My Corner of the World

It seems our class assignments have indirectly dealt with the theme of creating a niche. And there are arguably no better tools then Weblogs and other personal publishing applications which help people carve out their own corner of the world. The result is an easier exchange of ideas and a greater sharing of viewpoints.

The ability to self-publish has enabled, for example, people living in countries with repressive, authoritarian governments to say things they could not otherwise say — a subject some of my classmates will explore with their Weblogs.

Whether it’s an MP3 Weblog generating word-of-mouth publicity for an unheralded band to scientists bringing context to a new discovery or an ongoing issue, Weblogs simply help draw attention to the author.

Ever-Changing Medium

It seems groups and individuals have only begun to grasp the power afforded by this ever-changing medium. As a regular reader of music and science Weblogs, I find the sites are helpful in building an audience by offering incisive commentary (Rebecca Blood) and allowing virtual conversations to occur naturally.

That means readers can post their own comments to a post or even debate a topic. Site visitors can then click on other links and explore other topics. The technology has made maintaining a web presence inexpensive and easy to use, thus, freeing the writer to concentrate on developing content. (Tom Raftery)

The rise of Weblogs could be attributed, in part, to Howard Dean’s campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. The former Vermont governor, who had little money in his coffers, enlisted the use of Weblogs to communicate his political aims and strategies. By late 2003, Dean was seen as a leading candidate for the nomination before John Kerry ultimately became the party’s top choice.

Now I will attempt to follow Dean’s lead and start an exchange of ideas on strengthening global communication while exploring the use of ethanol as an alternative fuel. Dean and others have carved their own niche.

It’s time I followed their lead with this Weblog.