Published February 24, 2008 in the Hibbing Daily Tribune

Pardon me, my blog is showing

By Aaron J. Brown

02/22/08  09:44 a.m.
This column is about blogs. I realize that writing about blogs on the Iron Range carries some risk. Our Internet usage trends here lag behind other areas. As a result, 39 percent of Iron Rangers think that “Blog” is a popular brand of shoes worn by teenagers.

COMMENT: (From OreBelly65) “Ah, jeez. You’re talking about those blogs. I’m going to go see what an F-150 is going for in the classifieds.”

COMMENT: (From PoticaLady34) “I think my daughter wears blogs. They have holes in them. Why would you want shoes with holes in them? It’s that Brittany Spears, I think.”

02/22/08  09:53 a.m.
If you don’t know, blogs are just websites, places on the Internet where people share information, opinions and multimedia content. They were called web logs at first, which was shortened to “blog.” The word went from slang to part of America’s vocabulary in just a few years.

COMMENT: (From ModernRanger78) “You must think we’re stupid or something. Everyone knows what a blog is, and what the coalition of industrialists called the Legion of Shadows is doing to control them.”

COMMENT: (From OreBelly65) “Ten grand for a ’92 with no topper? That guy must be nuts. It does have flame decals though. I like that.”

02/22/08  09:59 a.m.
Blogs cover many topics. Some bloggers talk about news, politics or finances. Other times people blog about giant toads. For instance, scientists recently discovered the fossils of a massive bowling ball sized toad that lived at the time of the dinosaurs. Dubbed the “devil toad,” this ancient amphibian would have preyed on insects, small rodents and possibly even baby dinosaurs, say the scientists.

COMMENT: (From PoticaLady34) “I don’t think we should teach about the devil toad in public schools. Kids are impressionable at that age.”

02/22/08  10:04 a.m.
Some people say blogging will be the cornerstone of the new media, evidenced by how traditional media outlets like newspapers, radio stations and TV networks are adopting blog technology and style. And while this participatory medium is open to everyone, journalists face the same difficulties in finding enough resources to properly investigate news and objectively report truth. In many ways, the blogosphere of 2008 resembles the newspaper industry of 1907. Just take a look at the history page that Jack Lynch compiles for the Monday Hibbing Daily Tribune. Hibbing had several newspapers at dawn of the 20th century, each lambasting the others to argue their point of view. Indeed, today’s blogs rely heavily on the educated commentary of their bloggers and seldom use the same objectivity taught in traditional journalism schools. There is value in this new style, but we have yet to solve the riddle of how to ensure fairness in how people learn about public issues.

COMMENT: (From ModernRanger78) “I’ll tell you how. Those government agents who monitor my every move can lay off for awhile.”

02/22/08  10:15 a.m.
I write a blog. Every day, I struggle with a question. Do I take the time needed to dissect an important northern Minnesota public policy issue, or do I talk about some wacky trivia that’s easy to find. For instance, did you know that the survival of the Joshua trees is in doubt because of the extinction of the giant sloth? According to a National Public Radio report, Joshua trees grew in evolutionary symbiosis with the giant sloth until the slow-moving, giant-clawed creature died out 10,000 years ago. The sloths were instrumental in the trees' migration to more favorable climates. How? Well, these sloths would eat the seeds and something about the magical giant sloth digestive system helped the seeds grow when the sloths “visited” more favorable climates. Now these VW Bug-sized sloths are all gone and climate change is threatening the Joshua tree, which doesn’t migrate well without the aid of sloth dung.

See, that’s interesting, but not the sort of thing that helps people understand their communities.

COMMENTS: (From OreBelly64) Too bad about those sloths. I bet they’d make a nice jerky.

02/22/08  10:19 a.m.
Still, no matter whether you live in northern Minnesota or some other far flung corner of the world, blogs are a way to connect citizens, information and calls for action. Whether you understand the changing Internet or not, these trends are already influencing our lives. It’s well worth paying attention.

COMMENTS: (From PoticaLady34) Well, maybe I’d get a pair of those blogs if I were about 20 years younger.

COMMENTS: (From ModernRanger78) The future is now here! Or, nowhere. Whoa.

Aaron J. Brown is a columnist for the Hibbing Daily Tribune. Read more or contact him at his blog www.minnesotabrown.com. 

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