I was looking back through the archives and suddenly realized it had been over thirteen years since my very first post here on the blog. Hard to believe it has been that long.
Over the course of those thirteen years my writing has been infrequent at best and at some times a little unfocused. I have enough issues with just trying to write something without going back and critiquing things I have written in the past.
But I have also read in numerous places that if you want to become a better writer you need to write. Don't worry about how good or bad the end product might be. Just focus on writing.
I blame my addiction to Twitter in part for my hesitancy to continue writing. Twitter makes it much quicker and easier to share articles. Most of my tweets are articles from writers who are far more eloquent than I would ever hope to be.
Still, I am going to jump back in and start writing again. Things will be a bit different. Very little politics (I'm not as avid a follower of the news as I used to be - a story for another time). I don't write regular book reviews any more but may still share thoughts about things that I am reading. I'm still reading a lot of books these days and every once in a while may share something. I'm also still traveling a bit and may have things to share from those adventures as well.
Let's see what the future holds, shall we?
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Blogging. Show all posts
Monday, November 20, 2017
Monday, December 30, 2013
Daily Links 12-30-13
Good morning. Here are a collection of links that will help start your week off right. In today's edition: minimalist Disney posters, the art of conversation, reflections from Richard Sherman, and more.
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A really cool collection of minimalist Disney posters.
Hat tip: Neatorama
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Seven weird (and sometimes dangerous) ways that kids amused themselves before video games.
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Author Sherry Turkle is on a mission to save the lost art of conversation:
Hat tip: Acculturated
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Speaking of conversation, here is some timeless advice on the art of conversation from 1866.
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Richard Sherman reflects on what it was like to work on bringing Mary Poppins to the screen with her creator, P. L. Travers:
"Nobody knows the Sturm und Drang we went though," said a vigorous Mr. Sherman last month, sitting near his two Oscars and assorted other honors in the library of the spacious Tudor-style house he has lived in for some 40 years. "Let me make a calculated understatement: She was a very difficult woman. It was awful to be in a room where everything you said was contradicted. She made us feel terrible constantly. But Walt said: 'Don't let her get to you. Just keeping doing what you do.'"
As depicted in "Saving Mr. Banks"—and corroborated on audio tapes made at her insistence during story conferences—Travers was as determined to exclude songs or animation from any adaptation of "Mary Poppins" as Disney was to include those very things. "She didn't recognize that her character lent itself to a musical," Mr. Sherman recalled. "She had no imagination for other mediums, just the page. We added to what she had already created."
Travers wrote eight "Mary Poppins" books before she died, at age 96, in 1996, but in the 1960s there were only five—all loose collections of vignettes ill-suited, in their original form, to screen adaptation. "Everybody thinks Mrs. Travers wrote the story for the film, but it was Don DaGradi and Bob and Dick Sherman who wrote it," Mr. Sherman said. "Walt asked us to read the first book and tell him what we thought. We knew the gauntlet had been thrown. But these stories had no plot, so we created a viable storyline. And then Bill Walsh came in and made a great screenplay with Don."
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Three influential writers share why they blog. I think folks will start blogging for any number of reasons and all three have some interesting things to say about writing and why they have chosen to blog.
*****************
A really cool collection of minimalist Disney posters.
Hat tip: Neatorama
****************
Seven weird (and sometimes dangerous) ways that kids amused themselves before video games.
****************
Author Sherry Turkle is on a mission to save the lost art of conversation:
The conclusion she’s arrived at while researching her new book is not, technically, that we’re not talking to each other. We’re talking all the time, in person as well as in texts, in e-mails, over the phone, on Facebook and Twitter. The world is more talkative now, in many ways, than it’s ever been. The problem, Turkle argues, is that all of this talk can come at the expense of conversation. We’re talking at each other rather than with each other.
Conversations, as they tend to play out in person, are messy—full of pauses and interruptions and topic changes and assorted awkwardness. But the messiness is what allows for true exchange. It gives participants the time—and, just as important, the permission—to think and react and glean insights. “You can’t always tell, in a conversation, when the interesting bit is going to come,” Turkle says. “It’s like dancing: slow, slow, quick-quick, slow. You know? It seems boring, but all of a sudden there’s something, and whoa.”
Occasional dullness, in other words, is to be not only expected, but celebrated. Some of the best parts of conversation are, as Turkle puts it, “the boring bits.” In software terms, they’re features rather than bugs.
