18th August 2011

I created a face book page recently.

The open poetry network. It has attracted a couple of folk but at the moment is not looking too popular. I occasionally put a comment on it, or more accurately a poem and a couple of other people posted too.

But basically its a bit of a dead letter box.

But people seem amazingly challenged by the power of social networking.

It's like blogging.

What appeals to me is that I can write what I like and when I am satisfied with it I can publish it.

And folk can read it or not.

There was time when everything I wrote had to be typed (one finger at a time) and then posted to some mysterious, anonymous person, aka the Editor of whatever journal I had posted the piece to, and then some weeks or months or actually never, I received a rejection slip.

Now I write, I read, I review and then I press Publish and if you want to ignore it you can but famously I have become my own Editor.

And so far 2, 239 people have read what I have written and better still I have an international readership, from the United Kingdom, the USA, France, Italy, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, South Africa and Spain.

So I am pleased with that and feel that I have a responsibility to continue to offer my readers a wry look at the big society.

I also feel that I need to apologise because the events of the last couple of weeks in the UK have become pretty serious and it has been hard to maintain the wry view that I have promised.

Even the idea of starting a facebook site has recently become more problematic because it has been seen as inciting violence and riots and rebellion and two people have been sent to jail for it.

Surrounded by their fellow prisoners it must have been somewhat astounding when asked what are you in for? To hear them reply, I started a facebook page!

But the good news is that the riots seemed to inspire a big society response with folk out with their brushes almost the next day to mop up and get the place spick and span.

I really must act on my big society instincts and take my brush and disinfectant round to the local bus shelter and give it a good sweeping out and dusting down. It is a mess, not as the result of riots but its just a good place for local youngsters to hang out and despite there being a litter bin right next to it, the shelter is full of empty bottles, crisp packets, graffitti, and lord knows what.

I am of course pleased that Donna and Damian are so deeply committed to each other as it would seem are Kate and Kevin. But what would really make life better (in order that the local police don't need to introduce zero tolerance which could be nasty for everyone)  is if Donna and Damian and Katie and Kevin started a facebook page of their own rather than using the wall of the Bus Shelter.

Then they could send messages, share their affection with each other and drop their bottles and crisp bags in their own bedroom and their Mum could pick them up unless she is an old fashioned disciplinarian Mum and makes them pick up their own litter.

Enough already, just don't get me started on the pot holes outside the Co-op I'm sure my readers in South Africa don't need that ................