After seeing the movie Julie and Julia, it seems even more obvious to me that lasting great literary works and ideas may indeed be those published online in blogs like this one. Ralph Waldo Emerson said that only history could be used to judge the greatness of an author, how well their ideas and concepts endured the test of time. He refers to great books but in today's world, we also need to include the great blogs and ezines of today's authors.
And as parents leveraging today's technology, we can encourage our children to use a blog instead of a journal to self publish in a way not possible in our youth. How empowering and endearing for a child to share their talents in a way that can easily be accessed by friends and relatives and be captured for generations to come. With the help of a scanner they can even provide illustration for their ideas or as another way to communicate them. There are great blog writing resouces available online and even basic online writing courses that require students to publish their work as part of their assignment.
In conclusion, the movie also demonstrates how great ideas transcend the medium as Julie's blog became a popular book and a movie. The only thing we don't know is how enduring are these ideas will be through the test of time. In the meantime, Julia Powell can bask in her popular success and only time will tell.
