August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

Joining our previous marvelous Featured Members ~KES, Sandy, and Bryan,
We are absolutely charm-a-laded to introduce you all to our Featured Member for August, Ben Steele, better known throughout the web as his “beloved childhood kitty,” Marmalade. (But I love the ring of his full name, Benjamin David Steele.)

This little intro can in no way do justice as any kind of portrait of Ben, so I, OM, will just share some of my personal impressions, and let the rest of the month speak for itself as we all get to know him better.
 
I'm sure Marmalade whispered this little metaphor in my ear, as I was searching for a single image to capture my impression of Ben. Imagine a wholesome delicious high-quality Mid-Western (USA) glass of milk. And then notice, it has a slice of lime perched on the edge !!!! Hmmm. A little extra zing there !!!

Though Ben has been in our community only since mid-March, it seems much longer because he has been very active and very contributory since then, meshing right in and helping us all feel at home with him.

The adjectives I would string together kinda sound like a Boy Scout [brave, clean, loyal, thrifty, reverent, etc.] but there are zings. For example, Ben not only likes superheroes, but anti-heroes. And his sense of humor is awesome; Marmalade as an alter-ego is a never-ending source of playful exchanges in the Community. He has that treasured quality which is appearing more and more in our community, for the upliftment of all - - silliness.

My list of adjectives would have to include: Open-minded, unfailing goodwill, helpful, considerate, straightforward, aiming to contribute and uplift, aiming to increase understanding and goodwill among all. Self-disclosing, honest, humble/modest. Balanced, peaceful, wholesome. Intelligent, intellectual, thinks about things, but doesn't neglect feelings and action.

You'll see that among his areas of special knowledge are online forums, Ken Wilber and Integral perspectives, the Meyers-Briggs personality typology, and movies. And I know we will discover more !!

And all that at the ripe old age of 32 !!! He calls himself a writer, reader, and learner. I say, “and a sharer of the wisdom he's gained and always had.”  

Don't need to say more, read on, go read his interesting profile, check his awesome blogs, and enjoy this interesting delightful fellow - and ask him anything that pops into your head. If he can't answer, Marmalade can !!! :))

Here are his answers to the first few questions in our standard list of questions we ask of all our Featured Members. More will be along in a few days.

1.  Overall, on a scale of 1-10 how important is the Gaia community in your life?
 
A difficult question.  It would be in the upper range.  Depending on what I was comparing it to and how optimistic I was feeling, it could be as high as 9… maybe a 10 if I was in a really good mood.  I still feel very new to Gaia and so its hard to make a rating.  To tell you the truth I don't even know how I'd rate my life in general.  :)
 
What  factors contribute to your scaling?
 
I came to Gaia for a couple of reasons.  One reason was to blog.  This has worked out and I have done the type of blogging I want to do, but not always as much as I'd like to do… no fault of Gaia.  Another reason is that I wanted to connect with other bloggers.  I didn't have any clear standards for success in this area as I've never belonged to a blogging community before.  Even so, I'm willing to bet that I've connected much easier and with much more interesting people here than I'd likely have done elsewhere.
 
There are other factors that are hard to calculate.  My friends and family are very important to me, but they aren't in competition with my time spent on Gaia.  However, there are some factors that are competing for my time.  The more time I spend on Gaia, the less time I have to read.  The more time I spend on Gaia, the less time I have to spend outside such as going for walks.  I often spend a lot of time on my posts and blogs and that eats up time quickly.  I can easily spend hours working on a single blog post and sometimes I'll work on a blog post over several days while researching about it … no joke.  If I gave more weighting to the time factor, I might drop my score down to 8 or 7… which is still a decent rating.
 
All in all, it feels worth it.  Writing is extremely important to me.  I take my blogging seriously.  If anything, I'd like to spend more time blogging and less time being generally distracted by other activity on Gaia.  But I can't blame Gaia for my easily distracted nature.
 
2.  What do you most dislike about Gaia/wish would change?
 
Two things come to mind. 
 
First, I dislike all of the inactive pods.  There was a discussion about this where I made some comments (Joining Gaia and starting a group- does it work?), and I've seen it discussed elsewhere.  It bothered me when I first joined because most of the pods that looked interesting were like ghost towns.  It was a bit off-putting.  And it makes the place feel a bit cluttered. 
 
Second, I find Gaia difficult to navigate, but I'm getting better at it. 
 
Partly, this relates to the first issue but goes beyond that.  I've belonged to many discussion boards and many of them have better search functions than Gaia.  I want to be able to do more specific searches, but so far I haven't figured out how to do that around here.  For instance, someone mentioned that if you did a search for a topic that was in the title of a pod, that pod might not come up in the top of the search.  I'd like to see an advanced search function where I could choose the perameters of my search: in pods, blogs, and/or articles; by.title or post; by a specific member or not; according to a particular date or since a particular date; the number of results per page; etc.
 
