Why blog?
Posted on December 16, 2006
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My search is for a mode of expression, a discipline, and an opportunity to write. Leading up to deciding to blog, I formed several entries in my head. They were things that to my thinking needed saying, arguments overlooked on important issues, or personal reflections that wanted articulation or simply to be recorded. I may explore some of those ideas as I go forward, or I may be led to work on other things.
My interests cover a broad range and I don’t think I’ll likely find the discipline or time to write within a particular theme. I’ve read and made use of some wonderful blogs that have a clear focus, including some that cover particular technologies or political issues. Mine, to be successful, will have to be the kind that ranges more widely but develops a particular voice. I have some favorite writers who write in a clear “voice,” but I am entirely unsure if I can find my own.
It seems such a reach to begin “publishing” as one begins writing, but the model is all different here. Perhaps if I begin to consistently write what is worth reading, some people will read. And if no one reads, what is the real difference between this and filling a few notebooks that never see the light of day?
So, I will begin this. In the short term, I’ll be exploring and learning to make use of the tools provided by WordPress. I finally chose the WordPress environment because I’ve made attempts in the past to start with standalone applications and even coding my own blog before the concept of blogging was much developed. In those cases, the effort to get started, deciding on a look, a process, a name–and then making all of the parts–became more about the structure, and my energy flagged before I began creating much content.
A next task will be to decide where and how I will describe myself and my interests a bit in general, so anyone who visits will begin to know my point of view to a small extent. Lacking some context, basic writing conventions–especially irony–would easily be misunderstood. I guess the best thing would be a small summary in a sidebar, and if more is needed to link it to a page that continues the job.
Once the mechanics are worked out, the only thing left will be to decide how to describe myself. 
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You cant imagine how much money they spend trying to silence good people who will put their lives on the line to fight for change.
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A good sermon should be like a woman’s skirt: short enough to arouse interest but long enough to cover the essentials — Ronald Knox