Saturday, March 24, 2007

Joe Murphy

I am not keyed into the details, but it sounds like Joe Murphy, podcaster, friend, and cool human being, is not doing well. Which, is of course an understatement.

Cancer is horrible. I have been listening to Joe for over a year as part of the Slice Of SciFi and Wingin'It Podcasts. I met Joe last year at Dragon*Con. He was a great guy to talk to and to play games with. (Even if it was only Killer Bunnies) At that time, none of us knew Joe was sick.

Not much later, Joe found out he had cancer, a very bad inoperable cancer. On a positive note, Joe is surrounded by a world of support, literally. Listeners and friends from around the world have been sending Joe whatever support they can: thoughts, prayers, money, food, visits, a home, a family and more.

This touches on something that I have been thinking about with regards to podcasting. These thoughts are still forming, and I can't do them justice just yet. But, here are is a hint. I feel that, despite its infancy, podcasting has a chance to change the world beyond the internet alone. There is something about the human voice that makes us feel closer than reading words on a computer screen. With the freedom of creation and the intimacy of experience, worldwide communities are building up around podcasts. The thing is that the relationship is not one-sided. There are many ways to make the experience interactive.

What does this mean? It means that the world is a smaller place. It means that close friendships will be made around the world. It means that the mental health of an individual will be improved by someone they have never met. It means that the world is rooting for Joe Murphy.

Please consider him in your thoughts and prayers. If you can, donate some money. You can find the link in the upper right of the page you will find a PayPal link for the Joe Fund.

We love you Joe.

3 comments:

R. Glipglorp said...

Really, I couldn't saying it better, only differently.

I hope Joe's realized the extent of the impact he's made on the lives of so many, through his work.

We love you, Joe, and you will be greatly missed. You helped to change the world.

Anonymous said...

What you are talking about is one of the critical differences between "new" and "old" media. The former is more about conversation. The barrier between producer and audience is much more porous and the relationship, as a result, much closer and personal.

I am also still fermenting my own thoughts about Joe, I think you've made a good start to what is no doubt going to take much effort and time for many of us to come to grips with. Joe is much more dearly loved than if he had been just another "old" media personality. I suspect that the outpourings of love and support from everyone he has touched sustains him much more deeply than they would otherwise.

The edge cuts both ways, though, and the repercussions of his loss will no doubt be severely felt and with us for a long while. But, really, isn't that how it should be? If this motivates others to do a better job of keeping up on their own health or to participate in related charities, isn't that another silver lining we should embrace, even if we are weeping openly while doing so?

Dani In NC said...

You and Command Line have both expressed thoughts similar to what I have been thinking about podcasting. Every podcast is not going to be a blockbuster in terms that traditional media, but that's OK. To me, it is more like a conversation.

It's like this. You create a podcast and 15 people listen. Ten of those people will just listen, but five of those people create their own podcasts because they have their own opinion on topics you had on your podcast. You listen to their podcasts and then develop show topics based on something they said on their shows. The shows may break out and find new listeners, but they don't have to. Everyone is communicating with each other and having fun.