CM Life blogs
Over break, I heard a humorous quote about blogs:
"The only people who read some blogs are the blogger and his mother," said a woman on National Public Radio.
Well here you go, Mother, your son has a blog. For the rest of you, Central Michigan Life is finally getting into the game of blogs.
Perhaps we are a bit late. But, as they say, it's better late than never.
My blog, "From the editor's desk," will discuss current issues on campus and in the media. I also will discuss controversial decisions in news or editorial pages of CM Life.
We also will have blogs on entertainment and sports. More, such as photo and politics blogs, will come later. For now, we are going to start out simple.
The entertainment blog is just what it sounds like. Lifeline editor Caitlin Foyt, and others, will discuss some entertainment news from around the nation. Also, local entertainment will be touched on.
The sports guys, led by sports editor Robbie Sgro, also will blog. It will be focused on winter sports for now, mainly men's basketball and wrestling.
To get to the blogs, go to cm-life.com and click on "blogs" on the left side of the page or go to http://cmlife.wordpress.com/ for a direct link.
We are using wordpress.com because we were displeased with what our web provider offered.
I've always been a bit skeptical about blogs. Too many bloggers are writing their own personal diary. You won't hear about my latest quarrel with my girlfriend. You don't care, I know.
Another knock on blogs is that you can't see the line between fact and opinion. Is this a news story or a column, I often ask myself as I look at newspaper Web sites.
We will try our best to make that distinction clear.
You also won't read rants and raves about any topics. Anyone who reads ESPN.com's "The Sports Guy" (aka Bill Simmons) knows what I'm talking about. It's funny, but enough is enough. I often get annoyed when I read someone ranting on a blog. So, as long as I'm in charge, you won't be seeing that either.
But blogs, without a doubt, are a part of the future of the newspaper industry. It's simply a part of the transition from news print to the web.
As a training ground for journalists, we must give our students at least a taste of blogs.
Another good quote I heard about blogs came this summer from a co-worker at the Jackson Citizen Patriot: "Does anyone really care about these things?" he asked.
Well, if you believe the woman on NPR, perhaps not.
But a blog is only interesting if people not only read it, but respond to it as well.
So the opportunity for you to interact with us is there.
Enjoy.
editor@cm-life.com