Hat tip: Acculturated
*****************
Speaking of conversation, here is some timeless advice on the art of conversation from 1866.
*****************
Richard Sherman reflects on what it was like to work on bringing Mary Poppins to the screen with her creator, P. L. Travers:
"Nobody knows the Sturm und Drang we went though," said a vigorous Mr. Sherman last month, sitting near his two Oscars and assorted other honors in the library of the spacious Tudor-style house he has lived in for some 40 years. "Let me make a calculated understatement: She was a very difficult woman. It was awful to be in a room where everything you said was contradicted. She made us feel terrible constantly. But Walt said: 'Don't let her get to you. Just keeping doing what you do.'"
As depicted in "Saving Mr. Banks"—and corroborated on audio tapes made at her insistence during story conferences—Travers was as determined to exclude songs or animation from any adaptation of "Mary Poppins" as Disney was to include those very things. "She didn't recognize that her character lent itself to a musical," Mr. Sherman recalled. "She had no imagination for other mediums, just the page. We added to what she had already created."
Travers wrote eight "Mary Poppins" books before she died, at age 96, in 1996, but in the 1960s there were only five—all loose collections of vignettes ill-suited, in their original form, to screen adaptation. "Everybody thinks Mrs. Travers wrote the story for the film, but it was Don DaGradi and Bob and Dick Sherman who wrote it," Mr. Sherman said. "Walt asked us to read the first book and tell him what we thought. We knew the gauntlet had been thrown. But these stories had no plot, so we created a viable storyline. And then Bill Walsh came in and made a great screenplay with Don."
***************
Three influential writers share why they blog. I think folks will start blogging for any number of reasons and all three have some interesting things to say about writing and why they have chosen to blog.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Lessons Learned From Nearly a Decade of Blogging
When I started this blog almost ten years ago I had no idea what I was doing. I was reading quite a few blogs and thought I had an idea what blogging was all about. But it has taken me almost 10 years to learn a few lessons about blogging and what it takes to become a successful blogger.
1. Be yourself
This may seem a little obvious but the fact is that the most effective bloggers are those who are themselves. It makes no sense to try to be someone else. If you're blogging you need to find your own voice and be yourself. Granted, it's taken me nearly ten years to figure this out. Perhaps you'll learn this lesson a lot faster.
2. What's your focus?
The best blogs are those that have a specific focus. They can cover a single topic or multiple topics. But it's easy to define its mission. That's what tends to draw people in is a specific mission usually spelled out in the header so that it's one of the first things we people see when they visit your site.
3. Read other blogs
This also seems a little obvious but the fact is that you become a better blogger by reading other blogs especially those that are not necessarily in your same niche. The same way you become a better writer by reading good writing you become a better blogger by reading other effective bloggers.
4. Write about what you know but write about things you don't know about too
There is an old adage that writers should write about what they know. But that's mostly bunk. With the advent of the internet research is much easier than it used to be. You can access almost any piece of information in a flash. Half the fun in blogging is often writing about thinks that peak your curiosity and then the joy of researching the subject. Allow your blog to be an outlet for your curiosity.
5. Forget about statistics
Let's face it, we can't all be super-popular bloggers like Instapundit. He draws insane amounts of traffic. Then again, he's built his audience over a number of years. He's also incredibly prolific. But trying to replicate his or any other top 100 blogger's traffic is a futile exercise. It's difficult to tell what will cause a particular post to go viral so it's best not to try to do it.
By the same token, don't get hung up on a lack of comments. While it's great to have feedback from readers you can't take a lack of comments as rejection of what you're saying. There is also no point in saying something controversial for the sake of increasing traffic or starting a fight online.
6. On the other hand, you should promote your blog
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest didn't even exist when I started blogging. But all three can be used effectively to promote a blog. It's also a good idea to promote the blog across multiple platforms. Part of the reason is your circle of influence is probably not the same on each platform. For example, my followers on Twitter are not all the same as my Facebook friends. By promoting a post on both platforms I am widening the potential audience for the blog.
It also helps when you use a shortcut to do the promoting for you automatically. Here's how I do it: I use Twitterfeed to periodically scan the blog for new posts. When a new post goes online (and I schedule posts in advance - more on that below) Twitterfeed will automatically tweet the post to my Twitter followers. I have also enabled my Twitter feed to post my tweets to Facebook. It all works without my having to think about it and drives traffic effortlessly to the blog.
