Audience

Who do I define as my audience? I suppose my primary audience is myself, which seems an odd thing to write. But it is true to the extent that I write more out of an need to extend my thinking than I do to impress someone or move something. That is, in this avatar, I am not an activist. I am of course not without ego, but the main part of my work is to say things politely to myself. I am...learning, sort of.

What I take to be polite and what others do will, at times, differ. When I am in doubt, I will refer to my own standards and keep an open ear (and hopefully an open mind) about what others think. Collaboration and dialog matter a great deal, but so does individual responsibility which must be in tension sometimes with collaboration. Some things also cannot await collaboration. Action is its own imperative; writing is a form of action. One hopes (that is, I hope) that things always come back to a dialog...but I don't count on it, particularly in any sort of timely fashion.

Beyond myself, I would be flattered if teachers, learning scientists, human ecologists, social theorists, and people with interests in these areas found their way to this blog. In my last blogging effort, I was overwhelmed by the response. But I took the easy way out of linking to lots of other folks' good work. I don't expect as many readers here, and that's OK. I hope more for thoughtful participation than I do for "marketshare." I've never much believed in eyeballs as a measure. Whose eyeballs has always mattered more to me. I'm not selling anything, not even myself.