More thoughts on bedlamfarm.com. A number of people I respect have suggested I consider forums for this site, so people could talk about the farm and related issues that pop up – life, animals, rural life. I have  long been an advocate of the new Net-spawned media models that give voice to people, but I don’t think I’ll put an online forum here.
  When I started writing about the Net, media was totally controlled by big and powerful institution – CBS, The New York Times – few of which gave much voice to the public, or listened much. The Net, for all its problems, has changed that. There are probably millions of weblogs now, and even more public forums. Everyone wants to know what you think, even though they are often just pretending, so much so that the noise is confusing, sometimes deafening, often a forum for hostile and needy people as well as thoughtful and interesting ones. Public forums are so common now, that it is often a relief, and an original experience, to not see them.
  I do care what people think, up to a point. If I have to put down a sheep or shoot a rooster (or put down a dog), and I am comfortable about the decision, I don’t honestly care what other people think of it. I am not in the business of changing minds, and if I respect myself, that’s usually good enough. I do care about people’s view of life, struggle, fear and faith, and I very much appreciate the encouragement I get for my life, this site, my photography and writing.
  But what would forums be about?
  I write about myself and my life, as well as my animals. I wrestle all the time – sometimes losing grace and humor – with the question of privacy and intrusion, people mistaking openness for a full invitation to every corner of my life and psyche. When I shoot a rooster, I write about it, and get a bunch of e-mail analyzing my motives, psyche and health care notions. This is fine. I invite it, expect it, and can handle it.
  But the idea of open forums for people to discuss my life just seems too narcissistic to me, an over-the-top, round-the-clock discussion me and my life. Yuk. I don’t don’t believe in censoring people, nor do I want hostility on this site, the way it permeates so many sites.
  If you do forums, you have one or the other.
  Bedlamfarm.com isn’t an interactive, many-to-many model. It is my site, about my farm, and my life. It is not a site about politics, animal care, or different views of dogs.
  In that sense, it is a monologue, not a dialogue. The dialogue, I think, comes from the Farm Journal, from the nature of the information, and its evolution,  and my efforts to read and respond to as many e-mails as I can. I very often learn things, react to things, get ideas, change thoughts when I go through the e-mail. I’ve done that for many years and people are always surprised when I respond, which tells  you something about how accessible media really is, or isn’t.
  So I’ll be interested to hear any thoughts any of you have on this, but I think a forum would throw off the chemistry of a site that is, in essence, about a personal experience. Hope that makes sense.