7. Post daily if possible
Folks are more willing to return to your blog if they can count on seeing fresh content every day (or at least every weekday). In looking back over my statistics I see I have more posts going up on the blog on a regular basis.
8. Plan ahead
Ever since I moved away from blogging about politics and current events it has become easier to write more posts and to schedule them in advance so that I always have fresh content on the blog. Nearly every host I know of will allow you to schedule posts to publish in advance. So it's best to take advantage of that option as it also helps you in promoting your blog if there is always fresh content (see #6 above). Part of the reason I do it is because of lack of leisure time to blog so it's often better for me to write several things in advance and then spread them out over the course of several days. Of course, I still have the flexibility to post something more current if there's an event in the news or something I have seen online that I feel that I should comment on.
9. Introverts make better bloggers
Since introverts tend to prefer communicating in writing rather than orally, they are naturally inclined to be better bloggers. The best blog posts are those that are well thought out and thoroughly researched. These are the kinds of things that introverts are more naturally inclined to enjoy doing. Blogging is actually a great outlet for those who tend to be introverted.
It takes time and patience to build a blog. But it's a whole lot of fun. If you haven't taken the plunge I highly recommend it.
1. Be yourself
This may seem a little obvious but the fact is that the most effective bloggers are those who are themselves. It makes no sense to try to be someone else. If you're blogging you need to find your own voice and be yourself. Granted, it's taken me nearly ten years to figure this out. Perhaps you'll learn this lesson a lot faster.
2. What's your focus?
The best blogs are those that have a specific focus. They can cover a single topic or multiple topics. But it's easy to define its mission. That's what tends to draw people in is a specific mission usually spelled out in the header so that it's one of the first things we people see when they visit your site.
3. Read other blogs
This also seems a little obvious but the fact is that you become a better blogger by reading other blogs especially those that are not necessarily in your same niche. The same way you become a better writer by reading good writing you become a better blogger by reading other effective bloggers.
4. Write about what you know but write about things you don't know about too
There is an old adage that writers should write about what they know. But that's mostly bunk. With the advent of the internet research is much easier than it used to be. You can access almost any piece of information in a flash. Half the fun in blogging is often writing about thinks that peak your curiosity and then the joy of researching the subject. Allow your blog to be an outlet for your curiosity.
5. Forget about statistics
Let's face it, we can't all be super-popular bloggers like Instapundit. He draws insane amounts of traffic. Then again, he's built his audience over a number of years. He's also incredibly prolific. But trying to replicate his or any other top 100 blogger's traffic is a futile exercise. It's difficult to tell what will cause a particular post to go viral so it's best not to try to do it.
By the same token, don't get hung up on a lack of comments. While it's great to have feedback from readers you can't take a lack of comments as rejection of what you're saying. There is also no point in saying something controversial for the sake of increasing traffic or starting a fight online.
6. On the other hand, you should promote your blog
Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest didn't even exist when I started blogging. But all three can be used effectively to promote a blog. It's also a good idea to promote the blog across multiple platforms. Part of the reason is your circle of influence is probably not the same on each platform. For example, my followers on Twitter are not all the same as my Facebook friends. By promoting a post on both platforms I am widening the potential audience for the blog.
It also helps when you use a shortcut to do the promoting for you automatically. Here's how I do it: I use Twitterfeed to periodically scan the blog for new posts. When a new post goes online (and I schedule posts in advance - more on that below) Twitterfeed will automatically tweet the post to my Twitter followers. I have also enabled my Twitter feed to post my tweets to Facebook. It all works without my having to think about it and drives traffic effortlessly to the blog.
7. Post daily if possible
Folks are more willing to return to your blog if they can count on seeing fresh content every day (or at least every weekday). In looking back over my statistics I see I have more posts going up on the blog on a regular basis.
8. Plan ahead
Ever since I moved away from blogging about politics and current events it has become easier to write more posts and to schedule them in advance so that I always have fresh content on the blog. Nearly every host I know of will allow you to schedule posts to publish in advance. So it's best to take advantage of that option as it also helps you in promoting your blog if there is always fresh content (see #6 above). Part of the reason I do it is because of lack of leisure time to blog so it's often better for me to write several things in advance and then spread them out over the course of several days. Of course, I still have the flexibility to post something more current if there's an event in the news or something I have seen online that I feel that I should comment on.