Also, Gaia feels a bit amorphous and unwieldy.  As its a large community, maybe that is just the nature of the beast.  I love all that Gaia has to offer, but I'm still trying to figure out what is available.  There is a steep learning curve in finding one's way around this site.  Most of the basic functions are very obvious and user friendly, but a lot of useful information is scattered all over the place.  When I first joined, this site in general felt more intimdating and overwhelming than any site I've ever belonged to.  Of course, if it didn't also seem very interesting and full of potential, I wouldn't have spent so much time exploring.  Fortunately, there are plenty of friendly and knowledgable people around to help guide and advise the newbies.  Soon after I joined, I met Nicole and OM who helped me out quite a bit.
 
How are you helping to change that?
 
I thought about starting my own pod, but I wanted to get a feel for the place before deciding.  I don't want to add another pod to the mix unless I feel it adds genuine value, and I definitely don't want to add another inactive pod.  I'm tempted to revive a pod if I found one that interested me enough.  However, I probably won't do that because I don't want to be further distracted from my original purpose of blogging.  So, there really isn't much I can do about the inactive pods if I'm not willing to try to reactivate them… which sounds like a lot of work.  This isn't a big issue for me anyways.  It only bothered me when I first joined and I was looking around at all of the pods.
 
The difficulty to navigate is something I can't directly have an influence on because I can't personally change how the search function is designed.  Indirectly, though, there are things that I can do.  I love to connect people with information.  If someone asks me about something, I'm likely to give them a bunch of carefully chosen links (this is one of those things that I can spend hours doing).  I scour the web for info and I do the same with Gaia.  If I see something interesting in one place, then I'll link it to another place.  I love linking between blogs and pods.  The internet (and a site like this) is only as good as the links that hold it together.
 
I don't see that my goal here is to directly help change anything about Gaia, but I'd like to be helpful.  If someone new to the site seems confused or asks for advice, I'll do whatever I can to help them.  I've thought about the whole Ambassador thing, but I don't think I want to be one right now.  I'd rather keep my helpfulness more informal.  If I end up being here long enough, then maybe I'll formalize the role I play in some manner.  Until then, being a mod on the God Pod is enough for me.
 
3.  What do you most like about Gaia?
 
I'm sure I could make a long list here, but let me focus on the most significant aspects that I like. 
 
I love that its a very active and large community.  I appreciate that people actually want to connect with and get to know one another.  I enjoy that it feels like a vibrant community that is still growing and changing.  Despite my complaint about the search function, I'm impressed by how much Gaia offers its members.  There are so many ways of contributing and participating.  The resonance engine is really nice, and I especially like how most people fill out profiles with quite a bit of detail.  At first, I didn't know what to think of the whole 'friend' thingy, but its grown on me and I see the advantages to it now.  I'm not big on the Q&R, but I have met new people by commenting on the blogs I've found that way. 
 
The one thing that impresses me the most is the interconnection of the different aspects of Gaia.  Blogs respond to blogs which link to pods and a discussion from one pod gets carried over to another.  I make a comment on a blog which someone notices and checks out my profile and from there decides to join a pod I'm active in.  I don't get much sense of isolated groups of people or cliques.  The relationships between various people and pods seems mostly open and fluid.
 
Beyond all of this, people are generally friendly and caring around here.  People go out of their way to be nice, and I see very few conflicts.  Quite impressive!  I can think of only one other site that has a similar feel, but even its not nearly as nice as this place.
 
How are you helping to maintain it?
 
I'm just here to be a team player.  Just doing my thing, and connecting with others as the opportunity arises.  I go out of my way to be active around here.  I'm a mod in the God Pod, I take the time to comment on other people's blogs, and I try to add something meaningful to the milieu.  If I had more time, I would be even more active.
 
4.  What is the ONE  thing you most enjoy about Gaia?
 
 I came for the blogging, and that is what I enjoy the best.  Some of the best discussions happen in blogs and not in pods.  I think of myself as a writer and blogging is how I satisfy this part of myself at the moment.  The main reason I don't blog more is because most of the time I put so much effort into any single blog.  I need to learn how to do more quick blogs in between the longer ones.
 
5.  What would you advise someone who is joining Gaia today?
 
There is all kinds of advice I could give about navigating the site which takes a while to get the knack for.  But there is some advice even more important than that.  I'd tell them to focus on what interests, excites, inspires them… and don't get too distracted by everything else.  Just focus on your own thing and any contribution you make adds to the whole.  Even if you don't actively participate much at all, don't worry about it.  At the same time, there is no need to be overly shy because this is a safe and friendly place. 
 
