Thursday 13, What I've Learned Blogging

1. The world is filled with intelligent, creative people. The people I’ve met from blogging have been unique and interesting. The woman who makes yarn animals is just amazing.

2. There is more consensus in the country than one might expect. I’ve posted three times on what I thought to be sensitive racial issues and have yet to receive an inflammatory comment. I shopped the link around to a variety of blogs with differing political views and haven’t seen a flame war erupt yet.

3. Blogs form strange communities. I don’t know how it happened, but in addition to others, my blogging community consists of a policeman, a graphic artist, a fellow in the Air Force, a college student and a bunch of cat lovers. I never would have met them otherwise and I’m glad I did.

4. Blogs give you a ringside seat at almost any event in the world. Imagine trying to follow the French students’ rioting without No Pasaran.

5. Blogging is a lot like email in that it is easy to post things you later regret. Most of my writing is stream of consciousness and some of it is way too harsh. I gave poor Joy Jones a severe wire brushing and then watched as well over a hundred people read that post. Their first introduction to me was to see me relentlessly criticize someone I had never met.

6. The French Revolution provides some great lessons for the blogosphere. Now that we’ve established our power, will we spend our time attacking each other?

7. The government census data is a great source of information. The government breaks down its data all kinds of strange ways. The sample sizes are in the millions, so statistical tests can be quite conclusive.

8. The CIA Factbook is another great source of information. If you want to debate how one country or another is doing, the Factbook gives you a great thumbnail sketch of the country.

9. Oil is just oil. Doctors may think they are very important people, but when you want a salad, a doctor is worthless. Similarly, oil is only important until you need a flowerpot, a broom or paper to write on. The OPEC countries are not as powerful as the press they get. Just look at their per capita incomes. By comparison, America's is over $41,000.

10. Argentina looks like a cool country.

11. Ireland will be a dominant force in Europe for years to come. They’re the only ones who’ve got a grasp of economics and who know who they are culturally.

12. The media is pixelating into finer and finer subject areas and they don’t know how to deal with it. There is less and less demand for the work of the generalist and more for that of the specialist. The New York Times is losing money. Their income is less than their expenses. They are losing readers, so they can’t raise advertising rates. The only way to make money is to cut costs. That will require a different way of producing their product.

13. I love blogging.

Other Thursday 13 Sites

I don't know what I ever did to deserve meeting her, but Momma M is the coolest.
Wystful lists the movies she would watch again.
Lady Rose mentions jobs she's had.
Caryn has a list of things she'll do someday.
Elle gives us 13 things from her to-do list.

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