I discovered Blogger in the Spring of 2001 and used it to record my thoughts and feelings about Getting Divorced. I started writing this blog two years later on June 1, 2003, which was seven years ago today. So I think it is important to say something about online journaling, my reasons for jumping onto the online journaling bandwagon, for encouraging others such as colleagues and students, and offer a few words about what it means to me today.

When I started blogging, Blogger had not been purchased by Google; it was still in its infancy, and it did not have all the bells and whistles that it has now. But it was an accessible, easy to use site for recording thoughts and feelings, telling my story, or just publishing myself. In the intervening years, I've seen blogging grow into a viable journalistic form that provides information and enjoyment internationally, a news and information vehicle that can be corporate and independent, offering a voice to well informed pundits and to everyone who has something to say, significant or not.

At one point when it was growing and suddenly everyone and his grandmother was blogging, I thought, "If so many people are talking, who's listening?" But apparently, it was on its way to becoming mainstream. It became chic for tech leaders, professional journalists, politicians, teachers, and others to provide information to others, and in some cases use it to augment their jobs. And it remained free.

I added entries to my Blogger blog intermittently, and often now have videos of my favorite musicians that I upload from YouTube, or videos that I've taken, as much as my written "ramblings". As the technology became available, adding visual images seemed much easier than being reflective or informative everyday. Nonetheless, as I look through my posts, I see it as an electronic scrapbook of the past 7 years, as much as my attempt to reflect my thoughts and feelings. I say the following for my own edification, as anyone else's, "Write on!"