Okay, here it is. After several fits and starts, here it is. My blog. I have never really thought about seriously blogging before, even though I have had a blog for a while. I have never thought of myself as a blogger either. On some level, it seemed to be the opposite of everything that I learned in journalism school–unsubstantiated opinions about questionable facts.
My rules for writing were to never write anything about anything that could not be verified and sourced. To that end, I never really got around to writing anything because I did not have the time to research and then write anything. I am too anal to blog. I am working on letting some of that training go and just write about what I know and like and find faster ways to verify and source my information.
Why the change of heart? Well, I owe it at to a brief conversation with Anil Dash at WordCamp Mid-Atlantic. Aside from the fact that he gave an awesome keynote, he was gracious enough to talk to be for a few minutes about blogging. I appreciated the fact that he also spent time working at newspapers so, he felt my pain about journalistic integrity. Basically, he said that I just had to start writing about the things that interest me. Thanks, Anil!
So, in the words of Jay-Z, Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Glennette.
November 16, 2008 – 8:16 am
The Anal Retentive Disney Visit
I am just going to put it out there. I am anal when it comes to certain things. Blogging is one of them.
For a long time I have been thinking about blogging. Looking forward to sharing my thoughts, discussing the issues of the day, and basically blowing off steam. Sounds like a great idea. The birds are chirping and sky is blue.
Then there’s this ivory piece of paper that sits before me and follows me around the room. It says Bachelors of Arts in Journalism-Print. That changes everything. It keeps asking, did you research that before you wrote it? Can you back up your sources? Are your sources credible? Is this just your opinion or is it fact? So many questions to answer.
I had a twitter exchange with someone a headhunter looking for bloggers. They suggested that they would love to higher former or current journalists but they had a somewhat “elitest” attitude toward blogging. I don’t find myself with the same sentiment, especially since I have never worked as a journalist or writer. But, I do understand.
Citizen Journalist
This is a term I have never cared for, mostly out of prejudice. I believe that there are some responsible citizens that can report the news, but, to call them journalists is another thing. I felt somewhat justified in my when during the whole iReport and Steve Jobs heart attack fiasco. I thought that we have taken this citizen journalist thing way too far. Apple’s stock dropped more than 5% that day and it hasn’t really recovered.
Bloggers
I like bloggers. I like reading blogs. I think that the difference between blog and news is that news is supposed to be unbiased and opinionated, blogs don’t have to be. There are many responsible bloggers that do the research and write about things that they know. Then there are those that don’t. I believe that eventually it will all shake out and the cream will rise to the top.
I, Anal Blogger
In the meantime, I am trying to reconcile my journalistic tendencies with my need to write. To that extent, I probably will write less often because I will have to balance it with my need to make sure that everything I write is well thought out and researched. I know it sounds crazy, but, I am trying.