Well, it seems appropriate around this time to provide my very own “State of the Blog Address” where I can tell you where we’ve been…and more importantly, where I’m going with this blog.
Come this February, jeffwhiteside.com will be turning a whole two years old! Yep, I claimed it…so all you poser wanna-be Jeff Whiteside’s out there have to suck it up and take it. You’ve got to listen to my Libertarian crazed criticisms and forever hope that someone doesn’t mistake me for one of you. Sorry ’bout that if it happens. I’m just conceited enough, though, to think it might actually *help* you. 🙂
Over the last couple years, my site’s design has changed a few times. What stated as a little web page hosted off one of my servers at home has now seen two different web hosts. I’ve been able to pursue my interests of providing online videos and now have the knowledge (but not the motivation) to do a video log. I’ve also (barely) ventured into the realm of social networking. I’ve toyed around with the so-called “Web 2.0” with dynamic information relevant to my life.
I still don’t have a MySpace account and I surprisingly haven’t become the next millionaire blogger. Some things will never change.
In the coming four years, you can expect more of the same from me. I don’t promise change…no…I vow to stay the same. I promise to keep ever vigilant and critical against violations of our civil rights, unwise governance and an out-of-control world. I hope to continue my own personal education and efforts to share that which I learn, and to inform those who are interested by writing about that which I feel is important. I seek to hone my skills as a battered in blood political activist and to follow through on my commitment to restore what I think is great about this nation, America, in which I live.
You see, the last two years of this blog have seen great growth. Admittedly, I only manage to write a handful or two postings a month…and sometimes ya’ll won’t see me for months on end. Call it a vacation…I still probably put more time in than Bush did during his eight years. But you see, that’s not what’s important here…it’s how I feel as a person. I guess one could say that I finally feel like I have a place in this world. And this blog has been part of it.
I do wish I was blessed with the motiviation and inspiration to write every day or nearly every other day – but, sadly, it simply wasn’t in the cards. Nonetheless, I think the last couple years of this blog have shown a marked improvement in quality over the term of it’s existence. I suppose it’s a natural progression of “learning to blog,” if you will, but it’s also about (in my case) forcing myself to find the creative outlet with words. It’s about being inspired enough to actually go and write about it while resisting the urge to bore you with insignificant facts like, “I flossed my cat today.” It’s also about resisting the urge to be apathetic and lazy.
And with that, comes even deeper clarity and perspective. This blog has become me. Not my specific interests, not my deepest desires, nor a representation of any of that. It’s the journey…the process…the growth of one individual amongst a sea of others. Where I stand and what it’s worth amongst that sea, I do not care…it’s more for me then it is for you. It is the documentation of myself and my work, my thoughts and my hopes, my fears and my state.
So as we go into the next several years, I hope to maintain this effort and have an historical account of my life and the path that it’s on. I hope to reconnect with those I have met in the past and look forward to meeting those who have yet to come. I anticpate knowing what I have never known and resolve to do the best that I can with what I’ve got. I thank you for your interest and hope you too will find your place in the world.
