Purpose

So I've been doing this weblog for almost nine months now. Has it accomplished anything? I don't know. I'd like to think that at least one or two people have come here, read what I've written, and then had something to think about for a time. There are so many other blogs out there that I'm just one more voice in the crowd, shouting for attention. What do I wish to accomplish with it?

To be honest, I want to make a difference, no matter how small. In a sense, I've already been successful since this experience has made a difference in my life. Has it made a difference for anyone else? I don't know. There have been less than ten comments made since I set up commenting, and only one trackback. I spread trackbacks around when I can and it does drive some traffic this way. However, most traffic comes by way of search engines and there are noticeable spikes when big-news events happen and I write about them. These people probably don't know what they're going to get when they click that link in a Google or Yahoo search results page. Do any of them look at the words I've written and think, "He's got a point?" Or do they take one look, recoil in horror and immediately click their browsers' back buttons? Who can say?

Lately the frequency of posts has been lower. One reason is that I've been businer but another is that, whenever I hear about something I want to write about, I find that others have already written what I'm thinking and often have done it better. I could just post links to their writings but I don't want this to be a linking blog. I want to contribute original material to the discussions of the day. To be honest, I don't know how people like Misha, Mike, or Harvey do it. I look at their blogs, and many others, and wonder if there's any reason for me to continue doing this. Sometimes I just feel redundant.

But I do want to continue, regardless. I do want to be a source of original material so there will likely continue to be a relatively low frequency of posting. I'll probably start to diversify my topics more and not just focus on politics and the war. Only time will tell if I am successful.

All I ask is that, if you come here, and you read my words, and they've made a difference to you, please let me know. Even if they only give you something to think about, or even if they pissed you off, drop a comment and let me know. After all, when it comes down to it, I think that's the reason most bloggers do what they do....

We just want to be heard.