Me and My Blog, Again

One thing that you may have noticed with this blog is that it isn’t a detailed information source. There are good reasons for this. When I initially write out an entry, I am usually away from home and my desktop computer there. I don’t personally own a laptop and don’t currently see the need for one (if I go back to college, I’m sure that will change). Instead, I write out my blog articles either with pen and scratch paper or (like I’m doing now) using my handy-dandy ultra cheap, AA-battery powered AlphaSmart word processor. So no Internet access while I’m writing the body of my work. Later, I often use the Net (usually starting with Google or Wikipedia) to clear up factual questions I have about specific items. But the orientation here is to present a (usually) reasoned and relatively informed OPINION about whatever the topic happens to be.

A couple of years ago, I wanted to research the advantages and disadvantages of exclusively using a treadmill for my running training, without ever actually going outside and running on a hard, stationary surface. I searched my topic on Google and came up with a variety of sources about the merits and drawbacks of treadmill running. And I discovered something curious: many of my sources, claiming to be informative in nature, were repeating the exact same article on treadmills, word for word, and taking complete credit for it without any acknowledgement of where their article came from! It reminded me of gossip circles (a form of social feedback loop) where a small group of people keep repeating and reinforcing the same (often completely false) “news” item until it is accepted as truth without question. So I am just a little bit skeptical about using search engines as a primary information source, although I still do searches all the time.

But in writing this blog, I have already made the assumption that my esteemed readers can use Google or Wikipedia anytime they want to get more detailed information. I suspect that, in regard to my writings about songs, TV shows, or movies, some readers may be looking for a link to access the material they may want to listen to or watch. But then again, why hit on my blog for this when Google or Wikipedia can give quicker and more detailed results and choices? No, the value that I am pushing on this blog is more akin to a newspaper column. Sometimes it’s like an editorial article, sometimes it would fit better in the sports or entertainment section. And sometimes it would belong in the same part of the paper that folks like Dave Barry reside in.

If my facts do ever seem out of line with your understanding of them, please feel free to correct me on them. I’m not too deep on presenting facts, but judging from my experience in listening to callers on radio and television talk show, I don’t think I’m being too prideful in stating that that my expressed opinions in different matters carry more weight and validity than most of what I hear out there. And the bulk of what I write (and what you read) is coming from me, personally, and not lifted from other sources.