal stories about her blogging world–and she asserts that the best blogs are personal, too.

I believe that. And, as in my previous post, I maintain that “what’s personal is universal”. People will somehow find a way to relate to you when they do. They may not relate to everything that you post, or they may not know everyone whom you post about, but they will recognize some truth behind your words. Whether you’re writing about your shopping spree abroad, or about your a**_ _ _ _ of a roommate, or about something as seemingly inane as–based on Ms. Trott’s experience–a banjo, readers will recognize when you’re being sincere and authentic, and they will follow your stories if only for that.

Know what I mean by clicking below:

The "mother of blogging", Mena Trott, talks about--what else?--blogging? Click on the image to view the talk

So, why do YOU blog? And what makes you follow others’ blogs?

Bloggers Night Video #s 3-5: Flip the Mic performances

The Team RP-Flippyknows Bloggers Night also served as the launch of Flippyknows’ FLIP the MIC sessions, where creative souls showcase their performances in the true spirit for sharing and creative collaboration.

First off in the lineup was Paul Zialcita, a percussionist and performance artist who fuses percussion, Filipino Martial Arts, and recycled instruments. In this performance, Paul uses a five-gallon mineral water bottle mounted on an andador (rattan baby walker) and the Kali Drum, a large drum made of mylar and a large garbage can. The Kali Drum is called such because it is played using patterns and techniques from the Filipino Martial Arts–referred to as kali, escrima, or arnis.

Next off was Flippyknows founders, producers, and musicians Miko Pepito and Nityalila Saulo, doing a funky spoken word + acoustic performance called “Piling-Pili at Pinong-Pino.”

And here is Jeff Pagaduan performing an original piece.

THANKS TO FLIPPYKNOWS FOR RECORDING AND POSTING THESE VIDEOS!

‘Till the next collaboration… and the next blogging event!

Bloggers Night Video # 2: A sneak peek MTV

Thanks to Flippyknows for producing and posting this Bloggers Night MTV! ‘Till the next event!

Bloggers Night Video #1: A flippy poem about Web 2.0

Aside from helping put the event together, here was my little contribution to Philippine Bloggers Night.

Click on the image to view the video through Flippyknows’s Multiply site: