voice

The voice of the Where Blog is difficult to pinpoint because there are 7 separate bloggers who contributed to content on the site. The voices range from ironic comments on modern cities to real in depth dissections of how cities are structured and the way people interact. Among all the bloggers there is an overwhelming connotation that we are all at the same level. In one blog post, “The Urban Path,” the blogger opens with: “Human navigation is a key component in the organization and form our cities take on. Whether we choose to walk, bike, take public transport, or drive, we are making choices that shape our experience of the city and that will transform the city itself over time.”

This is actually one of the driest blogs I’ve ever read, but blogs on my subject don’t seem that intent on infusing their personality into their subject matter. Which is strange given that many refer to “we” or “us” is their post, connoting a sense of community, which, it seems, is essential in any city. However, the majority of these blogs posts are straightforward dissections of urban developments, use of public space, technological advancements, etc, that help to characterize and forma city. For example, the post “Dhavari II: Does This Look Like a Slum” begins by quoting soundbites from international news sources on Dhavari. This post is concerned mainly with fact, consistently referring to experts in the field (ex: “According to Sharad Mahajan of MASHAL”) and citing data through links (official survey of Dhavari, Bombay Municipal Corportation, etc) to add legitimacy to their post and further their argument. Sort of like writing an essay, but shorter and less argued because essentially, they are preaching to the choir.

Other post take a slightly more casual approach, appealing to the sense of community that is connoted in an internet setting and the readership of the blog. In fact, the post in entitled “Informality, Enhanced” and just poses questions to the reader. The format corresponds to the title: it’s informal. The blogger asks: “Why is it that so many of the people out there studying/analyzing/writing about new urban trends, new technologies, new social configurations, etc. are either well past or fast approaching midlife?” insinuating that he is young and hip, or at least nowhere near approaching midlife and doing so appeals to his imagined audience (young twenty-somethings interested in new urban trends, new technologies, new social configurations, etc.) Essentially, he is like us. Then to finish up his post on how to make the modern, global world more informal, he asks “ Would anyone like to take a shot?,” simultaneously opening up the conversation to the internet/blogging community and using the modern AND informal colloquialism “take a shot.” He is also self deprecating, where earlier in the post he makes reference to his blog track record in which he receives few comments on his posts, making his asking questions irrelevant (but he wouldn’t write them if he didn’t think so) and making the discussion informal (although technically, if he thinks no one will comment to answer his questions, it's a discussion/conversation he is having with himself.)