The Pen is Nearly as Mighty as the Almighty Dollar

Spivak and Bice would like us to believe that bloggers are just people who wish they were in print ...

...that all they want to do is go mainstream and make a buck says one blogger
quoted by the Long Island, N.Y., daily:" Every so-called professional blogger I
know wants to work for print," says Melissa Lafsky, 27, a lawyer whose popular
blog at Opinionistas.com led to her finding a book agent, quitting her big
law-firm job and starting a novel based on her blog. "There's still
that desire for legitimacy. I'll admit it: I'll feel like a real writer
when I have something published in print. 'Til then, I feel I'm faking it. Most
bloggers I've talked to feel the same way."

There's something to be said for that. Right-wing bloggers James Wigderson, Owen Robinson, Rick Esenberg and Dean Mundy all have columns in local newspapers ... I hope they're getting paid. I know of no local progressive bloggers with columns. In any case, I've no doubt that others would like to be heard regularly as well.

I don't. I have a degree in journalism, but soured on it many years ago. I would not mind someday writing that elusive fiction novel ... it will happen ... but in the meanwhile this is fine.

I wonder if it isn't so much being in print, however, but being read. I tell myself that it makes no difference that there are few comments made on my site. The site is relatively new and I am gaining links from other sites slowly and surely (more slowly). But then, I do look every day to see if comments have been made.

That I have managed to continue this for over two months, though, is pretty exciting. And, I have had e-mail conversations with some interesting people, and with one complete moron. It's after exchanging communications with this idiot for a couple days that my faith in mankind was restored to an extent. I had become quite cynical. After my encounter with this piece of horse dung, nothing looked quite as bad as it did.

Oh, did I mention, it feels good to vent publicly too. Because, in a sense, these blogs are the public squares of old. I feel the power when I type and press the "publish" button ... in much the same way, I imagine, that orators of the past felt when climbing up on their soapbox and heads turned to listen.

Revolutions were begun by people like that. Be proud bloggers ... we are revolutionary in our own way. Just don't get too carried away by self-importance. You know who you are.