Answering the Mail
In the two and a half months since I began this weblog, I’ve received a lot of mail. Believe it or not, one response was actually in the form of a card from some friends in Monterey! I thought that was refreshing. Most of it, of course, has been electronic.
The people who have responded to my weblog fall into three basic categories: people I know and told about the weblog; strangers who found about it from someone I know; and strangers who happened upon it through a third party or by accident. About 2/3 of the mail I’ve received comes from people in the first category, most of the rest is from the second, and a handful comes from the third.
There are several people who have been writing me periodically all along to comment on specific posts or just to express their general support. They all fall into the first category. There have been many others who have written once, typically in response to a particular post. Most of these people are from the first two categories. Some folks from the third category have written me saying they found my site while searching for information on Iraq. Some others from that category found my site linked on philocrites.com, the weblog of the senior editor of UU World magazine.
I’ve heard from some very interesting people in the second and third categories – two people whose children are Marines, many UUs in California who belong to congregations where I have friends, a UU from Iowa, a UCC seminarian from Missouri, and a man from Milwaukee who has turned into a regular correspondent. The number in this category grows quickly as awareness of this weblog makes its way around the World Wide Web.
The tone of these responses has been overwhelmingly positive. Most of them express support for me, my family, and other servicemembers and their families. Some have been in gratitude for the effect a particular post had on their lives. One I particularly appreciated was from a UU friend in San Jose, who told me that my post “Fear” helped him get through a difficult day. Another one, from a stranger in the Bay Area, appreciated the lessons from “Great Expectations” about letting go of expectations and living in the present. One of my regular correspondents in Monterey always writes when something I’ve posted resonates with her life. My new friend from Milwaukee wrote asking for guidance about the spiritual meaning of this war.
Along with all the support and positive feedback I’ve received about this weblog, I did get one critical response. This e-mail was from a woman whose son is a Marine, and she perceived that I was writing negative things about my fellow Marines. Her letter really got my attention, and I scrutinized everything I had posted up to that point. I found some unflattering comments about the Marine Corps and its cultural and behavioral norms, but nothing negative about the individuals I have served with here or anywhere else. On the contrary, I found many instances of praise and appreciation for my fellow Marines. In my reply, I asked her to point out a specific example of something I wrote that offended her, but she never wrote me again. I still wonder what post in particular led her to write.
I have answered all of the mail I have received, and I’ll continue to do so. I enjoy getting mail (electronic or otherwise) and feedback about this weblog. Do you want to hear more about Camp Kalsu? More about Iraq? More about the Marine Corps? More about my philosophy, theology, and spiritual journey? I am open to suggestions, and I hope to hear from YOU soon!
The people who have responded to my weblog fall into three basic categories: people I know and told about the weblog; strangers who found about it from someone I know; and strangers who happened upon it through a third party or by accident. About 2/3 of the mail I’ve received comes from people in the first category, most of the rest is from the second, and a handful comes from the third.
There are several people who have been writing me periodically all along to comment on specific posts or just to express their general support. They all fall into the first category. There have been many others who have written once, typically in response to a particular post. Most of these people are from the first two categories. Some folks from the third category have written me saying they found my site while searching for information on Iraq. Some others from that category found my site linked on philocrites.com, the weblog of the senior editor of UU World magazine.
I’ve heard from some very interesting people in the second and third categories – two people whose children are Marines, many UUs in California who belong to congregations where I have friends, a UU from Iowa, a UCC seminarian from Missouri, and a man from Milwaukee who has turned into a regular correspondent. The number in this category grows quickly as awareness of this weblog makes its way around the World Wide Web.
The tone of these responses has been overwhelmingly positive. Most of them express support for me, my family, and other servicemembers and their families. Some have been in gratitude for the effect a particular post had on their lives. One I particularly appreciated was from a UU friend in San Jose, who told me that my post “Fear” helped him get through a difficult day. Another one, from a stranger in the Bay Area, appreciated the lessons from “Great Expectations” about letting go of expectations and living in the present. One of my regular correspondents in Monterey always writes when something I’ve posted resonates with her life. My new friend from Milwaukee wrote asking for guidance about the spiritual meaning of this war.
Along with all the support and positive feedback I’ve received about this weblog, I did get one critical response. This e-mail was from a woman whose son is a Marine, and she perceived that I was writing negative things about my fellow Marines. Her letter really got my attention, and I scrutinized everything I had posted up to that point. I found some unflattering comments about the Marine Corps and its cultural and behavioral norms, but nothing negative about the individuals I have served with here or anywhere else. On the contrary, I found many instances of praise and appreciation for my fellow Marines. In my reply, I asked her to point out a specific example of something I wrote that offended her, but she never wrote me again. I still wonder what post in particular led her to write.
I have answered all of the mail I have received, and I’ll continue to do so. I enjoy getting mail (electronic or otherwise) and feedback about this weblog. Do you want to hear more about Camp Kalsu? More about Iraq? More about the Marine Corps? More about my philosophy, theology, and spiritual journey? I am open to suggestions, and I hope to hear from YOU soon!
posted by Greg at 12/14/2004 10:50:00 AM
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