In anticipation of a super month,
OM Bastet, Moderator, Gaia Networking Group

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

Thanks for the intro, OM. 

The universe works in mysterious ways.  On the day you posted this thread, my computer became a bit non-functional.  So, here I am at a coffee house which is near my house.  I might not be able to respond as quickly, but I will respond.

Marmalade

ps feel free to call me Marmalade or Ben or almost any other nickname you can think of… just don't call me late to dinner.  :)

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

One other thing… something I wrote is no longer valid.  A week or so ago, Jessica asked me if I wanted to be an Ambassador.  As I said above, I was uncertain about being an Ambassador, but she said that it wouldn't mean doing anything different than I was already doing.  I was convinced and so apparently I'm now an Ambassador.

Help!  Gaia is slowly sucking me in.  Resistance is futile…

Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

As they say:

Bwwwwaaaahhaaahahahahaha !!!

OM

(Though “they” hardly ever say both together……)

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

Yay Ben!

I'm sorry that I'm so fashionably late to the party but I've just gotten back from the Oregon  Gathering of Gaians or O.G.G… and am just now getting back on-line. Did you know there are places in the world were there is no cell phone service and no place to get your computer talking to the rest of the world? Well, there is and it's where we held the meet up!

With that said my first burning questions are…

How long are you actually on Gaia each day? I ask because I have heard of people being here for hours and you made mention of the fight between reading and blogging… I have to say I've dropped reading altogether as I have a Gaia addiction… can't say I'm working on that!


Have you met people here on Gaia who live in your area and whom you've met in real life yet? I'm asking this because of the success we just had with a large group of Gaian's… it takes the feel of the site to another level.

Now I'm off to see your lastest and greatest blog and I'll be back with more 'burning quesitons'! Glad to see your name up in lights on Gaia Networking! This is going to be a fun month!

Amber

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

Welcome Ben ~

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

Hey Kathy - Did you find this thread through my blog?  I blogged OM's intro in order to draw more people to the thread.  I'm happy that you liked the New Age series.  I was planning on blogging about that eventually, but it seemed like a good time to do it right before this thread started.  There are nice comments in the blogs, but there are also just as many comments in the thread I started in the God Pod.

Yep, everything is fine in Iowa… although everything is far from being fixed.

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

Hello Amber!  Yay back atcha…

Did you know there are places in the world were there is no cell phone service and no place to get your computer talking to the rest of the world?

Well, they may exist in some basic way… but are they really in the world?

How long are you actually on Gaia each day? I ask because I have heard of people being here for hours and you made mention of the fight between reading and blogging… I have to say I've dropped reading altogether as I have a Gaia addiction… can't say I'm working on that!

Its hard to say how long I'm on Gaia each day.  I'm on the computer for hours at a time, but only some of that is Gaia.  I do a lot of research online… which means that something captures my attention and hours disappear while I roam around the web.  I'm not so much addicted to the internet per se.  I'm just addicted to information… where ever I can find it.  I spend a lot of time on the net, but I spend equal time reading and writing offline. 

I have a job that allows lots of free time, and so that is when I do much of my offline reading and writing.  Also, my lifelong bestfriend is as interested in reading and writing as I am.  My friend and I will hang out together and read our separate books, and talk about them.  Also, we're both aspiring writers and have collaborated on stories.

There is some conflict between my online and offline reading, but they mostly contribute to eachother.  If you check out my blog, you'll see I often reference the books I'm reading.  Before getting internet at home, I used to read books voraciously and this has slowed down.  My reading at work is inefficient as I occasionally have to work.

Have you met people here on Gaia who live in your area and whom you've met in real life yet? I'm asking this because of the success we just had with a large group of Gaian's… it takes the feel of the site to another level.

No, I haven't.  I can imagine that it would change one's view of Gaia… make it more personal.  I did do a search for someone I knew and found he had joined here long ago, but he never was active. 

I've tried to get people I know to join here, but no one seems too interested.  Its strange how reluctant many people are to the internet.  I've told all of my friends and family about my blog, and none of them has even mentioned to me that they've even visited it.

So, I've never met offline anyone I've known online.  And I've never interacted online (besides email) with anyone I know offline.  This creates a slight disconnect in my reality.

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

Ben -

well done on this featured member stuff, and my condolences on the whole “ambassador” thing. 

Anyhoo - congratulation's.  The tuna is on me, brother.

purr purr

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

Appreciate the condolences… and the tuna… mmmm…

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

While Marmalade is chomping his tuna treat, I will post more of Ben's intriguing answers to our Featured Member questions:

6.  How has being on Gaia changed your off-line life?
 
So far, I'm not sure.  I haven't been a member that long.  I'm still getting used to the place and finding my groove.  The major way that its changed my off-line life is that I'm addicted to Gaia.  I'm sure, given enough time, I'll meet some of the members in person.  I don't try to keep my off-line an on-line lives separate, but it seems to mostly work out that way.  Even though I've told all of my friends and family about my blog, I don't know that any of them have even visited Gaia.
 
