Who Are You?
C'mon in. We're not open yet, officially. But we honor the inquisitive. Poke around. Starting Monday, this will be a live space. Unpredictable, I hope. Pleasurable. Rewarding. Or it could be really lame.
In the meantime, I've stocked the place with a few evergreens, the sort of boilerplate stuff that all blogs have: a mannered bio, some rules of order, a lofty statement of purpose, a craftily cropped picture.
I have been thinking about why you are here. And this I know from research about blog readers and from tracks left by those performing searches on Philly.com:
You are smart. You are rich. And you are interested in bear attacks.
Blog hoppers are an involved and intelligent minority, if you ask Henry Copeland, founder of Blogads.com, who clearly has a dog in the fight. Likely to be politically active, you're dependent on the Web for information not available elsewhere.
Information about bear attacks.
How else to explain why this was one of the most popular search terms on our site on a recent weekday. You jump through hoops to learn about the Eagles. You're into high school sports. You're interested in the Bug Trial, our city's pay-to-play court drama. You wonder why Monica Malpass wasn't anchoring Action News the past month. You mind your horoscope.
For the record, I don't know what bear attacks you're talking about. I went searching on the site - no bears. Someone please help me out here.
For those fretting about the death of serious journalism, know that we at the Brontosaurus on Broad Street care, and are working hard for those who share our values. A recent weekday, the Philadelphia Inquirer put stories about Congress, Gov. Rendell and San Francisco's mayor on the front page.
You were looking for more.
The searches that brought the most people to our site from places like Google that same day:
- Constantine Maroulis, the voted-off American Idol rocker.
- Ryan Adams, the alt-country "It Boy" who's got a good new record.
- Video of Laura Bush's roast of her husband at the White House correspondent's dinner.
- Cecily Tynan, the recently nuptialed Action News weather gal.
- Cher. She's pulling over after three years on the road.
What does this say? Other than you watch a lot of television? Ok, there's a yawning disconnect between how newspaper people see the world and many of our readers see the world. And those who read the paper online and those who hold it in their hands are somewhat different audiences.
I like to think it's that blog readers are smarter than those who wander in off the cyberstreet looking for news about bear attacks. So, I'm writing for the intrepid blog readers, as well as those who have stopped here for something new. It will take some moves to do it in a way that serves both the grizzled blog vets and those who come looking for bear.
About these blogs. Three-quarters of Americans - the sort who talk about "The Internets" - recently told Gallup pollsters that they thought a blog was that life-sucking alien that Steve McQueen fought in his 1958 debut. That was The Blob.
Blogs are growing about as unstoppably as that pink parasitic goo: Technorati measured 7.9 million back in March. They're up to 9.6 million now. We've seen how they can raise money for a candidates and fact check Big Media's butts. We've seen how they can be used to disinform.
Here we'll be showing you what they are up to. We'll go together, and I'm going to be depending on you to watch my back. I'll watch yours.
You only really need to know one thing about bear attacks. You don't have to be able to outrun a bear. Just someone else in your group.
You never know what it's going to be. For my blog, lots of visits lately from people interested in Bobby Abreu's ex-fiancee's reality tv antics; one perennial interest has been Swan Brooner, a six-year-old beauty queen featured on a creepy HBO documentary a few years ago, and every time it re-airs, a ton of people find my site because I mentioned her once.
I am thinking there should be a regular feature called Swan Brooner. Not sure what it should be about. Such an evocative name.
I'm here to see if philly.com can actually provide some good commentary, b/c the Philly Inq. isn't doing well in that regards. They use many words to say little and have very few valuable insights. Good luck.
Oh good, I was just thinking how the Inky really needs to work harder to reach out to that deeply-oppressed wealthy demographic...
Yes, Susie. And there will be lots of news about bears here, too.
Welcome to the party, Daniel. As you're blinquing, don't forget to blink. http://blinkorama.blogspot.com/
Look forward to reading and linking to you!
So far I like what I see. As much as I like the Daily News' Addytood blog, I'm glad yours in more essay-based. I've already linked to you and look forward to reading more from you. Good luck!
It's great to see the Inky get into blogging, but, um, where are the bears?
Dang, DB used my bear joke...I use that one nearly daily (because it's one of the few jokes I can remember). Anyways, welcome, Dan. Monday is your house warming and we're all inviting ourselves. Make sure you have plenty of chip dip. Cheers.
Yes, Monday is the house warming. Lots of refreshments. Only I won't be there. I'm going to NYC to blog from a conference of political bloggers blogging about blogging. I'll leave the door open.
I live in Waikiki, and my reading about Philly has been confined, up to now, to reports of your local Pols going to jail and Jack Kelly's column over at the Post Gazette. You need a spam filter for comments. Letting people post without registering is not a good way to go, IMO.
I keep a blog because I am an attention whore. ;-)
mediamatters.org certainly is a good example of a site designed to disinform.
Dan, Really glad you are doing this. I will read with great interest online and in The Inquirer.
Yes, Monday is the house warming. Lots of refreshments. Only I won't be there. I'm going to NYC to blog from a conference of political bloggers blogging about blogging. I'll leave the door open. Oh goody. Can't wait. I'll alert the...errrr...media.
Has anyone come across any grizzly bear vet blogs? Perhaps one of them could satisfy both the grizzled blog vets and those looking for bear. I'm only half kidding. As for the mystery of the bear search, maybe there was a glitch in the news matrix, and all those online political junkies thought we were back in the Reagan era? Looking forward to Blinq. Should be fun.
"I like to think it's that blog readers are smarter than those who wander in off the cyberstreet looking for news about bear attacks." We have grizzlies up here in Alaska, but few signs of intelligent life forms. I'm sure you'll find a smarter audience in PA. My very-smart sister and bro-in-law live there. That's proof.
