A Safe Haven in the Blogosphere

Continuing with our series of guests who have visited our HNR 340 class this week was Melissa McEwan, the mastermind behind the blog, Shakesville. She has been blogging for about the same time as our blogging expert Lance Mannion and it became evident to me how bonds over the internet truly can transfer over to real friendships. Lance and Melissa seem like the closest of comrades and almost as partners in crime. I received the impression that they have similar views of the blogging and internet world and have bonded over this, but I could be wrong.

Melissa brought a different perspective than our other speakers. Her blog is a safe haven for people who have felt prejudice or hatred towards them. Melissa accepts everyone and wants them to feel like they have a voice. In creating this safe haven, she has had to go through extensive filtering of comments and endure criticism from others. During her visit, Melissa said “I don’t want to be a part of hurting people,” which I thought was spot-on. Too often people go out of their way to hurt others and it makes me feel good that Melissa goes out of her way to counteract these people and do the exact opposite.

Another great thing Melissa brought up was that oftentimes her readers do not understand when she doesn’t address certain issues or topics. She said that she does not feel comfortable writing about something she has not researched. I often feel that in our society, people talk about issues without really being informed. They just say things. We could use the prime example of Representative Todd Atkin, who publicly said that the female body can stop a “legitimate rape” from leading to a pregnancy. This just defies any anatomical explanation and could have easily been prevented by looking into scientific facts. Now this is an extreme example, but Melissa is onto something. Arguments and debate should be backed by facts.

To conclude, Melissa’s visit was extremely enlightening about a different flavor of blogging. I think that she is using her blog for good and to help make this world better than when she started. Melissa is truly an inspiration and it was an honor having her in our class!