7.  How does your life off-line impacted your presence on Gaia?
 
My moods certainly impact my presence on Gaia.  Otherwise, I can't think of much else that has a direct impact.  I read a whole lot off-line (what is known as a book), and what I learn from my reading ends up in my blog posts and pod posts.  I have posted some about my personal life, but my personal life is mostly uneventful and so it only comes up sporadically.
 
8.  What do you think has been your main contribution to the Community?
 
My life is dedicated to learning, and I'm full of accumulated knowledge and maybe a bit of personal insight.  I love sharing what I know and linking to information.  I have a mind that can connect almost anything.  Whatever I'm reading or thinking about at the moment will end up in about every discussion I have.  As for the personal insight, what I contribute is my very personal explorations and experiences.  I've been a spiritual seeker and occasional practitioner for most of my life.  The knowledge I accumulate isn't limited to factoids and abstractions.  My learning is mixed up with my seeking and with my way of being in the world. 
 
I have some understanding of struggle and suffering, and the ways of dealing with difficult experiences  So, I try to contribute with compassion and acceptance in mind… not that I'm always successful.  Suffering relates to my sense of spiritual longing and passion.  I contribute best when I come from a spiritual perspective.  I can be apathetic sometimes, but I try to keep myself focused on what inspires me… and hopefully others might be inspired.
 
My purpose in life is to be a voice.  I'm a voice for what I've learned and I'm a voice for what I've experienced.  In particular, I'm a voice for whatever doesn't normally have a voice.  I'm a voice for ideas and perspectives that often don't get spoken about.  And I'm a voice for experiences that people would rather ignore and not talk about.  I'm a writer.  I want to communicate.  That is why I'm here.  I'd like to think that all my years of study and struggle serve some purpose.
 
My other way of contributing is by being a voice of silliness.  :)
 
9.  What's the biggest benefit you have received from the community?
 
I think that my answers to some of the other questions also apply here.  Simply put, Gaia is a place to voice my perspective and be heard, and a place to learn from the perspectives of others.  The benefit I've gained is in the connections I've made with other people.
 
10.  What do you see the community doing one year from now?
 
Its hard for me to imagine the community being different a year from now.  I really don't know what is going on with this community, but I am slowly getting a better sense of it.  Changes seem to be happening all of the time, but I don't know what they add up to.  I'm hoping that the powers that be here at Gaia will improve the ease of navigating the site, and I'd like to see easy access to smileys for posting.  I might start a protest about the lack of smileys.  I've belonged to foums that had hundreds of smileys available on the same page that posts were written on.  You just clicked on a smiley and it appeared where ever your cursor was.  In this next year, I want smileys!  Don't make me start a ruckus.  :)
 
Five years from now?
 
Now, five years is a different story.  Much could happen in that time. 
 
I do see the potential for the site to become more interconnected which would include easier navigation and an even stronger sense/vision of a collective identity.  I suspect the community will keep growing and changing which some will welcome and some won't.  Gaia has so much potential that it would be a shame if it didn't become something greater.  Communites like Gaia will be major players in the future (socially and politically). 
I'd like to see Gaia become more connected not only internally but also connected more fully to other related on-line communities and sites.  Also, maybe become more connected with the off-line world such as what was attempted with the integral salons (local groups meeting on a regular basis) or even finding ways to attract local groups to participate on Gaia.  Possibly, Gaia could emphasize the social networking aspect by creating ways that people could easily find and connect with people who live near them.
 
Another way I'd like to see Gaia become more connected is by becoming more international.  I suppose it would need to become multi-lingual to accomplish this.  This issue was brought up by Albert in a discussion about Integral theory.  He was saying that there is an active community discussing Integral in Europe, but its just not on Gaia.  There is an international presence here as there are members from all over, but many (maybe most?) seem to come from Canada and the US.  Nicole said that Americans aren't aware of how American Gaia is.  I'm not sure what she meant, but she made me curious.
 
One other thing is that Gaia could include a more formal side where there would be more serious articles and and news.  Maybe there could be some kind of a journal/magazine.  Also, a calendar of member's events might be nice.  I've heard someone suggest a page where Gaian members could advertise separately from the regular advertising on the site; it would be something like buying local. 
 
The difficulty with all of this is how to organize all of this in such a way that its easy to navigate.  Several examples of well organized websites come to mind (all of which have or had discussion boards). 
 