Philly invented the blog, didn't it?
Not quite sure that Philly invented the blog, but I did follow the life of a Swarthmore College student named Justin Hall back in 1994 as he drew strangers into his world on a site of musings and links that was one of the earliest examples of the online confessional.
Check out the Haverford Blog at http://www.haverfordblog.com to see a combination bulletin board and blog that has been a significant influence in this suburban community. 150,000 visitors in 16 months can't be wrong...or can they?
Well you already know how I feel Dan :) I'm very, very happy to see you start this up. Instead of me taking a moment to push my site - I'd like you to see our blogroll at http://www.phillyfuture.org/phillyblogs You will notice that among this great list of regionally written blogs are some that have been identified as being featured blogs for various periods of time on the site. Please check them out :) Write ups on them are at: http://www.phillyfuture.org/taxonomy/term/41 Congrats again on your launch!
Welcome to the show, Dan. I've added you to my newsreader and look forward to reading more.
Yo! Dan! << so you'll all know I'm from Fluhdelphya I'm just a newbie to blog reading; have no idea what newsreader to use or what I'd do with its production if I set one up... Daniel Rubin - what will your blog do for a reader like me who is really familiar w using inet tools 90% of waking hours to do work, communicate w colleagues-friends-family, do banking, do research, conduct social-environmental-political activism, read news, listen to the radio, etc.? I'm having a hard time really seeing how blogs change things except to make my database much, much more diffuse. (to assist me in the face of this I'm now a user of DEVONtechnologies products) I've enjoyed your journalism for years! Best wishes!! Bill (and tell somebody in the webmaster dept that the link to you at bottom of the Inquirer webpage: inquirer/11656016.htm has a blank space in it so doesn't work)
Hey I get some good things from the Enquirer and after reading about your blog Sunday I said right on. I am retired going on 65 have a long time interest on the spiritual side of life and the arts......Blogs are a good medium for the creative in all of us...Thanks again
Thanks for writing, all. I'm trying to monitor what you're saying, while covering this blog thing up in NYC. It's like riding a bicycle - while playing Chinese checkers. For the gentleman who wondered why read about blogs, given that he spends so much time on the Internet: I'm trying to be a place that digests the stuff out there - in one way performing what the newspaper does - EDIT - on the other hand, doing it in a style and at a speed that works for people who are paying attention to all the other things pawing at them in their life.
I see Karl snuck in here, I was going to suggest that you visit Philly Futures to see his huge list of Phluffians. You should also check out The Liberal Coalition - http://liberalcoalition.blogspot.com/ - our blogroll has a lot of Philly area bloggers, too ~ Me? Well, of course, I have one too...click on my name ;) Welcome!
Prawnblog is like comics characters of the turn of the last century. They were all very single-minded, very limited in their interests. Ignatz would try and bean Krazy with a brick, the Katzenjammer Kids would get into some scrape and Nemo would always wake up in the last panel. My interest is mainly in trying to stop the war over there. I try to stay within the political consensus of the group, which is why I kept my pro-Kerry comments very limited a few months back. Not a pacifist, though many of us are.
Thanks for the Prawnblog ref, Rich. Have added it to my reading table.
North Philly is in the house !!Bling,blog !
Another fan of Swan Brooner, was thinking about her this morning. As you likely know, Her mother Robin Browne, passed away not too long ago, so and she and her little brother went to live with their dad. I was shocked to read just this morning on another bulletin board about the passing of her father: Obit: Hank Brooner, 49 Soldotna resident Henry "Hank" Brooner, 49, died Jan. 31, 2005, at Alaska Regional Hospital in Anchorage after a brief bout with cancer. A funeral will be at 3 p.m., with a viewing from 2-3 p.m., Friday at Peninsula Memorial Chapel in Kenai. The Rev. Vance Wonser will officiate. Mr. Brooner was born March 24, 1955, in Sebastopol, Calif. He served his country honorably in the U.S. Coast Guard during the Vietnam War. He moved to Alaska in 1971 and resided in Soldotna. In 1977, he began working for Jackson Construction and worked there until the company closed in 2002. He then worked for Tony Pearce in 2003. He loved building, driving heavy machinery and being a foreman for Harold Jackson Sr. of Jackson Construction. Family wrote: "He was a very loving husband and father. His family always came first. He was always there for his friends anytime they needed him." Mr. Brooner was preceded in death by his parents, Harry and Ruby Brooner. He is survived by his wife, Charlene Brooner; daughter, Swan Brooner; son, Devon Shay, all of Soldotna; stepdaughters, Amber Christoffer of Soldotna, and Tasha Barton of Germany; stepsons, Chad Christoffer of Michigan, Scott Christoffer of Soldotna, and Anthony Christoffer of Yelm, Wash.; grandchildren, Aston and Joe Deibert of Elma, Wash., and Hannah Barton of Germany. Memorial donations may be sent to the family at 35840-A Forest Lane, Soldotna 99669. As if these poor children haven't been through enough with just getting over the death of their mother, now their father is gone too. When Robin died, their aunt had also offered to take them in. Now that their daddy is gone, hopefully she'll still feel like stepping up to the plate.
Blogs are interesting but annoying. you get people that are like BLAHH A BLOG YAY and type stupid things. i like what you are doing though and i like how you get comments and people are all for you. it must feel good to get that kind of support so congrats to that amigo. How long did it take you to get all these people all your stuff? and how often do you read and do you read everyones comments?
I read them all the time because I don't know anyone else responsible for monitoring them here. Only once in a couple hundred comments have i had to edit someone out, and only because they used the space to advertise a political rally - totally out of the blue since the conversation was about something else. people on the site are amazingly civil and seem to moderate themselves. i love their responses so far, they're personal, passionate, rarely rude. I aim to let them be, however.