After returning from South America, I thought I would transition my travel writings into a blog about sustainability and developments on the environmental scene. Admittedly, I felt overwhelmed by constant, fast internet access, and by the wealth of new “web 2.0” developments that were waiting for me when I got home. YouTube, something that happened while I was living in Bolivia, captivated me for a whole week.
My largest obstacle was the abundance of information. The internet is not new, and neither is the fact that it contains more information than anyone could ever read, but new functional developments had made it so easy for users to consume and sort through content. How was I to compete with this massive river of information? I wanted to write for my own development, but there’s an unparalleled joy in knowing that others find value in what I have to say.
On my birthday last year, I read an article by Paul Boutin which clarified my angst:
Scroll down Technorati's list of the top 100 blogs and you'll find personal sites have been shoved aside by professional ones. Most are essentially online magazines: The Huffington Post. Engadget. TreeHugger. A stand-alone commentator can't keep up with a team of pro writers cranking out up to 30 posts a day.
Impressions that the blog world had been saturated was further confirmed by searching the term “green blog.” The number of responses was dizzying. Hundreds of professional and amateur opinions had already been generated, discussing and analyzing all caveats of the sustainable question. There are even sites that categorize the green blogs themselves. Astounding.
After working for eight months for a non-profit whose mission was to transform Rhode Island into the first sustainable state in the U.S., I learned a great deal of information and garnered a number of opinions about this great challenge we face as a planet—how to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs? I’ve kept up with a lot of blogs via RSS feeds (one of my favorite things about the modern internet), and I’ve reached the conclusion that it’s no longer a question of whether or not my thoughts will be ranked on the first three search pages. I must blog because my writing needs an outlet, and my interests require a space to grow, develop, and attract feedback and participation from others.
With my recent decision to move from Rhode Island to San Diego, CA, the zeal to write has been re-ignited. The very idea of a journey across the American landscape to a new home mirrors one of the great myths of this country—a long, uncertain voyage to an unfamiliar destination will strengthen and renew the voyager.
So, in the interest of brevity, keep watching this space.
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