Beliefnet (check it out here on their home page and here in Wikipedia) has articles by major writers and they invite well-known people to have blog debates.  Beliefnet also has a common discussion area that creates a more official space than the indpendent discussion groups.  When one joins Beliefnet, one automatically is able to post on this main forum, and only the independent discussion groups need to be joined separately.  Gaia combined with Beliefnet would be an amazing community.
 
Integral World used to be connected with the now defunct Lightmind forum and it has a very extensive selection of essays.  I'd say that its the best web resources for the diversity of integral theory.  I was sad to see the Lightmind forum closed down as it was a very old and popular forum.  A great community was lost, but I suppose many of them just moved into communities such as Gaia.  Anyways, as Integral World has a large collection of articles on Integral, Gaia could do something similar with having a collection of articles on how to change the world.  The nice thing about Integral World back when Lightmind was still operational is that these really great articles would get discussed in the forums.
 
The Secular Web is a very well organized site that offers a whole lot.  Gaia seems like Chaos in comparison.  The only criticism I have of it is that its presentation is a bit plain.  BTW a poll on that site shows that its filled with mostly INTJs with INTPs as a close second… that would explain its being highly organized. 

[Here are some links to explain these terms:
http://pods.gaia.com/is_there_a_god/discussions/view/297615

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTP

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INTJ ]

The Secular Web has articles by scholars and the site is a great resource of information, and they host formal debates.  The discussion forums there have in the past attracted many scholars in the field of Biblical studies and so there is at times a very high level of discussion.
 
Another well organized and very popular site is RichardDawkins.net.  There is a lot of information clearly presented on the homepage, and still manages to feel aesthetically pleasing.  That site also hosts formal debates.
 
At the moment, Gaia feels a bit haphazard in its somewhat decentralized structure, but I realize that is probably what many like about it.  Maybe Gaia's structure originated with its roots in Zaadz.  I don't know to what extent Gaia can be compared to other on-line communities.  Gaia seems quite unique in many ways.
 
Gaia is a nice place as it is and I would be fine with it if it didn't change much at all in the next 5 years. Gaia is a successful community.  It doesn't need to do anything differently.  However, this is a community of people who are very focused on change. 

Along with many others around here, I see that Gaia has a lot of potential.  And, like many others, I see that its potential will only manifest if its invested in.  I think the community and the team are investing quite a bit, but I think the deciding factor of whether Gaia ever becomes something greater probably has more to do with whether Gaiam invests more money into it.  As for now, I suppose its not a priority for Gaiam and so the community is unlikely to change in any drastic ways. 

I think that Gaia not only has a lot of potential to grow as a community, but also a lot of potential as a source of revenue for Gaiam.  Right now, this community might seem minor in the big scheme of Gaiam's business, but I hope they eventually see the immense potential that lies fallow here.  Many of the wonderful changes that could happen on Gaia would involve money, and that is the way of the world.

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging symposium

In case anyone is interested, I'm participating in a blogging symposium here on Gaia.  It would be nice if these symposiums were promoted on Gaia's community page.  These symposiums are related to integral theory, but Gaia could have symposiums about many other subjects.  Anyways, here is my blog entry introducing the symposium.

Symposium 4: Enactivism and Integral Theory

Posted on Aug 9th, 2008 by Marmalade On Wednesday August 13, there will be a blogging symposium here on Gaia.  This symposium will be about the relationship between enactivism and integral theory.  I don't know if there is an official title for the present symposium, but Matt/Buddhacious has entitled it Enactivism, Integral Theory, and 21st Century Spirituality.  There were three previous symposia (formerly called zymposia): Integrative Spirituality, Riding the Kundalini Dragon, Eco Business and Conscious Capitalism.

Here is the line-up for the upcoming event of a lifetime:

Wednesday August 13: Bruce
Thursday August 14: James
Friday August 15: Adam

Monday August 18: Matt
Tuesday August 19: Julian
Wednesday August 20: Erin
Thursday August 21: Ben (Me!)

Each day, one person will present their view on the subject.  In the comments, the other participants will respond, but anyone else is more than welcome to respond.  Come and join in the exciting action!  :)

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

I mentioned earlier that my computer is a bit non-functional.  That is an understatement.  The truth is that I killed it… it had it coming I tell ya.  :)

It'd been acting funky for a while anyways.  The fan wasn't working or something and it would occasionally turn itself off without warning.  I was planning to get it fixed eventually, but then I spilled some liquid on it.  At first it seemed fine, but after a while it became clear that i had done some damage.  Certain keys wouldn't work, and so I thought maybe the keyboard just needed replacing.  However, other problems started showing up.  The whole thing would need an overhaul, and for the time being I think it would be easier (and maybe cheaper) just to buy a new one.

So, I'm looking around right now.  I was considering computers that would allow me to access Second Life.  In researching this, I could not find anything under a $1,000.  Does anyone know a decent cheap computer that will work for Second Life?

