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Local bloggers let you know whatÕs on their
minds
by David Elstein
Silver Spring and Takoma
Park are two cities known for their diversity.
Nowhere is that more evident than in the online world
of web logs or "blogs" which dozens of residents
in each community write on a regular basis. Everything from
discussions of politics–which, of course, is a hot topic
for bloggers who live in the DC area–to entries on law,
religion, and sex make up the discussions of local bloggers.
Blogs have been around for several years now–Jorn Barger
supposedly coined the term "weblog" in 1997–but
they really started taking off around 2001 with the development
of free web sites where bloggers could go to create and host
their blogs.
The events of September 11 also played a role in blogs going
mainstream. C.J. Minster of Silver Spring got interested in
blogging after she read that some of the best coverage of
9/11 came from bloggers who lived near the World Trade Center.
Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean has also been
given credit for making these online journals become not only
mainstream, but a necessity for political candidates. Perseus
Development Corporation estimates that by the end of this
year there will be more than 10 million blogs.
Minster, 26, writes two blogs, but cjdancingqueen.blogspot.com
may the best example of a typical blogger from the DC area.
Her blog–which she updates at least once a day–often
features what’s happening in politics with her spin on
it. "I blog to keep track of the news I’m following
and to express myself," Minster says
Blogging has given anyone with an Internet connection the
chance to become a political pundit. Fellow Silver Spring
resident Bill Samuel’s blog wsamuel.bravejournal.com
features his take on politics, from a Quaker angle. Recent
posts talk about presidential candidate Ralph Nader, abortion,
and The Passion of the Christ.
Blogspot.com, which hosts Minster’s blog as well as
those of several other local bloggers, makes it easy for those
who know nothing about computer programming to create and
update a free blog.
There are more than just amateur columnists who keep blogs,
however. A lot of bloggers, such as 31-year-old Tira Khrystine
of Silver Spring write them as public diaries. Many people
from all over the world visit her blog at tikitikitembo.blogspot.com.
Her entries do sound like a diary, but she also includes an
audio introduction and many photographs. Since there is no
regulation in cyberspace, anything goes. Many of her entries
contain curses and there are several photos of naked or almost
naked women that complement the text.
"The most inherent, deep-seated reason why I and other
people blog is for attention. People respond to your innermost
thoughts," Khrystine explains.
There are other local bloggers who feel that instead of just
giving their opinions, they want to inform or even help their
readers. Rod Dixon of Silver Spring and Jordan Barab of Takoma
Park are both good examples of bloggers with this goal. Dixon,
a lawyer, author, and law professor, runs cyberspaces.org,
a blog that gives lawyers and others who are interested, the
latest information on the "intersection of law and technology.
He has written about everything from the legal woes of Microsoft
to legal issues involving robots. Dixon likes the fact that
blogs are not just a passive medium. He averages 300 visitors
a day and enjoys hearing from many of them.
Barab is concerned about workplace safety, having worked
for both labor unions and the federal government to protect
workers health and safety. Spewingforth.blogspot.com is not
only a way to keep viewers up-to-date about workplace safety
issues, Barab also hopes to make a difference. "I’ve
gotten some very moving messages from the families of workers
killed on the job that I’ve written about. They’re
angry, and they’re glad to know that someone out there
cares," says Barab.
The other nine bloggers who replied to this reporter’s
email tend to give their opinion on a variety of subjects
yet spend most of their time on one or two interests. University
of Maryland English professor Matt Kirschenbaum of Silver
Spring tends to devote most of his entries to his "professional
interests." But as he points out, not all of his posts
on otal.umd.edu/~mgk/blog are ultra serious. He mentions a
novel where the author talks about the greatest advances of
his life. Kirschenbaum’s take:
"If you put the milk (or the cream) in first when pouring
a cup of coffee it saves you the extra step of stirring it
with a spoon, and the subsequent step of rinsing the spoon.
Try it, you’ll see: the milk quickly and evenly blends
with the coffee. I don’t know why this works–probably
the question could be answered with some recourse to the modelling
of complex fluid dyanmics," and, in fact, such questions
are just Baker’s cup of tea (as it were).
Silver Spring’s Andrew Lindemann Malone’s spam-o-matic.org
is a humorous blog focussing on the minute details of daily
life. It also offers movie reviews and a separate section
on humor.
To locate other area bloggers, go to http://reenhead.com/map/metroblogmap.html.
Also, June 9 is International Webloggers Day. You can learn
more on their official site at intlblogday.tk.
If you have a local blog, send us the link at voice@takoma.com.
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