I’m refocusing (edge)wise. I need to give my blog a clearer purpose in its blogosphere existence. Why?
A good friend of mine—fellow writer and blogger—sent this charming link my way: http://michaelhyatt.com/2009/11/do-you-make-these-10-mistakes-when-you-blog.html. Michael Hyatt describes ten mistakes that bloggers frequently make, and one of them is posting “off-brand material.” Now, I am not into labels and boxes. I am anti-brand. The very essence and marrow of (edge)wise is to think outside the box. Heck, I like turning boxes into other items entirely.
Hyatt has a point however. I don’t want to simply post whatever is on my mind, whether that be gardening techniques, my opinion on high-tops, the new British Prime Minister, or peanut butter cookies. Such random madness can be disorienting. Nor do I want to deliver diary entries to you. As my readers, you deserve more than that. Not only are those blogs grossly self-indulgent, but nobody’s life is interesting enough to warrant a weekly journal update. Unless I am, say, trekking across Eastern Europe and sharing those weekly (or daily) experiences, I will spare you the “Dear Diary” moments.
Focus is good. A specific focus can be helpful. So I decided to step away and figure out what I am passionate about. The result? Film, books, traveling, recipes. All in all: Arts & Culture. And how those speak to (and about) our society. I will never be able to divide my passion of the arts from my engagement with news and politics. I would never want to.
So (edge)wise is the place to go if you want reviews—for films, books, plays, recipes—alongside social commentary. The end of LOST is approaching. I will definitely write about the finale, yet I will also include thoughts on fan culture and the show’s impact upon our culture.
I am excited to write more as a critic. Thinking about seeing a movie? Check out (edge)wise to see if I’ve got a review of it. Need a new book to read? I plan to start writing reviews of all the books I read, along with related recommendations. I will still include entries about places and personal reflection when I travel. The same goes for local food and cooking.
For those editorials about recent happenings in Washington D.C. or catastrophic oil spills in the Gulf…I’m not sure where to post those. Naturally I have a brain-full of opinions and analyses on current events. I listen to NPR after all. Perhaps I’ll include them on a special page of (edge)wise. Or just maybe, I’ll create a special blog specifically for my political messages. You are my readers. What do you think?
