Oodles of O's

The computer is a fancy little thing, ain't it? We've come a long ways from hooking up Commodore word processors to our giant box set televisions, marveling about how that damn frog can dodge all those crazy car-like blocks (Frogger, anyone?). With the advent of the World Wide Web, and the nature of human curiosity inherent, the internet is evolving into this weird amalgam of porn, sports, absurdity, and altruism. It's exciting, and it's nerve-wracking, yet we are pioneers on a new terrain; our thoughts, our delusions, our dreams, mapping the future world with nothing but concepts and html code.
Right now, with my music blaring and my coffee steaming, I am coming to grips with the whole concept of email consultations. We are helping disembodied writers, who probably emailed us their work while wearing penguin pajamas and reading Cosmo, looking for some guru on the online composition mountaintop to make their words sparkle and shine. Is this a good thing, or is it another example of our culture's shift into self-imposed impersonality? Well, it depends. I think we are walking a very fine line when it comes to taking the "collaborative effort" into the digital realm. It seems like it would be very easy to play up to the stereotype of "fix-it shop," when allowing writers to basically drop of their work in our Google inbox, and let someone else worry about it. Yet, as we discussed the ways of approaching these consultations in class, I began to soften my stance. As with anything, how you frame these sessions makes all the difference. If you attack the paper with cyber red ink, basically playing the deconstructionist, the writer gets nothing out of it except a new, improved paper, sans any effort on their part. However, if you hit them with questions, comments, and concerns in a more global construction sense, it is possible to maintain the spirit of collaboration, even in the land of emoticons.
This being said, do I feel like this form of one-on-one is for me? I have no clue yet, though I do have a slight inkling as to what I prefer. Earlier this week, I had my first repeat customer on the consultation circuit. We had engaged in a brainstorming session over his production review of a play for his Theatre 101 class. He came back, all smiles, with the finished product, dying for me to read it. Just seeing how you have helped someone in their face when they walk into the Center, is not something I feel can even be approximated on the digital front. Despite my various anxieties when it comes to sociability, I still believe that the most powerful form of communication is the age-old medium of face-to-face, fire and volley. A computer screen cannot run the human gamut of facial cues and nonverbal understanding. Well, at least not yet. So, for me, I am guessing the land of number 2 pencils and fluorescent bulbs buzzing might be my pick. Despite this, I am more than happy to give anything a try, and I am excited for the opportunity to do something a little weird and a lot new.