Points of view

It's harder than it looks, this blogging malarkey.  I write essays, you tell me you want entertainment.  I try to be amusing; you tell me I'm being egotistical.  I offer my whimsical side; you tell me I can't do whimsy.  But then people tell me that the great thing about blogging is that it's personal - you have to speak with your own voice and let your own persona show through.  And my persona, I'm sorry to say, writes essays, finds things amusing, and veers off in whimsical directions from time to time.  That's me, so that's my blog.

Mind you, I did think that no-one was actually reading this stuff - until the good people who do the analytics told me that lots of you are taking a look.  Greetings, lurkers  - and thank you.  Now I know how authors feel when the PLR statement arrives and they know that someone out there is actually reading what they've written.

And some of you - well, a few of you - take the trouble to respond which means that I, as a courteous person, have to think about how best to respond to your responses.  Not by replying on an individual basis, seems to be the general consensus - instead, bundle the responses together over a period of time and then post a general response.  So this is me responding to your Points of View.

Thanks Danny for correcting my Bob Dylan recollection and for affirming the importance of professionalism.

Thanks Tom for sound advice.  I'll be very careful about the photos I use and I'll say more (in due course) about how CILIP relates to the outside world.

Thanks Dion for emphasising the importance of a good ICT infrastructure in building relationships and networks across the CILIP community - and for your congratulations on my Sponsored Slim.  And thanks, too, Michael for your good luck message as the Slim entered its final, critical phase.

Thanks Karen for commenting on the Yes Minister accuracy of my piece on how to meet a Minister.  And thanks Norman for your comments promoting the opportunity which CILIP has to increase international membership.

Interestingly, I know all six of my respondents personally.  I'd be really interested to hear from some of you lurkers who don't know me except through this blog.  What impression are you getting?

Any finally, in this issue of Points of View, a few words about recent postings about CILIP on various discussion lists.  Yes, we do care what lapsed Members think of CILIP and we're currently contacting all recently lapsed Members to find out.  No, the Annual Election wasn't a disappointment - we got the usual level of turnout, the smallest-ever number of misdirected ballot papers, and a strong group of Trustees to take us forward into 2008 and beyond.  Yes, if you want to comment on CILIP you should use CILIP's channel of communication - and that means CILIP Communities, not someone else's discussion list.  No, I shan't be making any postings on LIS-PROFESSIONAL.  But yes, I too have a cherished copy of the Smirnoff, "I used to be the mainstay of the public library " poster.  It's on the wall in my kitchen.  And I'll be putting tinsel round it later in the week, but that's another story.

Keep those Points of View coming and I'll do another round-up in a few weeks.  It's good to know you're out there.