jameswaites.com turns one - congratulations

I know jameswaites.com through Neil's google reader series. Then I saw this rather wonderful first birthday celebratory post. Please do at least browse it for the photos.

I have said before that blogging is a liberal education for those so inclined. Of course there is an ephemeral element. Yesterday I cleaned out my favourites list, deleting now inactive blogs. I felt very sad with some deletions because they were on my daily must read list. But despite burn-out, the sheer size of the blogging community creates real depth.

Earlier today in From Samarinda to Armidale I gave a practical example of blogging's influence. In his birthday post, James wrote:

The site got started because I couldn’t get feature stories up in the print media any more. Two good ones got turned down almost back to back this time last year: Indeed, as is their discourteous way these days, most editors did not even bother to rsvp with even the simplest ‘no thanks’.

I felt for this. I, too, have sent of articles with no response, although I am trying to break-in while James was already there.

The problem for writers is, I think, that the old media is in decline while the new media is still uncertain.

Despite stories about the death of blogging, blogging is still evolving. Media such as Twitter or Facebook have cut part of the blogging world away. Yet in blogging you can do things that are simply not possible in the increasingly staccato on-line media.

My personal view, for what it's worth, is that blogging will remain the domain of people who have something to say that requires a little length. I think the challenge for all bloggers is to think though how to make use of the content they have created.

I am not suggesting that bloggers should rush out to join the commercial world. Those bloggers, and there are some, who make six figure incomes from blogging have to follow a very particular route. This is just one model, one that is quite incompatible with the creation of content depth by those who just want to write and to contribute to discussion.

For those of us who are in some ways professional bloggers, I do think that we need to talk about and share ideas on blogging. Of course this happens now, but I have come to the view that we need new approaches, to think outside the box.  

It may sound dumb, but I have only just realised how I can use our blogging community in my conventional writing. From Samarinda to Armidale is an example.

The problem for Mr Murdoch in working out how to respond to the on-line world lies in the fact that if we bloggers do not understand, how can he?