9. Introverts make better bloggers
Since introverts tend to prefer communicating in writing rather than orally, they are naturally inclined to be better bloggers. The best blog posts are those that are well thought out and thoroughly researched. These are the kinds of things that introverts are more naturally inclined to enjoy doing. Blogging is actually a great outlet for those who tend to be introverted.
It takes time and patience to build a blog. But it's a whole lot of fun. If you haven't taken the plunge I highly recommend it.
Friday, July 19, 2013
Friday Tweet Recap
It's Friday and it means that it's time for another recap of items that I tweeted recently that caught my attention. Enjoy the links!
Have you ever wondered whether to accept a LinkedIn invitation from someone? Here's some good advice on deciding whether to accept or decline.
If you are like me and work online then e-mail can be your worst enemy. Here are some tips on how to manage your e-mail.
First he was a rock and roll musician. Then he became a hero.
My daughter (who is an aspiring writer) shared the four worst pieces of advice for young writers.
How baseball saved a relationship between a father and son.
The original outfield obstruction.
The Home Run Derby is a fixture at baseball's annual All Star Game festivities. But it was a television show first.
Here are nine traditions that have been lost from baseball.
You don't see this every day: a bunt double.
It's the dream of every blogger to have a post go viral. Here's how one blogger did it without even really trying.
Outfitted and equipped for working at a coffee shop.
Ten really cool lifehacks from 100 years ago.
39 Hidden Mickeys found in Disney animated movies.
This movie looks like it will be really good: Saving Mr. Banks.
10 fabulous pieces of Shakespeare swag.
Can't make it to Monticello? Now you can visit it via Google Street View.
Yesterday was Independence Day. Here are reflections on two great speeches from Abraham Lincoln and Lou Gehrig (yes, there is a connection). Bonus: here's a color photo of Gehrig from that speech.
Young George Washington's experience one July 4th went on to shape our quest for independence.
How to apply the craftsman's work ethic to our everyday lives.
Dumb criminal alert: robber fails to get money from convenience store clerk and the wanders off to the Mug Shot Saloon for a drink (you can't make this stuff up).
One of the most overlooked amendments to the Constitution is the Third which prohibits the quartering of soldiers in citizens' homes during peacetime. This was a common problem in Colonial America especially in Boston. So it doesn't normally come up in the normal course of litigation. However, one homeowner decided to assert his Third Amendment rights against the police who wanted to use his home for a stakeout. It will be interesting to see whether the court agrees with the homeowner's argument.
Whatever you might think of his policies or his time as President you would have to agree that George W. Bush is a decent person. One of his big priorities while he was president was helping the people of Africa. It still is as can be seen from these photos of his recent trip there to do relief work. More photos here.
The cheeseburger is certainly an All American dish but who knew that each state had it's own unique burger?
Speaking of food, I'm all for trying to get a free meal but this is insane (and somehow incredibly cute at the same time).
That's it for this week. Have a great weekend!
Have you ever wondered whether to accept a LinkedIn invitation from someone? Here's some good advice on deciding whether to accept or decline.
If you are like me and work online then e-mail can be your worst enemy. Here are some tips on how to manage your e-mail.
First he was a rock and roll musician. Then he became a hero.
My daughter (who is an aspiring writer) shared the four worst pieces of advice for young writers.
How baseball saved a relationship between a father and son.
The original outfield obstruction.
The Home Run Derby is a fixture at baseball's annual All Star Game festivities. But it was a television show first.
Here are nine traditions that have been lost from baseball.
You don't see this every day: a bunt double.
It's the dream of every blogger to have a post go viral. Here's how one blogger did it without even really trying.
Outfitted and equipped for working at a coffee shop.
Ten really cool lifehacks from 100 years ago.
39 Hidden Mickeys found in Disney animated movies.
This movie looks like it will be really good: Saving Mr. Banks.
10 fabulous pieces of Shakespeare swag.
Can't make it to Monticello? Now you can visit it via Google Street View.
Yesterday was Independence Day. Here are reflections on two great speeches from Abraham Lincoln and Lou Gehrig (yes, there is a connection). Bonus: here's a color photo of Gehrig from that speech.
Young George Washington's experience one July 4th went on to shape our quest for independence.
How to apply the craftsman's work ethic to our everyday lives.
