August 2003

Suggestions to News Sites For How To Use Blogs
A wonderful, rambling series of suggestions for news organizations for how to use blogs to grab content from the public – moblogs, photoblogs, internal blogs, columnist blogs: Blogs have a place on news sites

Back on July 4, I noted that the Union Tribune started blogging

After they had a somewhat derisive take on blogs back in February: a penny for your blogs, see also blogroots

I would so love to work at a local news outlet and be their guru for all things blog.

Life is Real
So.

Last year the sh*t hit the fan in my life.

My wife left me and everything turned inside-out and backwards and it all hurt like hell.

(Everything is healing nicely, thank you)

So when all that happened last year, something interesting happened. I kept blogging. I said:

I’m at a loss right now as to why I am sharing any of this here. I have not as of yet told my friends. Why make this most sensitive of topics available to anyone who cares to read it? The plain answer is that it feels honest to do so. I’ve been keeping this journal for over a year now, and this is something so earth-shattering that I can’t not put it in here.

That was May 5, 2002.

So I shared myself on the web. Real emtional stuff. I met new people, forged new relationships, and learned a great deal from it. The commiseration of many people meant a lot to me.

So I see my man Chuck of Howling Point (who has been in the ol SanDiegoBloggers listing for a while), he has gotten sick, as in he has cancer.

I feel some surprise. I feel like, hey, man, this is so serious, don’t put this online. Don’t waste energy blogging, save it for the therapy.

Then I laugh at myself a half-a-second later and think, of course, it’s exactly what you have to do. Express yourself. Put it all online. Be yourself. Share yourself. The net has a pretty big shoulder, man, and if you even get a few people commiserating with you—maybe this person knows a good doctor. Maybe this person has good ideas for alternative therapies. Maybe another has suggestions about nutrition. And more—there are probably folks who have gotten that very disease and can tell you there experience. I wish Chuck the best, and I’ll be cheering for you. Yeah, I’m an agnostic, and at times like these I wish I could let loose with an honest may God be with you. But I can’t. Instead I’ll preach a gospel of self-knowledge, and positivity. Attitude is so important in facing anything out there. Kick ASS! is the phrase I like best. Whatever challenge you have before you—go with gusto and find the strength inside you and kick that challenges’ ass!

So Chuck, hang in there, and KICK ASS!

And, dear readers, do you know anything about cancer? Have experiences that may be worthwhile? Read his blog, and perhaps you’ll have the notion to express yourself to him.

Peace to you all.

Reciprocity
The Web Design Meetup Links Page linked to ye olde WebSanDiego.org, and hey, we linked to them too.

Doncha love reciprocity?

Ocean Beach Gaming Place
GameLords.net is some kind of O.B. network gaming establishment. Interesting.

Cool Laptop Tool
My laptop is temporarily out of commission, but when it’s back in biz I think this tool: RAPS Advanced Protection System Wrap, looks quite useful. It’s like a strong ultra-laptop-diaper!

New Stew!

For those who were wondering, the new Stew album, “Something Deeper Than These Changes” is slated to hit the shelves on September 23rd. I’m sure more details will be trickling in soon.

via the negro problem mailing list. more info at stewsongs.com

Weekend
Weekend good. Time for work.

...boy, that was brief

RonnyVardy.com in google!
Cool. A search for ronny vardy now includes a key result. Go Ronny!

I Love Chuck D
It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back seared through my brain the year it came out. Lyrical density, noise and sound and multivariate references all over the place. I think I may have to add it to the playlist this week.

Meanwhile, Chuck D is still around, and kicks ass on Fox News (via Anil Dash)

I love the mixup which has “Bring the Noise” layered over M’s “Pop Musik.”

Black is back / all in / we’re gonna win / check it out / yeah y’all ya know / here we go again

I think Chuck D may be the first person I ever listed to who said that the media was there for the taking.

And I definitely listened.

It’s Tchotchke-rific!
This: Making Over Mona, is an excellent example of using a viral game to market a product or service.
(via M. Romen of mromen.com)