Anyone can enter the blogosphere, so Breen jumps in to join
them
Bloggers get a lot of press these days, as media outlets report
about the buzz in
”
the blogosphere
”
whenever there is a hot-button issue.
Anyone can enter the blogosphere, so Breen jumps in to join them
Bloggers get a lot of press these days, as media outlets report about the buzz in “the blogosphere” whenever there is a hot-button issue.
Those of us who have worked for newspapers since before the dawn of the Internet have cast a wary eye toward these people, perhaps because of jealousy over their ability to reach such a large audience without the restrictions of subscriptions; or perhaps because they have no journalistic training and can work under the veil of anonymity.
Why should some unemployed, untrained guy sitting in his underwear at his computer be able to shape the discussion surrounding a political or social issue? Why would people care about what essentially has become the 21st century version of a personal diary?
Maybe the real question is; why didn’t we think about this sooner?
While we are indeed a narcissistic society, posting our pictures and thoughts and details of what we had for lunch on Facebook or Twitter, the other half of that is we are a voyeuristic society, eager to find out what our friends, colleagues and even total strangers are up to – regardless of how mundane it may be.
The reshaping of media in the digital age has threatened the old model of news delivery – including newspapers – but it has not diminished our desire for information. When we have a question, we Google it. When we don’t know how to spell a word, we either use our computer’s spell check feature or go to dictionary.com. When we want to communicate with someone on the other side of the world, we send them an e-mail and get an instant response.
So, even though I love my old-fashioned newspaper and magazines and books, I also love the immediacy and breadth of the Internet. I remain concerned that many so-called “citizen journalists” lack an understanding of what balanced reporting entails, but I like that any ordinary Joe can have his or her say without the limitations of space and deadlines associated with printed publications.
Therefore, in my role as an ordinary Joe, I have entered the blogosphere and I hope some of you will come along. My site, The Breen Blog (thebreenblog.blogspot.com – no www needed) is essentially a way for me to share my views with whoever cares to read them on a near-daily basis.
I love writing my column, but it only comes out once a week and stuff happens between one Friday and the next. So The Breen Blog allows me to get my thoughts out into the blogosphere between Pinnacle publication cycles – from serious stuff to frivolous fluff. From local news, like the launch of Vino San Benito at Bertuccio’s, to my take on national happenings, the goal is to maintain a lively mix of commentary.
Recent posts include my take on “birthers'” claims that President Barack Obama should be stripped of his presidency because they say he wasn’t really born in Hawaii (or maybe they don’t realize that Hawaii is one of the 50 states); my perspective on The Naked Cowboy running for mayor of New York (including a picture my wife made me take of the guy when we visited Times Square); and information on a planned hanging at Johnny’s Bar and Grill in downtown Hollister (lawyers are involved).
The Breen Blog also features my reflections on my late grandmother’s recently-discovered 1981 diary, which features wisdom and quips she surely never thought would reach anyone outside of her Union Road farm house.
I invite you to check out the blog and leave your comments or ideas for me if you wish – or just read what’s there and stay anonymous. There’s a button on the site that allows you to become a “follower,” which sounds a little cult-ish, but I promise I don’t believe a spaceship is on its way to save us from the end of the world.
See you in the blogosphere.
