Yesterday I was seeing Tweets that protested actress Rose McGowan who had her Twitter account frozen due to posting a private number. I saw that the action had happened in a tweet from Variety. Then there were new tweets that cast the “freeze” in a political light (comparing her actions to the President’s sometimes loose tweets). About the time I got off the Internet for the night there was an organized Twitter protest– women were going silent on Twitter (some of them have huge followings).
All of these pieces are fascinating demonstrations of freedom. The press tweeted. People complained about their president. A protest. And even the freedom to censure (Twitter is a public company).
A retweet from Matt Mullenweg, the developer of WordPress, caught my eye. I’ve posted the screen shot, but the best quote is “If you want freedom, use the open web.” YES! Blogging is your voice. It’s your forum to say what you want in as many words as you want. You speak to a handful or to millions. You make the choice how how it stays on your site. No need to wait for an editor’s approval or a deadline. You are your own press. That’s why I believe in the power of blogging.
I 8th grade I had an amazing teacher who taught American Government. He explained that freedom is never complete freedom. Freedom ends where it effects another person’s freedoms. He used to swing his arms around wildly demonstrating that was his freedom until he got too close to some and punched them in the nose! So blogging is freedom until you violate the conditions of your shared hosting account or libel someone in a post.
Go forth and be free! Blog!
