http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/07/blogs_good_god_what_are_they_good_for The tenth anniversary of the blog-as-medium passed recently. In its honor, some writers-turned-bloggers, including Ross Douthat, have been asking: What are blogs good for? At its best, the blogosphere exposes the enormous weaknesses of the traditional op-ed page: On the web, complicated arguments get the space they deserve, the actual underlying data for any debate is only a hyperlink away, potentially-corrective feedback is more or less instantaneous, and nobody has tenure. You can be dead wrong and still find an audience, obviously, but you can't be stale: There are fewer Bob Herberts and David Broders in the blogosphere, and while... Copyright 2008 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 11:15:33 -0800 Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:16:47 -0800 http://www.movabletype.org/?v=3.34 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss For me, keeping a blog keeps me in touch with my family in a semi-interactive way. I'm horrible at keeping in touch, I tend to forget to return phone calls, my machine at home is full most of the time, and I never answer my cell. I'm a little better at email, but even then I go through my phases.
When I started my blog it was more of a way for me to keep track of dates, shows I'd been to and whatnot. I figured there is so much out there, my audience was probably myself, and maybe a few close friends.
On an annual birthday call from my mother, who lives in another state, I mentioned that I keep a blog online when she was complaining that I was bad at keeping in touch and keeping her updated on my life.
She had no idea what a blog was, so I sent her the link.
A couple of years later, my mom, and the majority of my extended family have blogs of their own! Thanks to blogging I actually have a relationship with my family that I didn't have before. I know what is going on in their lives and they know what is happening in mine, but there is no weirdness or tension that sometimes comes from families that never really learned how to communicate attempting to talk in person, or from relatives who really don't have much in common other than being related.

]]> lilblackcat http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/07/blogs_good_god_what_are_they_good_for#c766172 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/07/blogs_good_god_what_are_they_good_for#c766172 Media Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:13:15 -0800 Allow me to reflect for a moment on... oh god I forgot to get the laundry. I don't have enough money to replace the clothes so I might have to just...well, there's Value Village...Hmm what has Metafilter posted so far today? Block Party tickets, Block Party tickets. I owe her $20. The government is watching me. Saudi, bomb, censorship, 1984. I should have thrown away this empty Turkish wine bottle, where am I ever going to find Turkish wine over here? *refresh* Oh yay, a new Slog post. On calves? My calves are tight. Shit, I have to work today. Thank God I already showered. Peace and love, peace and love, I'll just vote Democrat and pretend I think about the issues, no one will ever know. I'm glad I forced my window open finally, this is a nice breeze. I should update my blog.

]]> Katelyn http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/07/blogs_good_god_what_are_they_good_for#c766176 http://slog.thestranger.com/2007/07/blogs_good_god_what_are_they_good_for#c766176 Media Thu, 19 Jul 2007 13:16:47 -0800