  that was my giant conclusion in commenting on Julie Leung's blog. Why can't technology have a social value? No, I must rephrase b/c I believe technology's chief value is social. Why can't technology's social value be recognized and applauded?
In my world, the highest form of praise is recognition by academia. Now that this conference at Harvard Law is wholly ignoring all things social, I'm so dissed. Worse dissed than when that K School rejected me (I know what you're thinking, maybe it's b/c I saw things like worse dissed. And it was Policy, not Law). No wonder this country can't get girls to go into technology. The general premise of the the field is so BORING, that only a mind-numbed boy could find interest in the field. OK, that was cheap and shallow. Did I mention I'm dissed? Anyway, here's what Julie said that was right on point for the social value of blogs: urlLink Seedlings & Sprouts: Saving my sanity : "I think I'd be insane without the Internet at this stage of life.
Some days, especially if the children are ill, the only people I see face-to-face are other Leungs: three little ones and Ted. I don't know how I would survive without the social and emotional support I receive through my on-line community. Email has become invaluable to me. The ability to communicate with friends far away sustained me through our difficult move and transition to island life. I don't use the phone much. Real-time conversation is complicated by my three little children.
But the convenience of email fits well into these busy years. My friends and I can read and write to each other at whatever hour we choose, typing in moments caught here and there, between doing dishes and burping babies. Email is easier than picking up the phone, or getting dressed and out the door. Even though many of my friends are distant, we can write and keep connected. I probably spend at least an hour a day working on email. I'm also learning to make new friends on-line.
This year I've joined a few yahoo groups and I've started to get to know some other moms through these dialogues. Two local support groups for homeschoolers have been especially helpful. Blogging has introduced me to many people. I started only months ago but already I feel I have friends - even though we've never met face-to-face.
It's been fun to explore new social circles. Ted and I were able to make it to one Seattle Webloggers Meetup and I am looking forward to meeting more bloggers in flesh and blood. I find that blogging provides daily support but personal email is, at this point for me, more intense and effective; perhaps explained by the length of time I've invested in my email friends as compared to blogging. " 
