Blogging on CSPAN Book TV

Book TV, that's a funny phrase. This morning I was watching a presentation about blogging by Scott Rosenberg who has a new book called "Say Everything." It was an interesting explanation about how blogging started and where it's headed. To watch the CSPAN presentation click here. That link might get blocked by your pop up blocker but it's from CSPAN so I trusted allowing the site to do pop ups. I've often been asked why I do blogs and I don't exactly have a great soundbite type answer. Many of you out there reading this probably have your own blogs and have thought about why as well. When I started writing Eat Salem a couple of years ago, it was an attempt to learn something new. There wasn't a clear long term vision for the site, mostly a hope that readers in Salem would get involved and contribute their own ideas and opinions about local restaurants. Reading everything that came through and the email feedback I started to learn that, besides the newspaper and it's .com, there wasn't a whole lot of other Salem places to go online. Sure, there were a few business web pages but there wasn't a community of voices discussing their lives and experiences around town. That's where the idea for salemites.com came about. Nowadays, with Instant Messaging, Facebook and Twitter there's an abundance of voices. People are reconnecting with old friends and finding new ones at a rapid pace. I have a Twitter account for Eat Salem but I have yet to sign up for Facebook. There are a few reasons why I have avoided doing Facebook. The main reason is that it is more stuff to do. Maintaining these blogs is enough online activity for me(more than enough) and FB just seems like more to do. Another reason is that I feel like it forces you to categorize your friends. I've always thought of relationships as not being black and white. I don't declare someone as being a "best" friend, I actually don't even take inventory on who I have as friends. Twitter is different, I just allow anyone to follow and I look to follow people in Salem.

For me, blogs are a learning experience. It's almost like doing a never ending puzzle. Everyday, there are new challenges and problems to learn how to solve. Discovering solutions is where the pleasure is in doing this. Sometimes a quick google search will get answers, other times I might have to seek advice from a friend. Writing everyday, I've learned, takes a lot of discipline in overcoming challenges of time and family obligations. I have a lot of places that I look for input and there are many good ideas that never make it to a post. But getting something done, as best as I can, is the goal. I can look back and see what went well, learn from those moments and do better the next time. I hope that what I have been doing is at least entertaining and at best useful to the people who continue to read and contribute to the sites that I have been working on. If you'd like to do your own blog sign up at blogger.com or wordpress.com. If you're writing about Salem Oregon, be sure to sign up for salemites.com and let the rest of us share in your experiences.