Q. What’s the response to your blog?
A. In terms of page views, we’re up to pretty regularly over 6,000 page views a weekday. It’s pretty dynamic. There are some that don’t like it and there are some that don’t like me. That’s OK.
Q. Why do you think it’s so popular?
A. Just because it’s so eclectic; you can always find something that will interest you. Local discussion interests the local chamber types. They want to know what people think about the proposed new library or the budget. There’ll be questions about that. State questions, local politics. Then there’s stuff for the folks that are not from North Idaho. There should be one thing in there, no matter where you’re at, that will interest you.
Q. How does your blog create community in Northern Idaho?
A. We certainly have a community in the North Idaho blogosphere. There’s definitely a group of people who have come to like each other online or enjoy bantering online. It’s like having an online coffee shop. I serve as a linchpin by providing the material that gets the conversation going, but there's definitely an organic thing going, too − with individuals forming relationships among themselves online and otherwise. So, it's a mix. I don't want to take total credit for what's happening, because the 42 other North Idaho bloggers are doing their part, too. There's also a group called the Inland Northwest Bloggers Association that consists of several individuals on my blogroll that's doing its part.
A lot of the commenters are just average people. It’s funny because they’ve sort of made a name for themselves by being regular posters. I think of this one fellow who was just a taxi cab driver here in Coeur d’Alene. He became a regular favorite because he was like Joe Average. He recently moved to Oregon and my commenters were bummed that he was leaving the area. And there are several like that who have really become community personalities on the blog.
Another thing we do as far as community interaction is we have “blog fest.” There’ve been two or three of them, where they get together in a restaurant and discuss what they do and how they do it. It’s pretty cool to see some of this stuff.
Q. Do you do something to foster that sense of community or does it happen on its own, organically?
A. Oh, no. I foster that. Almost daily, I pull out good comments from people; this is from Digger or so and so. I’m constantly promoting these guys. That’s part of it; I really believe in promoting these guys.
Q. How big a role does geography or a sense of place play in creating community on your blog?
A. I think when you’re online it’s a different animal because you can be part of any community. The world is your community. I have one poster from England. I have people from Seattle, Western Washington, Oregon, Boise. A lot of folks that have lived here and now live elsewhere just want to keep in touch. As far as the community goes, there are no boundaries.
Q. What impact has this blog had on your connection to community?
A. I think I’m far more in touch with the community today than I ever have been because blogging interaction is so intense. I even have people reporting stories going on in their communities, breaking news. They’ll get online and say, “This is going on in my neighborhood.” Very few things sneak by without us discussing them. I’m constantly giving tips to the newsroom on stuff coming through the blog.
Q. How much time do you spend out on the street?
A. That’s one of the down sides. I’ve been attached to my desk for about three years. I’m attached by the phones and the computers and faxes.
Q. How much time do you spend online?
A. Too much. Way, way too much. Weekdays I can spend six hours. I’ve been trying to rein myself in. That’s the biggest problem. It’s just consuming and addictive. On Sundays, I try my darndest to just go there to make sure there’s no spam or stuff. I’m struggling to separate myself little bit and take time off. It’s hard; it’s an addictive medium.
Q. What’s your advice for how to get people involved (and coming back) online?
A. That’s the reason I approach the blog the way I do and post so much. I have three periods of posting. That forces an addictive reader to look in the morning, look in the afternoon and look again at night. It just forces you to keep coming back. You’ve got to post a lot and post things that are interesting to people.