I explained that the term was short for web-log, and they were like a journal that anyone could read and make comments.
My grandfather was surprisingly computer literate for someone his age, and had been a computer and Internet user for easily a decade before he died in Aug. 2008. In fact, one of his first e-mails was to me, and he called me immediately after sending it to tell me he’d sent me an e-mail. He used his computer for genealogy and to check to prices of his stocks.
I’ve always been proud of my grandfather’s mastery of new technology and in his final years he undertook a huge project scanning, digitizing and cataloguing all the Tode family photos, many of which were slides.
Unlike my grandfather, my grandmother has avoided the digital revolution, preferring to peck away at an old electric typewriter. My grandfather printed all his e-mails, and, in those days, my stories from The Billings Gazette for her to read.
“What would anyone want a blog for?” my grandmother asked.
I went on to tell them how blogs were interactive, a place to learn and connect with people who share your same interests. She didn’t seem satisfied with the answer.
Maybe I should have told her they were a place for people to pay tribute to their creative grandmothers, because, while this blog is about a lot of things, it’s also a lot about her.
I haven’t told her yet that Regina and I named a blog after her, but I’ll keep you posted as to what her reaction is.
