For my first Direct engagement I chose Julie rak's article "The Digital Queer". Rak discusses the idea of blogging and whether or not this can be considered a new age version of journal writing. Throughout the article the author goes into great detail about blogging and what it means to be a blogger. For instance, Rak discusses the format of a blog and how that differs from journal writing. I found it fascinating that there seems to be an unspoken code of conduct that a majority of bloggers abide by. The article mentions that in the blogging world it is almost impossible to be untruthful or present false information. If a person is trying to present themselves untruthfully, most bloggers can tell that this person is falsifying their identity. There is also this level of understanding that there has to be some amount of self disclosure about one's offline life in order to gain the trust of their online readers. The authors of said blogs can remain mostly anonymous but there must be a level of trust between the two parties and thus forfeiting some of their privacy is unavoidable.
In addition, the blogging world allows communities of people with similar interests to come together in a safe environment to share their thoughts and ideas. This is the element of blogging that I find to be most fascinating. What did people do before the internet came to fruition? This seems to be very similar to how the feminist movement started except on a more expedited path. It is the coming together of people wanting to discuss aspects of their societies and communities that frustrate, stifle, and oppress their members. However, on the other hand, it is a place for people to come together to discuss the amazing aspects of their communities and the goings on within them.
In regards to the author's question about whether or not there is such a thing as queer blogging? I am inclined to agree with her based on the idea that it is an identity. Rak states, "These bloggers do not have to present themselves as queer or GLBT in blog entries all the time, and they can present themselves that way some of the time". When creating a blog entry all that is needed is the correct placement of certain key words. This ensures that they can be found by anyone that is searching for this specific community.
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