Welcome to my slightly extended world

For quite a while now some of the best bloggers have imitated us columnists. They intersperse their diaries, full-length research papers, desert island disc selections and two-sentence aphorisms, with well-constructed 1,000 word essays. These essays now include links to related materials, comments boxes for instant responses, all of which create an instant interactivity. The result is quite a challenge to us print-johnnies, because when these essays are good (and some of them really are), the interactive element means that something is added that we just don't have.

We can do one of two things. Argue that no-one reads this stuff anyway, or that the readers are likely to be slightly mad men in middle age. It doesn't matter, it'll probably go away. Well, for every blog commenter there'll be ten lurkers, and in any case I read blogs, even if no-one else does.

So the second option is to get stuck in. And some of my columnist colleagues already have: Nick Cohen of the Obs, Johann Hari of the Indy, Melanie Phillips of the Mail, Stephen Pollard of just about every publication are just four that I know about.

The advantages of having a blog seem to be the following:

1. Makes the columnist/blogger feel young and trendy.

2. Collects all his or her writings in one place so that people who have missed musings on, say, circumcision for the Jewish Chronicle can come to the blog to find them.

3. Gives the printed stuff added shelf life; it stays around longer before ending up lining the budgie's cage.

4. Allows the col/blog to get things into print that no publication would ever commission, such as... well if you come back here periodically, you'll see.

5. Permits the col/blog to show you pictures of his cat. Why it's usually a cat, I have no idea, but it's nice to have a glimpse of the person behind the argument.

Them's me reasons, and the big question concerns keeping the thing going - and that's about reading. There's a comments facility, which I hope will be a kind of debating area. But I will kill trolls - there is something dispiriting in having a good discussion hijacked by a people of ill-will. Otherwise it's be Liberty Hall.

So, once again, welcome.

Comments

[Bill BaarB]

Welcome to the blogesphere from Chicago, Illinoios

[Andy M]

Good to see you getting with the programme, David. On behalf of slightly mad middle-aged men everywhere, I wish you the best of luck with your blog.

[David T]

Welcome to blogland, David.

We'll be sending over a few of our more idiosyncratic commentators shortly.

[Brian Hughes]

My two and a half week old effort hasn't, malheureusement, made me "feel young and trendy", quite the reverse in fact (even doing italics was a challenge and now my profile has vanished to the bottom).

But happily I'm not yet quite one of the "slightly mad men in middle age". Middle age doesn't these days start until you're sixty, does it?

[Fancyclown]

About time you had a blog, you're trendy now, but young?

Good luck with the marathon, not envious.

[Matthew]

Congratulations. I wish you luck with the comments facility, but I am pessimistic you won't have to close them down soon unless you spend all your time monitoring them.

[Neil]

Good to see you joining the "blogosphere" Dave,

Good luck with the marathon!

Can I get a hotlink in exchange for sponsorship??

Neil

[PooterGeek]

Good luck!

When Norm profiles you could you return my favour and put me down as your choice for Prime Minister?:

http://normblog.typepad.com/normblog/2004/07/the_normblog_pr_1.html

Is this enough creeping to get PooterGeek on your "Top Weblogs" list?

[Richard Sanderson]

This is marvelous news!
Welcome to the "blogosphere" David.
-Richard (Little Atoms)

[Nick (South Africa)]

Good luck David, your policy is correct, don't wast time on folks of ill will. Disagreeing is one thing, and I do disagree with some of your stuff, indeed a good deal, but the 'sneeriness' thing, dont waste time on it, just don't get sucked in.

If the poster cannot come accross with civil, all be it heart felt disagreement its not worth the mental and emotional energy involved.

I look forward to what you're doing...again Good Luck!

[wardytron]

How come Luniversal hasn't turned up yet? There's a new, pro-war, liberal, Jewish, high-profile blogger, who's allowing comments. This is Luni heaven, surely.

[David Golding]

Now if you could just get your brother Ben to start blogging...

[Tomahawk]

Hi David,

The onward march of muscular liberals in the blogosphere continues apace. BTW - I hope you'll put up the odd post on Spurs!

[Grievous Angel]

Welcome. An overdue move.

[Tomahawk]

Wardy:

It's starting to feel a bit like Harry's Place Mark II here (Harry's Plusher Gaff?) - we're already moaning about the same trolls!

David:

Comments are moderated, and will not appear on this weblog until the author has approved them.

I understand why you've adopted the policy you have in relation to monitoring posts, but vetting comments before they go up prevents "real-time" discussion. Depending on how long you take to read new comments, it could possibly take hours for something to go up and be responded to by others, whereas it need only take minutes. That could reduce site traffic. Why not just allow comments to go up immediately but adopt a post-hoc authoritarian approach to racists and trolls - delete their comments and serve them with cyber-asbos?

[Jeff Ketland]

Nice to see you've started a blog.
Good luck.

[Blog Patrol]

Aaronovitch -

"I will kill trolls"

One week of blogging and David is already making death threats.

[Mikey]

Good luck with the blog David.

Unfortunately I am not such a fan that you have started it.. means I will waste more time.

Away from my personal issue though - I enjoy reading your colummns..

[Judith]

Oddly, knitters' blogs have photos of rabbits. For example http://knittingincolor.blogspot.com/

[Eric]

Greetings from the drink soaked popinjays.

[goldpython]

Welcome to the blogosphere!

It's one of the most fascinating developments in years: World-wide publishing with almost no capital outlay.

I'm on the conservative side of most issues, but having a well written liberal side of the issues is key. It's the debate that's the important thing.

Good luck.

[Leighton Andrews]

Welcome to blogging, David.

Hope your blogging stamina is better than mine tends to be.

[Ginko]

Great!

[John Swaine]

Great to have you in the blogosphere by means other than proxy article linking!

You're an asset to the centre left and to journalism in general. Hope the blog goes well.

[Daniel M Harrison]

Good decision ... perhaps you'd like to take a look at my perspective on blogging which offers some useful tips which I posted as a 'Guest Author' on the following link:

http://freddkambo.blogspot.com/2006/01/on-blogging.html

Feel free to check out my own blog too which has attracted a fair number of high-profile readers and might also offer you some good insight. I think perhaps the idea that you don't allow real-time commentary is a little arcane (especially as you can edit out 'trolls' anyway and typepad, the service you are using, has a pretty good track-record of prevention of this kind of thing anyway): I've found that if you do it this way, it just shows how current you keep and manage the process. I think to be so heavy-handed sends the message that you you sort-of-but-don't-quite get the whole idea of blogs ... which is a shame, as you obviously do.

As I see it, writers coming to blogging - rather than the other way round - always tend to fare better in this 'nefarious' pursuit so I'm sure yours will be great - already on the 'favourites' of my laptop!

[Kelley Bell]

Well, I guess Im unique in one respect...I don't have a cat.

(My pet EATS cats.)