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

How old was the dear departed, hahaha???

~C4Chaos is your best bet to ask about a cheap computer for Second Life. I think he's active in SL, and also knowledgeable about computers, at least some aspects. If he doesn't know, he could probably suggest someone here in the community.
 
You are quite handicapped without good access. Hope you get your new computer SOOOOOON !!

The laptop I use for Internet access is 8 years old, but she (she told me her name is Sarah, and told me the significance of that name for her for me) is still doing well, just a mite fussy about a few things !!!! :)

Blessings, OM Bastet

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

You have an 8 yr old laptop that works?  That is impressive!  How often has it needed repair?  My computer was just around 2 yrs old.  If it weren't for the spillage incident, it could've had many more years.  I still might fix it up eventually, but I don't feel like messing around with it at the moment.

I had thought about C4Chaos, but he always seems like such a busy bloke with all his constant blogging.  I'll send him a message.  I'm sure he could give me a quick answer.  All I need is some directions in which to look. 

I was checking out Dells yesterday.  My dear departed was a Dell, and overall they're a good computer for the price.

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging symposium

Whew, after reading about Enactivism, I would say the symposium is not for the faint at heart when it comes to philosophy, biology, epistemology, etc. And integral viewpoints (I hate hate the term Integral Theory because it is a worldview, not a theory of anything.) But throwing the topic of spirituality into the mix means I will make the struggle to follow what is being said, at least for awhile.

Never heard of this kind of symposium before. Very 21st-century, Web 2.0 stuff. And as you say, could be any topic. Love the format !!!!!

Will be interested in your experience of it, independent of the content of it, though if you care to translate any of the insights or learnings for laypeople, all the better..

Namaste, OM Bastet

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging symposium

I'm not much different than you in this matter, Om.  I just recently found out about the symposiums and I've only begun to understand enactivism.  I connects to so much that I'm having a hard time of figuring out where to focus for my symposium presentation.

I agree about Integral Theory being a misnomer.  The major problem I see with Integralism is that people can forget that its a worldview.

I'm not entirely sure about the spirituality being thrown into the mix.  Varela is a proponent of Buddhism and I'm fine with that, but I'm wondering if a larger context of spirituality can be included.  In particular, my mind has been focused on depth psychology and the liminal.  Those both relate to spirituality and I can see potential links to enactivism.

I'll share my experience of it as it goes along.  I'll try to translate for the laypeople, but at the moment I feel like I'm a part of the laypeople.  I'm glad I'm the last because I can figure out enactivism as people present.  I wish I had more time to do research on the internet, but that is the way life goes.

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

I got my laptop from a geek, they always seem to have “something lying around in my closet I haven't used for awhile.” I've only had it a few months. So I don't know the repair history, but I think it might be nil. It's in Inspiron 3800, but the booting up screen says Dell.

I was going to suggest ways to keep your computer out of the landfill, but that's moot if you will be holding onto it. They should last more than two years, does sound as if turning itself off was a specific problem. Wasn't it still under warranty? (But of course, spilling something on it, ah, bye-bye warranty, even if the problem started earlier….)

~C4 is very approachable, he lives less than a mile from me and I have met him twice, at our local Gaia Community gatherings, and he seems to cover a lot of ground, so I don't think he'd be too busy to helpyou.

But that brings me to Second Life. Would you care to describe what it is, briefly, and perhaps your interest in it, and perhaps how you see it as a social and cyber-space phenomenon?? I think a lot of readers here might be intrigued and not yet have heard of it.

Oh, good to hear you're not a “geek” wrt the symposium topics !!! So maybe we stand a chance of understanding it; “Beginner's mind” is challenging for those folks, in my experience. And you can kinda evolve your topic as you hear what others say, but the dance will speed up as your day gets closer, LOL !!!

You can be in gratitude that you have more research time than several other folks put together, even if it doesn't seem like as much as you want !! We in turn are grateful that you share the results of what you find, in ways that enrich us all.
 
Blessings, OM Bastet

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

I just messaged C4Chaos.  I'll see what he says.

What is Second Life?  I only know of it secondhand.  I've never been on it, but I can share my vague knowledge about the matter.  Second Life is a 3-D virtual world.  You can design an avatar and you can move through the virtual world.  There are buildings and cities.  Some businesses have set up virtual shops.  You can buy land and build on it.  People meet with others they know, and there are open gatherings such as concerts and art shows.

Second Life is somewhere between an online community like Gaia and a multiplayer online role-playing game.  Plus, there is the added bonus of in-world political activism and terrorism… oh my!

