Comments on: Are You Inspired To Be An Authority?

By: Fractured Bloughts » Social media » How you define authority and what it means to you?

Sat, 13 Sep 2008 19:17:38 +0000

[...] writing the post Basis of authority: be authentic I went over to Confident writing, where Joanna wrote about the same topic – it’s the SOBCon contest -, and I left a comment there wich ended: I think another [...]

By: Joanna Young

Joanna Young — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 10:42:00 +0000

Hi, I’m glad you found this material useful

Joanna

By: Thesis Writing Help

Thesis Writing Help — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 08:26:55 +0000

Great info, i appreciate your kind knowledge

By: Joanna Young

Joanna Young — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 13:59:08 +0000

Roland, thanks for your thoughtful comment. I like the emphasis on the source of authority – it’s very powerful isn’t it? Like you I’d say it comes from our readers – but there is another deeper source too which is the right to express ourselves, to free speech, to think for ourselves. Maybe that’s what you’d call authorship – close to authority.

Your last question is a good one but I’m going to duck it for now because I already have a blogging backlog!

Joanna

By: Roland Hesz

Roland Hesz — Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:44:56 +0000

I like this post, only one comment

“I’m a natural resister of authority. I’m suspicious of where it can take us.”

I think ‘authority’ in itself is not something bad.
Authority in an area is bestowed upon someone by people who control that area.
With policemen it’s the government. The government controls law enforcement so it can give authority in that field.

With a priest it is the church.

With blogging it’s always the readers.
Authority is always limited, a cop has authority to take away my driving licence, but has no authority to change the software design I make. Or my thinking.

The problem we usually has with authority is not the authority itself, but the source of the authority.
In the case of government that’s the voters, who in a democracy has the way to change things, in a dictature, well, it’s more difficult, but in the long run people usually take it back.

I think another interesting topic for one post or several posts could be “How you define authority and what it means to you?”

By: Joanna Young

Joanna Young — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 09:17:01 +0000

Robyn, having just read this piece from Rosa on how to accept compliments and learn from them

http://tinyurl.com/3agftm

I will just say thanks – and take good note of your words.

Joanna

By: Robyn

Robyn — Thu, 27 Mar 2008 01:22:40 +0000

Joanna, you live open-minded learning and gaining even more confidence yourself as you teach others! You spark inspiration for me.

By: Joanna Young

Joanna Young — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 16:16:25 +0000

@ Cath, I’m really excited to be going. Got a good deal on my plane ticket too. (Though getting the costs covered by winning the competition would be sweet!)

@ Robyn It’s interesting isn’t it – the whole thing about authority and expertise. I agree with you, it’s those who keep pushing and exploring (and stretching the old noodle), those who have the confidence to say I’m not sure, I’m still learning – those are the people we find most credible, and who (in our eyes) have the most authority.

Joanna

By: Cath Lawson

Cath Lawson — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:53:02 +0000

Hi Joanna. I’m glad you’re getting to go to SOBCon. And that competition sounds amazing.

By: Robyn

Robyn — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 10:33:36 +0000

Joanna, when we work in concert with others who know things we may not we can keep learning throughout life. When you connect something new learned to what you already know and use it in a new context you really push the old noodle.

It is when people think they know it all that trouble arises. You are quite the opposite. There is so much to learn that I’m just beginning to tap the tip of the iceberg.

You take me to so many inspired directions!