Words by Maria

Most bus-, tram- or tube drivers I have met in life have been really unpleasant people. I don’t know why really, maybe it’s their occupation that makes them bitter. But they usually have an nasty tone, they drive when they see someone is running and are generally unpleasant and non-service-minded. More than once I have been close to recommend a course in professional and personal service to a sulky tram driver. But yesterday I met a tube driver who actually was nice for a change.

I was going to Susanna for a little party. I had the sights set on going four minutes past seven with the tube. I was already a little late so missing the tube was not an option. When I came as close to the station so I could see the display at the platform I saw there was only one minute left before departure. I started running as fast as I could in my pumps, down some stairs, through the barriers and upstairs towards the platform. When I was close enough to see the platform the tube driver was standing outside the train with the microphone in his hand and waving towards me with the other hand. I thought “oh, he wants me to hurry up”. So, I ran even faster the last steps up the stairs. When I came out on the platform the tube driver said to me “Calm down! Now walk calm and slowly into the train and when you have taken seat we are leaving”.

I thanked him and smiled. Not only because he waited for me but also for being a nice, service minded tube driver. They don’t exist in large amounts.

Klockren!

Party, originally uploaded by Mariahagglof.

Party in Kärrtorp :)

Isn’t the weather just fantastic? If I recall correctly it has only been one cold day so far in september. Right now my thermometer says 23,7 Celsius degrees, the sun is shining and the sky is blue. I just have to go out for a walk.

And a day like this I am of course listening to Gavin DeGraw – Indian summer.

Sometimes I feel that my personality may seem a little schizophrenic with all my different interests. The combination of my interests sprawl all over the blog and together they become a really odd mix. Therefore I am thinking about starting with a series of blog posts about my interests in life, explaining what they mean to me, one interest per post. Could that be something you may like?

About a month ago Pear Analytics presented a study about Twitter. The result showed that 40% of Twitter is “pointless babble”. A few days later the Swedish newspaper Dagens Nyheter wrote an article about it. They brought the conclusion to an even higher level when they added the word “worthless” and the discussion in the Swedish social media bubble was a fact. I had my position clear, I like the babble and I think it is good.

During the last weeks I have been thinking of the babble and how much it actually means to me and how my life would have been without it. First of all, I have been social over the Internet since 1998 when I started using IRC (/me waves to #örebro@ircnet ;) ). The “pointless babble” in the irc-channels I have stayed in over the years have been huge. I have also played multi-player games which I probably wouldn’t have played if it wouldn’t have been because of the social factor. The “pointless babble” exist in a large scale even there, even though the gaming is in focus. The last years when being social over the Internet has become mainstream and got a new name called “social media” I have started to use services like Twitter as well, and the “pointless babble” continues of course.

So, why is this “pointless babble” so important?

Let me take this from the beginning. Being social is always about relations, so even if you want to call it social media it is actually relations and relationships you are talking about. And how do we build up relationships? Well, we can be boring and just talk serious shit, but do we get to know each other? No, it’s when we start with the “pointless babble” we get personal and when we get personal we are building relationships that last. And with relationships that last we get friends and are more likely to recognize each other further on. And people we know or  recognize we are more willing to help out if they are in trouble or have questions.

Of course a social media like Twitter can’t be a flow of just intellectual information 24/7. We would all get headache. It’s just like at work, do you work for eight hours straight every day without any “pointless babble” whatsoever with your workmates? If that’s the case I don’t think you have any useful exchange of each other. And what’s the point with social media anyway if we don’t have any useful exchange of each other? And why would it be worthless to babble about “pointless” things over the Internet when we do it everywhere else?

For me personally the “pointless babble” has given me friends from whom I have learned a lot of useful things. I have built up relationships that I know and care about. I know who I can trust when it comes to fact, advices and serious discussions because I know the people I am discussing with. I have also got to know my best IRL (in real life) friends through the “pointless babble”, friends to share my interests with and to talk with about serious things and choices in life. Without the “pointless babble” I am pretty sure about that I would not have been the person I am today. I would probably have been more like an eremite.

So, first of all. Whoever at DN who called the “pointless babble” worthless information, I would like to have a chat with  you.

Second, I love the “pointless babble”. I have been living with it for over ten years (my entire adult life) and it has probably formed me to a non-pointless person.

Third,  can’t we just agree on that the babble isn’t pointless?

I sent a new picture to skyltat.se today. The notice is actually written by one of my neighbours :)

Update: The notice are top voted at skyltat and is now at Pusha. Feel free to push it :)

A few days ago I read this blog post (Swedish) by Kristoffer Björkman and thought that I should blog about it. But I haven’t got time really and now it’s been some days so I’ll just write that I liked it and that I recommend you to read it.

As long as I can remember, there have been issues of Dagen in my parents’ home. For me, Dagen is the Christian Newspaper my grandparents subscribe to and my mother reads at night. There has been a constant expression at home “mummy reads the day at night.” It doesn’t make sense in English, but anyway. To this day my parents are still taking over all the issues of Dagen when, now only my grandmother has read them. I have to admit that I have never been an enthusiastic reader of Dagen. I’ve just browsed it through sometimes and read an article now and then that I have found interesting.

Since my mother started using the Internet more frequently, I sometimes get tips from her by e-mail about articles at Dagen.se. I always read the articles she suggests – my mother knows me and what I’m interested in – but during the past six months, I have not had to read the articles she has suggested. Because I have already read them. And that is not because I have become more devout during the past year.

Nah, the reason why I have started to read articles at Dagen.se spontaneously is from the beginning because of Emanuel Karlsten and his energetic twittering. But the more I have read Dagen.se the more I have felt the presence of the editorial staff by my side. Oops, now I was maybe overly spiritual, but what I mean is that they have succeeded in creating a relationship with their readers in a way I can’t really put my finger on.

Dagen.se seems responsive and modern, not nearly as dusty as the Christianity itself sometimes can be seen. They have made a name for themselves far beyond the Christian communities in this country. When it comes to the web they have made their way up to the same levels – if not even higher – as the biggest newspapers in Sweden. Thanks to Emanuel Karlsten they are also well known and read by the “social media bubble”. Therefore, I wasn’t very surprised today when Medievärlden nominated Dagen.se for “Newspaper of the year, digital dedia”. They are well worth both the nomination and the prize in my opinion. I can only say Big congratulations to Dagen.se and its editorial staff.