Dumb criminal alert: robber fails to get money from convenience store clerk and the wanders off to the Mug Shot Saloon for a drink (you can't make this stuff up).
One of the most overlooked amendments to the Constitution is the Third which prohibits the quartering of soldiers in citizens' homes during peacetime. This was a common problem in Colonial America especially in Boston. So it doesn't normally come up in the normal course of litigation. However, one homeowner decided to assert his Third Amendment rights against the police who wanted to use his home for a stakeout. It will be interesting to see whether the court agrees with the homeowner's argument.
Whatever you might think of his policies or his time as President you would have to agree that George W. Bush is a decent person. One of his big priorities while he was president was helping the people of Africa. It still is as can be seen from these photos of his recent trip there to do relief work. More photos here.
The cheeseburger is certainly an All American dish but who knew that each state had it's own unique burger?
Speaking of food, I'm all for trying to get a free meal but this is insane (and somehow incredibly cute at the same time).
That's it for this week. Have a great weekend!
Wednesday, March 09, 2011
Time For A Change
When I started this blog back in 2004, I was very interested in following politics and writing a lot about what was happening in the election. It didn't hurt any that a friend of mine was running for Congress in our district, either. I had picked the name Daddypundit because I wanted it to represent that I was both a dad and a pundit (or at least an aspiring one).
But now I'm facing a blog identity crisis. True, I could write a lot about politics but many other fine (and far more talented bloggers) already do that. I could post each day offering links to other things that folks had written that I found interesting. Again, there are many others who already do that.
I've been thinking for some time that maybe it's time to start focusing on the "daddy" portion of my screen name and write more about things I'm experiencing as a father. I'm also thinking that maybe I'll talk more about things that my family enjoys or experiences together. In other words, I'll turn my focus away from writing about politics and culture and more about things that are more family and parenting oriented. From time to time I may still comment on a news story but for the most part I'm thinking this will be a little more personal blog.
My hope is to come back to an original purpose of this blog which is to share my experiences as a dad first and foremost. I'll still have other forums to write about politics and culture such as Stones Cry Out but this will be a little different here from now on.
So I hope you will join me on this journey as I turn my attention more towards my experiences as a dad. And I hope that you will enjoy this journey with me.
But now I'm facing a blog identity crisis. True, I could write a lot about politics but many other fine (and far more talented bloggers) already do that. I could post each day offering links to other things that folks had written that I found interesting. Again, there are many others who already do that.
I've been thinking for some time that maybe it's time to start focusing on the "daddy" portion of my screen name and write more about things I'm experiencing as a father. I'm also thinking that maybe I'll talk more about things that my family enjoys or experiences together. In other words, I'll turn my focus away from writing about politics and culture and more about things that are more family and parenting oriented. From time to time I may still comment on a news story but for the most part I'm thinking this will be a little more personal blog.
My hope is to come back to an original purpose of this blog which is to share my experiences as a dad first and foremost. I'll still have other forums to write about politics and culture such as Stones Cry Out but this will be a little different here from now on.
So I hope you will join me on this journey as I turn my attention more towards my experiences as a dad. And I hope that you will enjoy this journey with me.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
FTC Announces Regulation of Bloggers
Because they obviously don't have enough to do.
This has actually been brewing for a while as I pointed out a few months ago.
My first impression is that I have a hard time seeing how the FTC is going to practically make this work. But as Ann Althouse points out, the enforcement thing seems a little vague and selective:
Good point. No one really expects the FTC to be able to consistently apply its rules.
But then there's that pesky First Amendment. And the law of unintended consequences.
Since the announcement was made I've received a number of e-mails from folks all asking the same question: what does this all mean?
The more benign explanation is that the FTC is trying to crack down on so-called "pay per post" schemes that could appear misleading to the public. The more conspiratorial line of thinking is that the goverment is trying to suppress free speech.
I'm inclined to side more with the latter explanation. My bet is this will end up at the Supreme Court before it's all over. Meanwhile, ordinary citizens like me will have to figure out how to cope with yet another set of onerous government regulations.
It's enough to make me sick.
This has actually been brewing for a while as I pointed out a few months ago.
My first impression is that I have a hard time seeing how the FTC is going to practically make this work. But as Ann Althouse points out, the enforcement thing seems a little vague and selective:
The most absurd part of it is the way the FTC is trying to make it okay by assuring us that they will be selective in deciding which writers on the internet to pursue. That is, they've deliberately made a grotesquely overbroad rule, enough to sweep so many of us into technical violations, but we're supposed to feel soothed by the knowledge that government agents will decide who among us gets fined. No, no, no. Overbreath itself is a problem. And so is selective enforcement.
