Meeting my blog readers

Meeting people in real life who you know online can be a very interesting thing. So far I have met other bloggers in real life: a) many of my science blogging friends I met at ScienceOnline in January; b) I met Shark Fu (parental discretion) at the Missouri History Museum (kind of sort of, I sat behind her whispering to myself thinking it was her, she was doing the same. We confirmed each other’s identities on Facebook and officially spoke, c) I met Lisa at a Cracker Barrel in Illinois, and d) Jamie B at an Urban League meeting.

But meeting readers – who don’t also blog – is another experience. Meeting someone who follows your blog gets to know your style and sometimes you as someone they visit daily or weekly or even occasionally is very different experience. It’s very humbling. I’m reminded that I have a responsibility to update my content, to be fair and upfront about my message and accurate, too. I’m especially glad to hear from adults who love my page and share it with their children/students. To have someone call you out before you can shake their hand is great. My first such experience was with one of the teens (Djordje) at the ScienceOnline09 conference recognized me immediately as Microtus Shuffle Girl. How crazy. And today, I’m hanging out at my newest blog and fan’s house – Kim N. A couple of weeks ago, she was listening to Hallelujah FM and Kenneth T. Whalum played a clip of a poem she liked. She was surfing the internet trying to find out more about the author of the poem; and while searching for him she came across C.T. Herd of Planning and Preparing for College, whom she had heard speak before. As she was surfing her page she came across my name and link on the page – DNLee. She comes to Urban Science Adventures! (c) and surfs around and sees a face she thinks is familiar. She reads and reads and finally decides to email me. As it turns out, Kim is a family friend since I was in elementary school, and she discovered my page all by serendipity! How grand is that? She’s been hooked every since.

So, I’m at her house spending time with my other family celebrating Memorial Day, her son’s graduation, and daughter’s birthday.