Who, what and why

I started researching an article today for my part-time gig about, of all things, blogging. I try to keep my finger on the pulse of the latest blogging news, so I volunteered to write a consequense-based story on bloggers. In other words, why blogging is important but good blogging is crucial.

What, you mumble to yourself as you read that last sentence? Let me explain.

I started blogging because I wanted to stay in touch with certain people, because frankly, I'm lazy. I'm not so good at e-mailing. I'm terrible at returning phone calls and forget visiting. I just don't do it. So I started this little blog, e-mailed the link to my friends and family. Voila, you can watch my kid grow up online and I don't actually have to do much work. Sad, but effective.

In fact, some of my best friends, like my girl Kris, actually lament that they never talk to me anymore because they know what's going on from reading this blog.

While I enjoy this forum immensely, I am keenly aware that I am blogging in a post-dooce era. In other words, what I write, even in a casual off-handed manor could cause me some trouble. This is not old news either. Petite Anglaise, a writer I follow, lost her job as recently as last year.

Still, I was startled when I began my reserach in how far-reaching blogging has become. Less than a decade old, the concept has shot from a forum for online gaming geeks (sorry guys, but it's true) to a mass-media-influencing jauggernaut.

If you apply for a job, more likely than not, your employer will google your name in search of your Myspace or blog page. Josh Wolf actually spent time in jail for refusing to hand over video to a grand jury regarding a riot. He was NOT in trouble for inciting the riot, or even participating, merely videotaping and blogging about it. And don't forget the recent news about Kathy Sierra who has suffered systematic intimidation and threats through her comments section, forcing her to cancel public appearances for fear of her personal safety.

It is safe to assume that blogging isn't just for freaks and geeks anymore.

So what, dear reader, is one to do to protect yourself and family from libel, death threats or worse, unemployement. Apparently, it's all about the facts. Stick to the facts, keep conjecture -- at least to the point of defaming others -- to a minimum. How boring!

That leaves me with detailed descriptions of sewage backups and freak dye jobs.

I can only pray that my sister will go into labor soon, and I make it to the delivery, wherein I can recount it in horrid, vivid details. Keep walking, Jenn! Keep walking!