Words and Themes

I’m test driving this new blog. I’ve changed formats and platforms again. I think I’ll stick with this layout for a few weeks and see how it goes.

Switching from Typepad to WordPress.com to WordPress.org has been a huge learning experience. I’ve gotten a much better handle on how to organize information on the Internet. It’s funny how the presentation of material affects what you write.

A couple of days ago, I was chatting with a long-time Internet writer. He asked me if he thought there was any room on the Internet for smart writing. We started blogging back when it was a small circle of insiders. We could write long 1,000 to 2,000 word blog posts about politics or society, and the traffic followed. Then traditional media jumped in and patiently let us write our long articles for them. But traditional media is going in a different direction. With the blogosphere gone and traditional media in disarray, he wondered if there was a place for smart on the Internet anymore.

I do think that there is a place for smart on the Internet, but it has to done in the right way. In the right format.

So, that’s what I’m going to be fooling around with this summer. I just finished off my last freelance article until September. In the next few months, I’m going to launch a few new websites. I’ll show you what I cook up.

UPDATE: Check out this great Awl article about the online writing industry.