Social media in the midst of the economic crisis seems as fraught with egos as ever—perhaps more so than before. I’ve just spent another day reading warring viewpoints on the latest points of contention—Joe the Plumber (yay or nay?), the death of Web 2.0 (and how this or that blogger can provide the tools you need to stay ahead of the game), etc. etc. I become disillusioned when the blog-universe seems to be made up of nothing more than a bunch of self-promoters who claim to have all the answers.  If social media isn’t about having a two-sided conversation then what is it about?

I was ready to give up and call it a day when I came across Robert Scoble’s post on blogging in a crisis. Scoble advocates balance, encouraging bloggers to listen, to seek out differing opinions, and to tell their readers what sources of information are informing their judgment. The blogosphere often seems like one big ego trip to me, so this was a refreshing read. I agree with Scoble in theory, though in reality there is no way I would ever be able to go through all of his articles and links.  Neither do I imagine that a blogger with less time on their hands than he would be able to research and compile a similar amount of data. Yet who can truly argue with a call to invite differing opinions and to expand your knowledge base, however idealistic?  In urging his readers to make well-informed judgments, Scoble certainly does his best to practice what he preaches.  He aggregates an impressive amount of content from a rainbow of opinions and sources on his Friend Feed and his Google Reader Shared Document. I trust bloggers like Scoble who talk about their inspirations and references, who link to content that doesn’t necessarily support their argument for the sake of continuing the conversation.  If we’re moving towards Web 3.0, a new frontier, then it can only help the growth of this web-universe we’re creating to be as well-informed about every opinion and influence out there.

This space is full of high-octane opinions, and sometimes I just crave a little online silence.  When it becomes too much to deal with, I make a pretty pictures with This Is Sand, the web-o-holic’s path to zen meditation and relaxation.   And in the spirit of Scoble’s post I advocate that you play the adreneline-pumping Kung Fu Election before chilling out with This is Sand. Just for the sake of balance.

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