Approximately forty years later, we have the world wide web, which makes it possible for anyone with internet access and a few basic skills to publish his or her work. This of course accounts for the popularity of blogging.
But do we have a world of bloggers, and a dearth of blog readers? If so, I like the way that BlogExplosion addresses that challenge - by providing incentives for bloggers to read each other's work. The basic arrangement is simple - you sign up for BlogExplosion, which serves up other blogs for you to look at. For every two blogs that you see, BlogExplosion will send another member to read your blog. There are other more complicated arrangements involving banner advertisements, but entry level participation is very easy.
I think it does me good as a blogger to participate - and not just from the point of view of someone in search of readers. Citizen journalism is alive and well in the blogosphere, and while it's not always pleasant to be exposed to certain views about society, culture, and politics, participating in BlogExplosion certainly keeps me informed about grassroots perspectives that I wouldn't necessarily seek out. There's no denying that there are plenty of people out there that I can't help regarding as weird, wrong-headed, or merely deficient in judgement about how much personal information to publish online. But in a free society, it's good for us to get out of our bunkers and sample other ideas and points of view.
What I would love to see is a great deal more participation in BlogExplosion on the part of nonprofit bloggers. Let's get more views from mission-based organizations into the mix! The current pool of blogs that I view through BlogExplosion is rich in opinion and personal experience, but somewhat lacking in news about the actions that communities, organizations, and individuals take to create positive social change.
* I also think about L-space, but that's another topic.
NPtech