If anyone is interested in further info, here is the Second Life site and the Second Life wiki.  Also, Gaia has a Second Life pod, but it hasn't been active for a while.  There are a number of people involved with Second Life here on Gaia.  I did a blog search and came up with 208 results (which I couldn't figure a way to link to).

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

Hey there!

Sorry to be out of the loop a bit here… I've been moving my stuff from one place to another… my little girl iguana is tearing up my arms and legs trying to get used to her new home… she has been using me for a security blanket for the last three days and I'm not about to put on a long sleeve shirt to protect my skin in the 90 degree weather we've been having…

Ben, if you've been over to Second Life I'm amazed we haven't lost you there! I know of several of my friends, here at Gaia and personal friends who get sucked in and don't come back out!

OM Second Life is quite the experiment in on-line community… You can even teach classes and have your students on-line at Second Life…I don't get how it works exactly but Budding Spritelet is going to teach a class and she has create exactly how she wants to look, who she wants to be… it sounds very intriguing!

How's Ambassadorship going Ben?! Same as usual? ~grin~ I've been going over to the Gaia Lounge and welcoming newcomers as part of my evening Gaia ritual… Other then that, I open my mouth in my Real Life to tell people about Gaia.com and how wonderful it is to be here!

Off to unpack a box or two and settle myself in a bit more!

Smiles!
Amber Smilemaker

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

Hey Amber!

So, moving has brought you and your iguana closer together?  How sweet.  :)

Where did you move to?  Are you at your new location now?

I hope it all works out for you and Princess Boots.

I haven't been to Second Life yet, but I suppose I'll eventually visit the place.  I doubt you'd lose me to it.  I'm a word person, and I need a regular outlet for my writing.

How is Ambassadorship?  I don't really know.  I've been to busy to think about it yet.  After the Symposium and when I have a computer again, I'll give it some thought.

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

Wow, the part about teaching and classes is intriguing, Amber, you caught my Gemini ear, but I don't have time enough for all I want in my First Life, let alone a Second, LOL !!!!!!! And anything I might want to add to my First Life that I think I might like more of, can't be done in cyberspace, hahahaha.

I wish you the joy of your transition, Amber.

Blessings, OM Bastet

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

It is a pleasure to know you Ben Marmalade!
Am just back myself, after being on Hols -so am just catching
up on all the posts.

I really dig your sense of humour-as well as all your great thoughts,
and look forward to reading through your blogs over the next few days.


sandy

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

Welcome back, Sandy!

Going to look through my blogs?  That's swell.  Anyone who clicks on my blog right now will be confronted by ninja cheerleaders.  Consider yourself warned.  :)


I've got a question for you Sandy and for everyone else also:

What do you look for in a blog?
Which blogs do you read closely and which ones do you skip over?

The reason I ask is that I always consider my audience when blogging.  I blog for myself, but I also blog to interact with others.  I'd like to hear what anyone likes or dislikes about my blog.

Do my blogs feel welcoming and open?

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

Well,I have just started reading your blogs Ben Marmalade,
and I enjoyed New Age 3 very much -and sent you some hugs,
as hugs were mentioned!

In answer to your question regarding blogs-
I am only just getting into blogs as I tend to get more
carried away with pod postings.

I am a spasmodic blogger myself -never knowing quite
what format to use-eg for me or for everyone?

But -yes -I like the feel of your blogs and shall read one each day
till I have read them all.
I endevour to read many more of my friends blogs too and am always
grateful when they Grapevine me to let me know of a new one,they
think I will be interested in and make a point of reading them.

peace to you -“cool cat”” !!

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

Hi Sandy,

A blog a day?  I don't have too many, but I do have 56 of them at the moment.  They're not all equally interesting and some are nothing more than pictures or videos.  I don't know if you like the discussions in the comments, but there are a few really nice comment discussions.  Nicole and I had some really nice discussions in my blogs a while back.  In the comments of at least one blog, I was in a complainig mood and so you can ignore that one.  :)

I'd be glad to grapevine people who might find my blogs interesting, but I'd have to get to know you better in order to do that.  Tell me what are your favorite blogs of mine or even give me some examples of other people's blogs that you've liked a lot.  Every so often, I post my more interesting blogs in the God Pod just so they'll be noticed by others who may enjoy them.

Also, if you comment on my blogs a lot, I'm more likely to cater to what interests you.  I just enjoy interesting discussion.  I've blogged a few times with Nicole in mind because I know she'll respond… as long as she isn't too busy with other things.

Since I started my online writing with years of forums before coming around to blogs, I still think in terms of discussion.  I'm not one of those people who blog without much interest in responding to comments.  I don't blog with too many expectations beyond my my own enjoyment of writing, but I'm always game for discussion.

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

Hi Marmalade-
well, I have to tell you -I am struggling a little to get through
your blogs-
and for one reason only-
although they are quite brilliant -they are also quite long!

