A number of factors contributed when I decided to start this blog; chief among them was time. For various reasons, I had a lot of it. Time to surf around and read stuff on the Internet, both mainstream and esoteric; time to think about things I read, heard, and saw; time to write those thoughts and broadcast them to the Internet.
Likewise, time was a major factor in this blog's gradual decline and neglect. There came a point when I just didn't have the time to do all the surfing, thinking, and writing that I used to do. But that wasn't the only factor. There was also the advent of social networking: primarily Facebook and Twitter. Instead of sitting down and pounding out an epic missive on something that caught my attention, I could just post a quick status update or tweet about it instead.
The problem with that is twofold (probably more than twofold, but let's just focus on two for now, shall we?). The first is that Facebook and Twitter updates are, for the most part, limited to a certain circle of people, generally made up of family and friends. Now, that's generally my blog's target audience anyway, and I alleviated the issue somewhat by attaching my Twitter feed to my blog. But still, it limits the audience, and it's certainly not the case that everyone I care about is on Facebook and/or Twitter. Not even close. Besides, every writer wants as broad an audience as possible (probably).
The main problem, though, is that neither platform allows for context or nuance. On Twitter you get 140 characters, and on Facebook if you post anything longer than that, chances are that no one's going to read it anyway. Frankly, that's just not my style. I'm a quiet guy in "real life," but when it comes to writing, I get a little long-winded (which, if you've visited this blog before, you well know). When something interests me, I want to explore it. I want to look at various viewpoints, or at least fully explain my own. And many times that keeps me from posting on social networking sites--sure, I have something to say, but it's better to say nothing than to say less than what you mean and be misinterpreted, criticized, shouted down, or ignored.
Hence, the blog. It's time to resuscitate it. I always think better and more clearly when I write (I think we all do, if we do it well, or at least purposefully), and boy, do I have things I want to write about. Things like the health care law, gay marriage, and the upcoming election. But don't worry; I also want to write about the Beatles, my endless love for Star Wars, and the Reds' flawed lineup. A mixed bag, as always. I won't be posting every day, like I once did, but I think I can do better than once every several months. It's important for me, and hopefully it'll be interesting for you.
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