NPR: Blogging as a Geezer... Virtually, That Is

Blogging as a Geezer... Virtually, That Is

Hey Peeps:

I've been a bit shy about blogging, not because there's not anything to blog about, but because there's so MUCH to blog about.

I started blogging in 1995, before blog was a commonly used term, under Pop and Politics. The site still exists, and it's still a blog, but I don't blog there. (It's a university nonprofit that helps train the next, and diverse, generation of bloggers.....)

I still blog from time to time. I have a personal domain which is down for reconstruction (working on turning it into a photo blog just for fun) so I will spare you that URL.

Being in the blogosphere for so long makes you think.

The MAIN thing you think, after 12 or so years is: why?

I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean it in the best of ways. You ask yourself things like: is this personal or business? How much of my private life do I share with the world? Will old posts come back to haunt me? Is this unsafe? Is it, in some way, INSANE.... spilling words (and these days, pictures, video, audio) into a vast universe that does not care about you specifically, only if people link to what you have to say?

I've been online in a meaningful way for fifteen years. When I was a young reporter at Newsweek, I had a modem the size of a paperback book. I used a bunch of cords to connect that modem to the phone lines AND the computer (which was all text... green on black). I loved it. I loved the interconnectivity, the ability to network, the intimacy of being in a new world.

I was a pioneer.

And yes, I was a black pioneer. As I was traveling around the country reporting in places that had probably never seen a black reporter, I was also participating in online forums that didn't have any black participants, except me.

So, I'm an internet geezer. I'm not by any means the most technically skilled person. I just have the perseverence--the stick-to-itiveness, if you will--to surf the wave of technology. And yes, that was a cliche.

So... hey... I'm going to blog about being a long time blogger. And you and I are going to talk...

I want to hear from you if you blog

or if you don't

or if you have questions

I believe in DIY. I believe in making your own mark on the world. I believe in being able to bear up when you mess up... i.e., say/post something stupid. I believe in improving your game.

So... let's talk!

CU L8R

(THAT was just a joke. I do not in any way endorse text message slang. Except as a joke. A bad one...)

Love, peace, and hair grease.

Farai Chideya

4:10 AM ET | 05-17-2007 | permalink

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Hey Farai - I've been blogging regularly for 2 years. I actually had a blog prior to that, but it was apart of a class assignment and I was quite turned off to bloging as a result of that class. It was not a good experience and felt forced. Fast forward 1 year and I saw a blog used as a communication tool by an instructor with her students. I was teaching that same course the next semester and I decided to give it a whirl. I was hooked! I found it to be a positive from the instructor side and it was a good interactive tool to use with my students. They weren't forced to keep a blog, but I did ask them to interact with me on mine. For many of them, that was the first time they had used a blog.

I then began to publish a personal blog as a place to chronicle my last year in my graduate program. Basically it was my venting space about frustrations with completing my dissertation. Since it was a venting space, I didn't use my name on the blog. Did you know that there is an entire community of bloggers who blog pseudonomyously? They do so as a way of protecting their identity.

Earlier this year I used a blog to document my progress as I prepared to run a 5K. Presently, I'm training for a 10K and I'm using that some blog space to record my training. It is kinda like public accountability.

Sent by ernise | 8:40 PM ET | 05-17-2007

Farai-
I am only doing this because you have encouraged me. I have found the beauty of podcasts and listen to your show EVERY day at my desk. It is so insightful and I learn something. Please keep up the awesome work and insightful coverage.

Sent by ~ Amanita | 12:28 PM ET | 05-18-2007

hey farai. i had something less like a blog than yours was...but it still qualified i guess. that was...man that might have been 1993 or 4? for me blogging was a way to write essays that enabled me to keep at least one foot in the non-academic world. looking back on it, it has provided me with a number of opportunities and challenges...it is probably harder for me to write straight up academic articles as a result. now? i use it to talk about some of my expertise and just to keep kind of a public face that people can access. I like this addition to the show. Give the family my regards, and I hope to see you again this summer.

Sent by Lester Spence | 1:16 PM ET | 05-18-2007

Hey there Farai!
My better half is a huge fan of the show, and has introduced me to a whole new side of news! I love it!
Here is a blog topic for you; there are many of us who would love to download your show, as well as other mpr news, however, the "essentials" required can be costly. Wouldn't it be nice if these things were made more affordable for the "working poor?"
I do not have extra spending money, but am very interested in your news.
How can we make this news more accessible to those in our community who enjoy news, benefit from it,but are working poor? Any ideas?

Sent by Nonna J. Adams | 4:20 PM ET | 05-18-2007

Hey Farai!! I just want to start by saying thank you thank you thank you for all that you do. I listen to you everyday over the internet at work and unfortunately WFYI here in Indianapolis does not broadcast your show on Fridays but no worries because I podcast the show too. Farai maybe a show topic could be help for non techies to navigate through the internet. There is so much information out there I find myself almost like a travel agent telling friends and family where to find things on the web. Maybe you know of a central site that could help point black folks in the right direction. I just wanted to let you know I am so proud of you and keep up the good work. Hey by the way what ever happened to Ed Gordon?

Sent by Willie Neal III | 2:56 PM ET | 05-20-2007

Hi Farai! I'm a fan of the show since Ed Gordon took over. I heard about blogging two years ago but was quite apprehensive about the concept due to privacy concerns. But less than a year ago, I got the bug when it comes to expressing my views on issues that concern me. Now I'm thinking of creating my own blog but wondering how to start. Any tips?

Sent by Moji Oderinde | 9:49 AM ET | 05-21-2007

Hi Farai!

I am a blogger. My blog started as a personal one, a place where I could share my thoughts with the world (or the blogosphere, as it were). Eventually, it became more than that. Now, my blog contains information about all the things that interest me most: bellydance, fashion, shoes, accessories, marriage and motherhood and, most often, all things beauty. I love the community that I've developed as a blogger and all the feedback I get from my readers. I am glad that News & Notes now has this blog - I am a fan of the show and am glad to be able to participate in some small way, even if it's just by commenting here on the blog.

BTW - It's nice hearing a fellow Western grad on the air! I believe you spoke at my Senior Day (or Farewell).

Sent by Toya Smith Marshall (c/o '95) | 11:15 PM ET | 05-22-2007

Ms. Chideya,

I'm not sure where to start; there are many topics riding in my mind.

The main reason why I chose to try out your weblog is to congratulate your team on putting together the story about the brother who dropped out of high school, became a father and then found - scraped - his way through college and into medical school. It was great radio; great narrative journalism. I'm also writing because, after realizing that radio narrative journalism is much of what I want my work to be, I revere you, Ms. Chideya. I've taken one heck of a long road to acknowledge that this is a passion of mine. I've returned the the University of Minnesota - Minneapolis to finish my bachelor's degree in Communication studies. I would love to meet Farai, but I am Not in California. I want to be on Ms. Farai's career path. I want to make my mark, partly, by doing what Farai does and what Terry Gross does. I would like to know if one of you can tell me how I can post - inexpensively - mp3 samples of my radio work on to my website or simply into a weblog. It seems especially difficult. Also (I can't tell how long this is becoming) is weblogging considered valid journalism? I remain stuck on the idea of papers and nightly news as The standard. WrightsWords.com

Sent by Will Wright | 1:55 PM ET | 05-25-2007

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