Literary execution and burning blogs
Franz Kafka’s instruction to his literary executor, Max Brod, was very clear: burn everything. Mercifully, he did not. Equally fortunately for students of history, there are many collections of private papers that show people’s inner thoughts, their correspondences and what came across their desks that they could not or would not allow to come to public attention.
I wonder if, in future, people will look over blogs and look at drafts and finished posts and wish that there was a clearer revision trail or whether they will be glad that so much was published. Certainly, anthropologists and social historians will have the outpourings of endless souls on blogs. I hope, though, that some people out there are keeping their emails and other electronic correspondence.
In the meantime, I think I have spotted a blogging first. John Redwood has replied to a reference about him on Tom Watson’s blog. I think – and do please correct me if I’m wrong – that it’s the first instance of an MP commenting on another MP’s blog.
xD.
February 19th, 2008 at 8:07 am
[...] tip: Dave Cole. This entry is filed under Political. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS [...]
February 19th, 2008 at 9:37 am
Hi Dave,
It happens more than you might first imagine.
It’s a first for John and me though. If it carries on like this we’ll be playing football on Christmas day.
T
February 19th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
Ah well… perhaps the first minister of the crown?
February 19th, 2008 at 7:04 pm
I’m sure they will look over them, Dave. One’s best posts should go down onto the archive. Thanks for the birthday wishes too.
February 19th, 2008 at 10:08 pm
As Tom says, it’s not a first, just a first for Tom and John.
IIRC, the first comment from one MP to another on an MP’s blog involved either Tom Watson or Richard Allan or (more likely) Tom Watson *and* Richard Allan.
February 20th, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Ah well…
I maintain that it’s all too rare.