We're Hip: Hot N Cold on the Blogs

Many new words have we added to our vernacular these days-Blackberry, blog, twitter, spyware, Google, and dotcom (or the more popular dotgone). I could go on, but you get the idea. I want to talk about blogs.Blogging has captured my attention in recent months. As someone who has embraced technology as a communications tool, I find increasing interest in blogs as a social network. I confess I made it a point to avoid blogs early on as I thought it was a forum for disgruntled, angry people to vent without fear of legal consequences. Some of my early blog readings were accusing others of serious infractions of moral character that could be considered slander in a court of law. Amazing how bold the cloak of anonymity makes people. To me, these offerings are not worthy of consideration if the authors won’t stand up and be counted.I must confess I have done a 180 degree turn and now actively read blogs. However, credibility is called into question when bloggers don’t have the courage to sign their real names. These are open architecture conversations that can generate excellent global conversation, and I feel better about it knowing there is a real person on the other side, even though pseudonyms are a possibility.We are happy to hear from any reader with constructive ideas on how we can improve our product, but I have to share a recent posting with you. One blog posting recently took a shot at CU Times, which I will paraphrase: I would love to tell the editor-in-chief and publisher to their face that their coverage of…. You get the idea. That struck me as very funny because we are not that hard to find. Our masthead carries direct dial numbers and e-mail addresses; our Web site (www.cutimes.com) includes “Contact Us” and even “Contact the Editor” buttons at the bottom of our home page.So, if you are willing to tell us who you are and want to yak real time and avoid the blogosphere, text me on the crackberry, and I’ll send you an IM with the skinny for a shout out.Until next time, be safe out there!–Thomas R. Greve