Blogging forward
Think you've read it all? If you're looking for viewpoints online, it's unlikely. As of March, Technorati has indexed 70 million blogs.
Of course, many of those are dead blogs. Many an insightful commentator has discoved that while the means of production are well within reach, maintaining enthusiasm and relevance is another matter.
Still, some of the best information, analysis, and prose can be found online these days. I'm a big fan of the explosion of citizen journalism, made possible by new technology. Every morning, before I get to work, I run through a series of blogs, with the consistency of eating a proper meal—in reverse. I start with dessert.
I turn first to the funny pages: The Comic's Curmugeon, followed by some domestic humor by Heather Armstrong at Dooce (for whom I have a particular affinity because we are both fallen Mormons).
Then on to the main course: Juan Cole, David Corn, and Josh and the gang at Talking Points Memo—all making a mark for themselves as independent and informed voices in this still fresh medium. I'll also check in on Riverbend at Baghdad Burning to see if she has anything new to report from inside occupied Iraq. Distressingly, her reports have become more and more sporadic over the past year.
I need to see what's happening in mainstream media (pasta course?), so I turn to CNN (usually I've already read through the Washington Post—the old-fashioned paper version—by the time I get to my desk in the morning). As publisher of a paper product myself, I'm rooting for the MSM to pull themselves together, but I'm suspending hope at this point. Still, they provide a certain baseline.
If I have time, I scarf up a few antipasti, little, amusing treats, sometimes of nutritive value: Slate, Salon, and Wonkette.
At this point, I generally feeling guilty for spending so much time reading when I should be editing or yelling at staff or something. I sigh and look at my lengthy "to-do" list.
On the top of the list is the task of writing something for this blog (our web editor does a great job of reminding me of the importance of keeping a blog current). A quick review of the blog history here will reveal how often I skip over that and move to the next item, which is usually some variation on "find money to pay the bills!"
I know that my colleagues at those other blog- and websites also face that challenge every day, but I do envy their separation from the realities of print publishing, with the large sum of time and money that gets sucked up by layout, printing, delivery—thus, the constant chase for ad revenue.
Yet, we are trying to build a complete local news vehicle with the Voice, which more and more means providing great content online—content that may not be available in print. We want local readers to make the Voice part of their daily ritual. We are working to provide more frequent news updates, provocative commentary, community discussion, and solid links to local resources. We provide all of that in some form now, but it will take a while to get all of the apparatus online.
While we work toward our goal, please bookmark our site and check back frequently, or even shoot me an e-mail with suggestions. I'm looking for video, commentary, and reports from people in Takoma Park and Silver Spring.
In the meantime, if you are looking for commentary on Takoma Park politics, check out Granola Park. If you have ideas or are looking for ideas on environmental actions, turn to Sustainability . And if you have kids, check out the humor and insight of local parents at our Apparently blog.
And, keep checking this blog, since I will personally try a little harder to bring regular, relevant information to our readers. One of the frustrations of running a community newspaper is that I usually have far more news in my head about the local scene than I can process and fit into a monthly publication. With my roots in print media, I tend to think that everything I write must be a painstakingly crafted article or essay. That view can be an impediment to blogging. I will fight those impulses in the interest of passing along more information that you may find useful.
Thanks.
— ed. (Eric Bond)