They're citizens of Cyberspace

Chris Carr*h*r, a visual artist from Wonder Valley, said she wanted a blog to keep her Web site up to date and to talk informally about her work. “The blog has served those purposes well, but it's taken on a life of its own.”

MORONGO BASIN - Some experts maintain the Internet can isolate people from meaningful human interaction, and that isolation will be detrimental to society.

But in other ways, the World Wide Web can actually connect people and enhance relationships. One of those ways is through blogging.

The word “blog” is a shortened version of “Web log,” and as its name suggests, it can be a journal of events in one's life - an electronic diary, really. Blogs can also be used to chronicle a specific event, such as a pregnancy. And some people use blogs as a forum for their political ramblings and rantings. In short, there are as many types of blogs as there are people.

Blogging is a phenomenon that began in the late ‘90s and has grown into a powerful communication tool. In the beginning, blogs were really personal, vanity Web sites in which people posted pictures of their kids, their cats and their vacations to Bermuda.

These days, blogs are more creative, and it's no surprise that the Morongo Basin has its share of bloggers.

Allen Rockwell, from Morongo Valley, has been blogging for about 15 years, and he joked that he blogs because he craves attention. Seriously, blog writing is cathartic for him, and he uses his blog to share his life with family and friends.

“Blogging is just another way to reach people,” he said. “In today's technological world there is almost no reason to pick up a pen and paper and write a letter.”

Rockwell was born and raised in Southern California and has lived in Morongo Valley for 2 1/2 years. He is a freelance photographer, and he also builds models and custom prototypes of products in development.

Rockwell's photography and blog can be viewed at www.allenrockwell.com.

Rockwell's site includes a page for his photography and his personal blog, which he also illustrates with pictures. For example, in the last couple of weeks he attended a Photoshop convention in Las Vegas, Nev., that apparently turned out to be a big disappointment.

Despite the misfortune of that particular program, Rockwell encourages everyone to take advantage of available technologies.

“Blogging is an easy way to connect with people you might not otherwise meet,” he said. “I have made some great friends online from all over the world, and they have enriched my life. I may live in Morongo Valley, but I'm a resident of Cyberspace.”

[Jackadandy], from Wonder Valley, agreed that blogging is a great way to connect with a community that extends beyond geographical barriers. She is a visual artist who uses her blog as an adjunct to her Web site, which supports her work and her art life.

“I wanted a way to keep the site lively and up to date and also to talk informally about my work,” she said. “The blog has served those purposes well, but it's also taken on a life of its own.”

Some blogs are not kept up to date, and it may be weeks or even months between posts, but [Jacakdandy] updates her site faithfully every couple of days. She said blogging has made her a better and more productive writer.

The content of [Jackadandy's] Web site and blog includes lots of art and witty commentary in a true journal style. Among other topics the last week or so, she related about preparing for her art exhibit and a visit from her mother.

“Blogging has also been a forum for self-education as I research topics of interest for posting,” she said. “It's really a microcosm of the social experience, as I test my own ideas on privacy, anonymity and responsibility to others.”

The artist said her Web site and blog are “a pale shadow of the real work,” which is her art that is on exhibit now through Nov. 26 at the Art Queen Gallery in Joshua Tree.

[Jackadandy], who has lived in the area 15 years, said blogging is a good way for rural people to reach others. Her Web site and blog can be found at www.jackadandy.net.

“I find the casual, interactive format inspiring, and the ease and constant turn-around of publishing forces me to be flexible and avoid my own silly hang-ups,” she said.

Joshua Tree musician Ted Quinn began blogging about 4 1/2 years ago after the death from cancer of his best friend and music partner of 20 years. The lengthy piece he wrote and posted became a memorial to his friend, and the blog became an outlet for his creative writing.

“I've been writing all my life, but I never really figured out how to get the audience for my writing,” he said. “But then without really worrying about who the audience was, I just started putting things up on the blog.”

Quinn is a celebrity in the area, well-known by music lovers for his performances at Pappy and Harriet's and his open microphone nights at the Beatnick Cafe. He received many greetings and hugs by friends, fans and employees while having a large mug of tea at the Crossroads Cafe in Joshua Tree recently.

The musician's Web site and blog, called NoMadHouse, can be viewed at www.tedquinn.com. The site has a mix of daily activities, political commentary both national and local, poetry, music, personal musings and lots of pictures of his 14-month-old baby boy, Sage.

“I think blogging is an exciting new way for people to share information,” he said. “I don't like to see it hurt print newspapers, or print in general, but it's the 21st century, and at least younger people get all their information from the Internet. So it's really a way to connect with people all over the world.”

Quinn not only shares his personal life on the blog, he is also able to expose people to his work, which is gratifying for an artist of any persuasion.

“Blogging is great especially for a musician,” he said. “It's a heck of a lot easier than putting gas in the van and driving around the country to let people hear my music.”

In fact, Quinn said people from all over the world hit on his site every day, and some of them have even become friends.

Quinn grew up in Hollywood, where he and his family worked in the movie industry. He has lived in Joshua Tree for about nine years. While he likes many of the artists and musicians who have moved here, he doesn't care for the increased traffic and pollution and the wear and tear on the environment.

“I came here for the peaceful desert and the starry nights,” he said. “And now I worry about the national park because that's what really brought me to the desert. I love it so much, and I'd hate to see the trees die off or the night sky become polluted. It's such a special place.”

Quinn said sometimes he feels the music and personal opinions he posts on the blog are just “preaching to the choir,” but perhaps he is exposing some of his viewers to music and sentiments that they may not otherwise have heard.

“I think it's really great that we can use the new technology to get ideas across to people,” he said.