Tag: blogging

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No Reflection: Looking Out the Window

the view from my office window

I’ve been actively blogging here for 2.5 years — and intermittently since 1999, when I first launched WOOZradio. Why don’t I bother to self-promote or even make cards/stickers to increase traffic and the minimal revenue flow that could help me break even on the $15 a month or so I spend to keep Live365 running and paying royalties. Because I feel stupid talking about myself to a computer screen, I prefer to let my mind run free under the assumption assume that nobody is really reading, and, well, in the end I just do it for me.

Here’s an image that was on the front of netzoo.net back around mid-2001. Go ahead — click and see what this place looked like back then — it takes a few clicks to get to the music clips. Instead of actually listing my blogroll preferred online mags and music sites, I used orange colons. I have no idea why. The entire history of my lackadaisical updating of my personal web site / blog / whatever is well-documented (along with everything else on the innernetz) at archive.org.

That’s my little reflection for the day and now on with it. The sky looks awesome out my window (I’m here looking to the northwest) and there is much to be done at the day job (Yes, I do have a real, full-time job). My extra special Derby Dolls photo essay (thanks, Kelly) from the Tough Cookes-Fight Crew bout is scheduled to pop up now live at LAist during lunch. P.S.: If you want me to take you out in the next couple weeks, I’d love to, visit Caroline on Crack for more on that.

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Bloggables + I’m Going to Argentina

andy_stephy_jelloshotsHappy to announce that I will be travelblogging for what feels like the first time in years and, if I do it right, will actually be a return to my early blogging form circa my 7 month trek in and around Europe, 2000-2001. I’ll be in Argentina and Chile before, over, and after New Years. Drop a line if you’d like to meet up for a drink. Here are a few recent stories that I would have liked to blog about, but have been too busy:

* Nick Denton is looking to hire bloggers with “real” journo experience, and we’re not talking Owen Thomas types here, apparently. This has everyone going in circles once again on the can blogs = journalism if not journalists do not = bloggers meme.

* Ayman al-Zawahri, yeah — Al Qaeda #2 with the questionable name — wants his very own YouTube debate. Noah Schactman has the low down and an entertaining selection of reader-contributed questions in the comments.

* Google Zeitgeist 2007 has been released. Data that’s fun to play with, at your fingertips here.

* Early results are in on Nielsen’s new way of ranking online news sites’ success. Stickiness. Most sites don’t got it.

* and Google is getting more and more social. I’ve been starring and sharing Google Reader stories of interest for some time now and if you’re a GMail or GTalk contact of mine, we can now actively share our “shares” in our Readers. So far, I’m disappointed that it seems none of my contacts use the Goog reader or at least don’t share. These are my shared items, I’ve also been marking stories for coverage on LAist using Clipmarks and quite like their new version 3.0 interface. See what I mean here.

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Tony Pierce to the LA Times

Pajamas likely headed to Blogger Hall of Fame

tony pierce will be ditching the pajamas and blogging for spring streetThe blogger and LAist editor who inspired myself (among others) to dedicate much time, passion, and keystrokes to group blogging, is moving on after 17 months at the helm of Gothamist‘s Los Angeles operation.

Myself and Zach Behrens interviewed Pierce soon after he dropped the bomb on LAist staffers last Friday.
Read the whole damn thing here.

The news doesn’t surprise me — Known to some as “The Blogfather,” Tony Pierce worked hard for many years to land this gig. LA Times Interactive under Meredith Artley continues being proactive, taking chances and gaining steam tony pierce in pajamas at LAist party popping a celebratory bottle of champagnetoward staking its claim as the new media beast it should be.
Perfect match.

Pierce worked his ass off for LAist as I imagine he did in previous jobs — always doing it his own unique but successful way. A big fan of city-centric sites since my days with Centerstage, I considered trying to write for Chicagoist and LAist but it wasn’t until I got hooked on Tony’s and his bulked-up, liberated staff’s posts (OK, and also because Tony is an insanely die-hard Cubs fan like myself) — about one year ago — that I gave it a shot.

Continue reading “Tony Pierce to the LA Times”

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Back to My Blogging Roots

mirror lake, yosemiteOn hiatus this weekend at Yosemite and very much recalling my travels of yesteryear. I hope to take advantage and get out some next month in between interviews for the NextBigGig in my oh-so-linear mission to save the world (at least a little (ok, microscopic) bit, every day).

The Wall Street Journal, of all publications, wished a Happy Blogiversary to all — declaring the 10th anniversary of the blog, complete with videoi and top billing in the editor’s picks sidebar. And somewhere, Rupert Murdoch is smiling, or perhaps this is just a sign that Dow Jones truly is in his back pocket. OK, it actually is a cool feature, check it out, but I don’t see where it admits to WSJ’s blogibviousness… only WSJ’s LawBlog is a regular read in my newsfeed, and it’s been around less than two years. It appears there are more here. But it seems nothing existed at blogs.wsj.com before late May of last year, according to archive.org. (Am I missing something?) Nice of them to acknowledge blog, of course — even if it’s just the Saturday paper. I always thought Justin Hall was credited as the first “blogger,” circa 1994, but whatever.

My first attempt at blogging was 8 summers ago. I was teaching English in Ecuador and documenting my experiences and travels for myself, my family and friends. It was pretty outstanding, circa 1999, being able to hit a cybercafe in virtually any city in South America on the cheap, and most served beer (a pleasure I rarely enjoyed again before I moved to San Francisco for this summer where there are places such as Bean Bag Cafe — with microbrews on tap for $1.50 and free wi-fi).

With the help of one BJ Freeman, I set up some archaic message board on this Web site (Click to see the remnants of this message board and posts — I can only find the European 2000 stuff), in hopes of spurring conversation and comments on my travels and thoughts. Of course, since many didn’t understand the “blog” concept — which was what it was in principle, but not in name — I had to simultaneously send my dispatches in the form of mass e-mails (bcc style). I continued this practice — after virtually breaking the discussion board format — kinda like this.

Click here for photos and commentary from Yosemite.