I shall however,continue to read on a daily basis!

And I always welcome a message to my Grapevine,
letting me know of a new one?

P.S -I don't mid reading a bit of compaining either-if it  gets
something off your chest!

S

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

Aha, I thought long and hard about what makes me interested in reading any blog, but now I see you asked just about yours, which seems like a better question.

I do find your blogs welcoming and open. What I like about them is

1. I understand most of what you say. haha.
2. You are often talking about subjects that interest me.
3. You are usually saying things that make sense to me.
4. You are often expanding my knowledge or understandings.
5. You throw in humor and zingers that keep me delightedly surprised and always looking for the next one. Included here is the personal stuff. You are not just abstractions, you are sharing your real self, your real person.
6. You are open to my views, and you respond thoughtfully to what I comment.
7. You think about things, and care about things, and the combo of those two is valuable to me.
8. You make an effort to write clearly and you aim to be understood.
9. You have the same basic approach to writing, the same basic motivation, reason, values, as I do: improving the world. 
10. You often do more research on subjects I like than I would ever be willing to do. Hey, Bud, thanks for the free research assistance !!!!!! 

What don't I like about your blogs?

Well, there's….. and then there's ….. hmmmm…..and……

Well, when I think of something, I'll let you know. There must be SOMEthing. Hmmmm……

LOL,
OM Bastet

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

Hi Ben,

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

I honed my online writing skills from forums.  I learned that in starting a thread, it was important how you presented info in order to draw people in, especially in a busy forum where a whole lot of other threads may have been started on the same day.  Thread discussions are different than blogs, but they're not really that different. 

Blogging took my writing skill to a new level as it gave more dimensions to how to present info.  I've tried to use more pictures and videos, and I try to format it in a clear way using bold and slant to break things up.  I often blog quickly and so I don't always present as well as I could.  One thing I love about online writing is the ability to link.  I love links.

Blogging is a challenge.  To do it really well, you need to put the time in.  I've sometimes have spent too much time looking for the right picture, and the time I spend/waste doing the research legwork for OM.  Hey, OM, I might have to start charging you.  :)

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

Ditto all that Kathy said !!!

Well if you start charging me, I will suddenly and mysteriously become an incurious cat !!!! :))

And I was mistooken, you did ask what we look for in blogs in general, and what turns us off.

So I will share my general thoughts:

For a blog to catch me, it has to serve at least one of these purposes for me:

1. I want to be taught, or informed – about something I am interested in, or discover a new interest in because of the blog. Included here is, I want to be challenged to deepen my understandings, or make my own ideas more precise, or take actions I believe are useful.
2. I want to be entertained, amused.
3. I want to be uplifted, inspired, expanded.
4. I want to be heart-warmed, which is slightly different from “inspired.”




5. I want it to be about stuff I think is important.
6. I like blogs which have a co-creative project focus.

I read more closely the ones that tend to do more than one of these things!

What makes me click on past is complaints, trivia, reality-show types of reports, trivial subjects, attacks, nonconstructive criticism.

Does that help?

I appreciate your description of the ways you consciously approach your blogging. I love links, but ya know, I actually often skip them, being impatient, unless they seem really valuable/essential. Videos I rarely look at, same reason, but pictures are always appreciated.

Yeah, it would sure be great if we had more formatting for our blogs. Imagine not just bold and italics, but different fonts, text colors, emoticons, glittery images….. Some folks can do this, but I haven't figured it all out yet. And of course, not everyone can see it, and all nontext items add to loading time…. It's a trade-off.

Blessings, OM Bastet

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade -blogging

That picture was so staged.  Aren't kitties cute enought without needing to set them up in a little snuggle-fest?  I'm outraged.  Kitties are always being manipulated and abused for our entertainment.  And yet, and yet, I can't help myself… they're so darn cute.  Dang it, you nefarious OM, you!  My heart has been warmed.  You've manipulated my emotions with your silly photos for the last time.  Now, I'll have to go to work with the image of those kitties stuck in my head.  I hope you're happy!  :)

Oh well… you were saying something about blogs?  Ah, yes… you bring up some good points.  I'd agree with those purposes. 

As for the linking, the beauty of a hyperlink is that its unobtrusive and can be easily ignored if a reader prefers.  And, yet, it makes for easy and quick access to relevant info.  My links often represent hours of online searching.  I'm not one of those who link to random info just to link.  I will link to basic info to give definitions, but many of my links are to whole other directions one can take in learning more about whatever I'm speaking about. 

Also, links are partly for my own benefit.  I like to remember the context behind my writing, and so that way I can return to it later to mine for even more info.

Blessings,
Marmalade

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Re: August's Featured Member: Marmalade (and his person, Ben)

OM~~~~~

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