| Blogging: the Magic, the Mystery, the Power, Pt I | |||||
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On September 27, 2008, I participated in a panel entitled "Blogging: the Magic and the Mystery" at the Fall Kickoff Breakfast of the Illinois Woman's Press Association. Other participants were moderator Barbara Iverson, of the Columbia College journalism faculty; Cindy Kurman Barrie, president and CEO of Kurman Communications, a public relations agency; and Mary T. Wagner, journalist and Assistant District Attorney for Sheboygan County, Wisconsin. Now, since I'll be out of action for a while to have and recover from double knee replacement surgery, I have decided to devote three columns here to my speech as I wrote it, but not necessarily as I gave it: time constraints caused me to shorten my presentation a bit. The original audience included mostly younger authors, journalists, and public relations professionals, but blogging is for everyone. Here is the first part of my speech: I am an Elderblogger. I am really honored to speak to such a distinguished audience of writers. I'm sure you know that a blog is a web log, on-line journal, or personal web site, but what's an Elderblogger? I think the term originated with, or was popularized by, Ronni Bennett, a former New York media person who is now retired and living in Portland, Maine. Her blog "Time Goes By" at http://www.timegoesby.net has the stated purpose of telling how it really is to grow older. Ronni's sidebar blogroll lists more than 300 Elderblogs, including my own "Never too Late!" To qualify for the list, a blogger must be at least 50 years old, and the blog must meet certain standards: no light type on dark backgrounds or anything else that makes it hard for us elders with deteriorating eyesight to read. Poor design or too many ads, especially pop-ups and animated ads, also make a blog unacceptable to Ronni. "Time Goes By" is widely read. It is intelligent, well researched, and informative. It deals mainly with serious issues such as retirement, health care, the economy, and public attitudes toward elders. The blog also has a liberal, though fair-minded, political slant, and occasionally deals with Ronni's distress at losing her job before retirement age through downsizing. Now let me tell you about my own less known and less read blogs, a total of three. My first and main blog, "Never too Late!" at http://www.seniorwriter.blogspot.com, the 2007 first place winner for both IWPA and NFPW, was born in 2006, along with my first book, Reinventing Myself: Memoirs of a Retired Professor. I was told that an author needs a web site. Since I knew my book would not be a best seller, I didn't want to spend money on a web site or a site designer. I lacked technical knowledge, so I wanted to keep it simple. Since I'm a do-it-yourself person, impatient enough to want instant results, I found Blogger, one of the best-known providers of free do-it-yourself blogs. In 2006, Blogger offered only a few simple templates to choose from, but blog creation was a simple three-step process requiring no technical skill. Soon, a Blogger site update provided many more and better templates. I learned to personalize my blog with colors and headings and other features and widgets. That's why even personal blogs do not all look alike. I learned to add photographs, too. "Never too Late!" is personal and general, usually less serious than Ronni Bennett's blog. I write about whatever is on my mind, from aging issues to annoying experiences to observations on things I've heard, read, or seen on TV. I share my thoughts with from about 40 to more than 60 readers every day, sometimes more. I think the highest number for one day was 139. I have a small number of regular readers and commenters. My coming move to The Clare at Water Tower, a senior residence, is a frequent topic. The only topics I generally avoid are politics, religion, and sex. "Never too Late!" is not about selling books, although there are links to on-line places to buy them. I do mention my books and reactions to them from time to time, since they're part of my life. I review a lot of books by, for, and about seniors, many books you've probably not heard of. I've even reviewed a senior romance, a senior mystery, and several collections of senior poetry. I'm a spokesperson for unsung senior authors, many of whom deserve recognition. Market realities make such books, including my own, marginal, but blogs keep them from being totally ignored. Coming: my next two columns will continue this speech, telling about my other two blogs and why I started them, and then going on to discuss the many benefits of blogging for everyone. |
