Newspaper guy becomes rookie at blogging

By BILL HUSTED

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

July 9, 2006

I've hated blogs from the beginning.

Some remind me of being trapped in a corner by the most boring guy at the party. Others offer weird conspiracy theories that scare me. It's not the theories that make me feel quivery; it's the people who believe them. I keep hoping those bloggers aren't driving around on I-285 when I'm on the highway.

I remember being a panel member, years ago, on a group that discussed new online technologies. I predicted blogs would be trendy for a few months and then mostly die out.

Like many of my predictions, that was wrong. Over the years, I've actually found some blogs fun to read. Like newspapers, blogs are as good or as bad as the people who create them.

Why the backtracking? Well, I'm starting my own blog as part of my job here at the newspaper.

But that's not the only reason I've changed my tune.

Newspapering is a screwy business these days. Some people think we're riding a dinosaur. Circulation figures are tapering off at many newspapers and staying flat at others. It's getting kind of tough to explain our business model anymore.

For instance, you can pay us to subscribe to or buy the daily paper. Or you can read the same thing for free at www.ajc.com. Even the operator of a lemonade stand would see potential problems.

And newspapers — not just this one — are adding content that's exclusive to the online version. You'll find things you can't get in the printed product, from blogs to videos to games. If the big bosses could figure out a way to offer free pony rides online, they'd try that, too.

I'm an old guy and grew up in a different newspaper world. We were safe from competition because of what the business folks call "cost of entry." Simply put, it takes a lot of money to buy a printing press and distribute a paper every day.

But the safety bred arrogance. Newspapers didn't listen as much as we should have. Instead we talked, and for too long it was a one-way conversation. The few ways readers had to talk back still left newspapers in control. We decide which letters to print, for instance, and how much space they get.

The online world, including blogs, is forcing change. For the first time, readers have a big voice — free access to the information pulpit. You can start an online news site in a few hours. Even a one-man operation can look slick and professional.

Here's the weird part. Instead of making me scared, I think it's wonderful. The new realities are forcing newspapers to be better. There's no choice.

So I'm happy to let you know that if you go to ajc.com starting Monday, you'll find TechnoBuddy in blog form. Oh, I'll still write this column every Sunday, but with the blog we can now have a running conversation throughout the week on lots of tech topics.

I'm hoping that some of you will come along, drop in to check out the blog, maybe offer some comments, suggestions and even criticism.

I figure if we can just start talking that it'll be hard to tell the difference between a blog and a good chat.

I don't think blogs are the future of newspapers. My guess is that they're just part of a revolution that will change how my business works.

I am a little worried as far as how competent I will be at blogging, but I'm not as scared as I used to be about the future of newspapers.

After all, it's difficult to stop a dinosaur once it has some momentum going.