About bloggers, participatory democracy and political blogging

I have a strong bias against unpaid internships. Not because it makes a person take her work less seriously, a serious worker will always work. That’s the problem

At my field placement in Grad School I was almost immediately given “real” work. The second semester and for the following two I ran my own hall. I paid to work. Didn’t get one Social Security credit but I did get a work-study fellowship. Paid for half a class. Since I passed what was then the certification exam while I was still school, they then had me sign off as a CSW There was a well known ethics center run by the director of social services.

According to the law as written and clearly stated, I could take the exam any time in the last semester of my final year, but I couldn’t use the title until I finished classes and graduated. Am I the only person who finds this just a bit strange?

Because they dangled the carrot of a more interesting hall the second year, and would work directly for the director instead of the Social Work Supervisor who told me her problems in our weekly meetings. I wasn’t cut out to be a nursing home social worker. Was offered an internship in a leading Alzheimer’s org, and turned it down for the familiar. I understood the reasons then.

I don’t know how a person develops a work ethic. Neither of my parents could be confused for slackers, but hey I was adopted, and learned once again today how little nurture is supposed to count and how much nature does.

Damn, I’m in a bad mood. As an unpaid blogger I get to say that. As an unpaid blogger I don’t have to worry about word count, or do tedious exercises that could help my writing. Because I’m writing a book, well three, I do worry about word count, and do tedious quaint writing exercises.

Blogging gives many people false expectations. Because they get comments and flattering emails so early, they assume that they can get press and a book contract, become a TV star or live out their fantasy life.

Did a BIO post, that I just tried to link to and ended up with Microsoft test IE 7. MizB this is why I won’t use IE Miz B makes me sound as if I’m on Thorazine. Do think her blog would make a great Iranian/Danish American family living in Spain sit-com. Think that was most of the pith.

Yes I get press. but I have written professionally as both a reporter and tech writer and trainer. While my blog can be all over the place, some of my BIO posts are linear-to-the-max.

Love to blog and will always, but for nineteen months my life has been at the dentist or in front of the computer. I would really love to have a life but my writing takes precedence for now. When I realized exactly how much time I would be spending at the dentist, and how many days during the original oral surgeries I wouldn’t want to be seen in public I did plan it this way.

Only I didn’t plan on becoming addicted to blogging, and spending my days and nights in front of a computer screen. Nothing will ever feel like the thrill of great comments and emails. One thing. Money will be a bigger thrill. I detoured from my goal often because I hate the war and the entire Bush Regime.

Took me a long time to understand that I could delete comments that were personally insulting, and didn’t have to answer negative ones. Nor do I have to use my personal blog for anything but my personal satisfaction.

How many OP-Ed columnists debate their columns? Not too many. Some don’t have public email addresses. All have editors, and editors act as a shield as does the entire paper.

Somehow people assume that any blog that discusses issues has to be a debating platform. Want to debate in my blog? Feel welcome to as long as you’re civil. Manners count too much to me I don’t enjoy debating anymore nor do I particularly enjoy moderating comments.

That was one of the reasons i helped begin BIO. Comments and debate are wonderful blogging tools but in any individuals blog, even if totally political oriented debate is optional.

Being a founder of BIO is one of my proudest accomplishments, and I will crosspost a Sunday Father’s Day. Yes Shayna, soon you will think my parents were yours.

Some of my BIO posts have taken 40 hours. One would hope that they’re of a professional quality. Participatory Culture isn’t a new idea. Some of us were brought up to participate. I’m old enough to remember when campaigns weren’t all about raising funds.

The summer I tuned eighteen I was clean for Gene My parents had banished me to my grandmother’s bungalow colony in a town that was integral to the Catskills Borshct Belt. The only thing that saved me from a summer of boredom at my grandmother’s side were the people who had come to town to organize the McCarthy campaign. I had volunteered all during high school for the Fifth Ave Peace Parade Committee and other anti Viet Nam org.

Later I would volunteer for McGovern. I also volunteered to be an ACLU Court Watcher when Viet Nam Vets against the War posed as an organization called “long hairs for Nixon” Somehow they managed to get many many tickets to a Nixon rally in Nassau Coliseum.

There was an incident that was only reported by Timothy Crouse in The Boys on the Bus. The forwards by the real Gonzo. It’s a great book and goes into the book .

If you have an interest in what political reporting was like then please read this book. It’s called “boys” for a reason, but girls were more welcome in campaigns themselves. In the late spring of 1976 I volunteered for a Senate Campaign, and the next day was an Assistant to the Director of the citizen arm, and Volunteer Coordinator. Worked very cheap, but campaigns weren’t all about fund raising then.

I’m not opposed to people volunteering. That’s wonderful, and as with blogging, talent might rise. I have much against one person or a group of people profiting from volunteer bloggers.

If somebody decided to unleash a Trojan Horse and somehow take over all say Technorati rated blogs, and charge people to read, yet didn’t include the writer, you wouldn’t write your blog. I certainly wouldn’t. Why should somebody other than me profit from my labor? Other people besides me, yes, but I have to be included.

The moment a blog itself directly profits one individual and others are volunteers, it loses all credibility to me. Grassroots blogging means participating at the citizen level. It can be the most effective and the most fun. Yes I think that there should be a paid campaign staff and volunteers. Way different than a TV station with blogger volunteers acting as staff.

I learned that from my field placement. Had to work ten times harder to earn the respect of much of the staff. The work, itself, was the easiest part. And I had graduated from college two decades earlier.