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Hal, would you like to have a blog?
October 29, 2007
Question: Hal, would you like to have a blog?
Bill Esler, Editor in Chief
Graphic Arts Monthly
Answer: No thanks, I’d rather write than blog!
Well, at least that was my initial reaction. Ever since my first journalistic endeavor at age 12 (a sports column for my hometown weekly newspaper, the Canton Independent Sentinel), I like to consider myself an “old-school” sort of journalist. So VERY old-school, in fact, that I wince every time I think about our brave new world of unsolicited, unedited content from random Web surfers. It makes me want to swill a beer and issue a little belch, a sound somewhat like “blog” as it exits the throat…
Whipping stories into shape
You see, dear reader, a modicum of craft (and more than a smidgen of art) is required to hold a reader’s interest for hundreds, perhaps thousands of words – especially when the topics can be obtuse to the point of diffraction, or mired in technicalities so tedious that only the vendors themselves can discern a story’s accuracy. Unlike the dreamy poets who imbibe herbal teas while transcribing torrents of prose flooding from their inner consciousness, drafting a solid 2,000 words of technical writing has always felt more akin to self-inflicted dentistry or the kind of ritual that only flagellating monks could enjoy. Massaging my battle scars like a punch-drunk prizefighter after the publication of more than 110 such stories on the printing process, I am compelled to defend the tradition of “authors, authoring” against this impending onslaught of Web 2.0 soapbox soliloquies. Let the writers write and let the readers read, while those who do neither should confine their web browsing to sites featuring kitty cats rummaging through refrigerators…
Vruno, Vruno, Vruno my name…
It was Graphic Arts Monthly’s Executive Editor Mark Vruno who brought about my change of tune. He pointed out that the opportunity at hand (aside from this one-time indulgence, of course!) was not to actually blog myself, but to act as matchmaker in an ongoing dance between users, vendors and independent experts. This sounds like an opportunity that I can enjoy – rather than prattle on about migrating geese and autumn sunsets, it’s my chance to ensure the value of this user-inspired content by extracting the opinions of our industry’s best and brightest while simultaneously vetting the responses for accuracy. In other words: it’s not my blog, it’s really yours.
Does this bus stop at 83rd Street?
So make some room within this already crowded Web 2.0 bandwagon, because I’m jumping on board! For a period of time yet to be determined, it will be my pleasure to connect your compelling questions with the subject matter experts who can shine a light into that darkness on the edge of town. What we need to succeed, of course, are the best possible questions; finely honed inquiries on the cutting-edge topics that impact our profitability and productivity. So please put on your thinking caps and send the resulting missives to hal@halhinderliter.com; I’ll read every message then seek counsel from an industry sage who can divine the answer. C’mon everybody, it’s time to get your blog on!
Posted by Hal Hinderliter on October 29, 2007 | Comments (0)
