Evolution Versus Intelligent Design

Aha! Gotcha! This isn't at all what you might think. It has strictly to do with the direction our Blog Father chooses to take his Huckleberries blog.

I printed out the comments from Saturday's post that questioned "Where Do We Go From Here" so I could study and tally results. It was nearly an even split with both sides having suggestions worth considering. The consensus seemed to be let it evolve as it will under Dave's guidance. If something seems worth trying - do it. I found too that the comments came from a great cross section of regulars - bloggers, commentators, even flamers!

Good ideas stick; the others go away. I will take exception with one comment from JBelle, however, -" If ya turn Jimi Hendrix into disco, you're gonna end up with...disco." I think it depends on the strength of the talent. Dolly Parton has done everything from country to gospel to pop and you still have...Dolly Parton. I think Dave shares that strength of personality and style.

It is Dave's blog. He has to make the decision as to the direction he'd like to take it and where he'd like to see it in the grand scheme of the burgeoning world of blogging. If he wants a national presence and reputation he could use some help from his IT people to at least get a site meter that reflects the scope of his "hits". Without knowing the breadth of visits - location, repeat visitors, etc. the number of hits is meaningless. How many times a day do each of us return? In the grand scheme of things the number of times we visit to watch the flame throwing or if we've made best of the blogs doesn't mean a whole lot but it does add to the total. Knowing where you are sure helps in deciding how to get to where you want to go.

I started monitoring my site after my "national exposure" because my hits soared and I was curious. I have followers from all over the world. It has helped shape my site. I now purposely mix local with state and national and occasionally international for the sake of variety. I know my readers in Great Britain and Spain and Sweden and Chile aren't interested in a steady diet of my opinions of the goings on in Kootenai County but they are interested in how an American everywoman feels about occurrences everywhere.

I think too, the powers that be at the Spokesman Review need to look at the same questions. They've given Mr. O tremendous freedom but they, along with Dave, need to decide what they'd like to see and how much of a commitment they're willing to make.

Is it possible for it to expand its scope without losing its character? I think so because it is a reflection of the man behind it. The more people that get involved the more exciting it will be. I think one of it's greatest strengths is that it reflects, through the dialog, the views of the citizenry more than those who would shape our opinions. No one totally agrees with anyone all the time; that's part of its beauty. It also reflects the personality of those contributing - good, bad and indifferent. Some are baiters, some take the bait, others ignore it. That's all part of who we are. It's interesting to me how true to themselves bloggers are when there is no threat of face to face confrontation. For those of us who don't engage in the name calling and flame throwing it's as easy to ignore as muting the sound on our tv.

As one commenter said - it's already like a mini newspaper and here Dave Olivera is editor AND publisher. Wow! Move over Citizen Kane!