Good point. No one really expects the FTC to be able to consistently apply its rules.
But then there's that pesky First Amendment. And the law of unintended consequences.
Since the announcement was made I've received a number of e-mails from folks all asking the same question: what does this all mean?
The more benign explanation is that the FTC is trying to crack down on so-called "pay per post" schemes that could appear misleading to the public. The more conspiratorial line of thinking is that the goverment is trying to suppress free speech.
I'm inclined to side more with the latter explanation. My bet is this will end up at the Supreme Court before it's all over. Meanwhile, ordinary citizens like me will have to figure out how to cope with yet another set of onerous government regulations.
It's enough to make me sick.
Monday, June 22, 2009
Nanny State To Regulate Bloggers
According to the Associated Press, the Federal Trade Commission is targeting thousand of bloggers (like myself) who dare to post reviews on the Internet:
Memo to the FTC: no one is lining up to offer me laptops, free trips, gift cards, or anything else of value. I don't know who these people are that are getting such perks.
Just so it's clear to everyone, I do get free stuff. I get books, DVDs, and CDs from time to time. Because I write for Blogcritics, I have access to a lot of free stuff. I've had an opportunity to review a lot of items over the past few years. I've had a chance to interview many authors. But I haven't made much (if any money) in the process.
Normally, if there is an item I am reviewing for Blogcritics (or any other blog, for that matter), I get an advance copy of a particular item. It may be a DVD screener for an upcoming show, a CD before its release, or an advance copy of a book. It's the exact same stuff that other media outlets such as newspapers and magazines receive to publish the same types of reviews. I don't make any money unless someone clicks through a link in my review to a site selling the item or they happen to click on one of the advertisers in the sidebar and buy stuff.
To go one step further, the amount of money I make on such sales is miniscule. I have made very little money blogging and certainly don't have any illusions about getting rich doing it.
I review items because I enjoy it and not because there is any financial incentive.
It seems to me that the government is going to have an extremely hard time enforcing these rules. There may be abuses such as those that this article sites but those cases are isolated at best.
I'm inclined to concur with Ed Morrissey that perhaps this whole kerfuffle is evidence that we can afford to disband the FTC.
Savvy consumers often go online for independent consumer reviews of products and services, scouring through comments from everyday Joes and Janes to help them find a gem or shun a lemon.
What some fail to realize, though, is that such reviews can be tainted: Many bloggers have accepted perks such as free laptops, trips to Europe, $500 gift cards or even thousands of dollars for a 200-word post. Bloggers vary in how they disclose such freebies, if they do so at all.
The practice has grown to the degree that the Federal Trade Commission is paying attention. New guidelines, expected to be approved late this summer with possible modifications, would clarify that the agency can go after bloggers — as well as the companies that compensate them — for any false claims or failure to disclose conflicts of interest.
Memo to the FTC: no one is lining up to offer me laptops, free trips, gift cards, or anything else of value. I don't know who these people are that are getting such perks.
Just so it's clear to everyone, I do get free stuff. I get books, DVDs, and CDs from time to time. Because I write for Blogcritics, I have access to a lot of free stuff. I've had an opportunity to review a lot of items over the past few years. I've had a chance to interview many authors. But I haven't made much (if any money) in the process.
Normally, if there is an item I am reviewing for Blogcritics (or any other blog, for that matter), I get an advance copy of a particular item. It may be a DVD screener for an upcoming show, a CD before its release, or an advance copy of a book. It's the exact same stuff that other media outlets such as newspapers and magazines receive to publish the same types of reviews. I don't make any money unless someone clicks through a link in my review to a site selling the item or they happen to click on one of the advertisers in the sidebar and buy stuff.
To go one step further, the amount of money I make on such sales is miniscule. I have made very little money blogging and certainly don't have any illusions about getting rich doing it.
I review items because I enjoy it and not because there is any financial incentive.
It seems to me that the government is going to have an extremely hard time enforcing these rules. There may be abuses such as those that this article sites but those cases are isolated at best.
I'm inclined to concur with Ed Morrissey that perhaps this whole kerfuffle is evidence that we can afford to disband the FTC.
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