For every person, there's a “listening
post,” or gathering spot where information is exchanged among
colleagues, friends or family. It may be a physical place, like a
barber shop, the truck stop, or your local diner. It may even be a
website chat room or social site. It doesn't matter where it is, as
long as its a place where people gather to exchange and spread
information.
For me, major listening posts I
frequent include Skype, Twitter, Facebook, and the website
memecenter.com. I have many friends and follow many major news
sources on all of these, allowing me to find out about events and
happenings, local or global, fairly fast.
For many years growing up, my family has had two major listening posts: the church, and grandma's house. Ours is a southern evangelical pentecostal church that goes back to the early 80's, so naturally many of the congregation members know each other and talk about anything and everything going on at work, with their children and spouses, a wealth of news on various topics, especially as a community. When I was younger, I remember how we'd have to wait for my dad after church, because he loved to talk to other church members.
Sunday lunch at my grandparent's house often reflected this on a closer level. My mother, my aunt and my grandma often would and still do talk about everything and everyone they know, about what their kids and their friend's or neighbor's kids are doing, who got divorced, married or re-married, who died, who got pregnant, and so on.
For many years growing up, my family has had two major listening posts: the church, and grandma's house. Ours is a southern evangelical pentecostal church that goes back to the early 80's, so naturally many of the congregation members know each other and talk about anything and everything going on at work, with their children and spouses, a wealth of news on various topics, especially as a community. When I was younger, I remember how we'd have to wait for my dad after church, because he loved to talk to other church members.
Sunday lunch at my grandparent's house often reflected this on a closer level. My mother, my aunt and my grandma often would and still do talk about everything and everyone they know, about what their kids and their friend's or neighbor's kids are doing, who got divorced, married or re-married, who died, who got pregnant, and so on.
It doesn't matter if its news or gossip. Listening posts just happen to be where people talk about anything and everything.
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