Q&A

I'm not sure why I don't respond to your responses, as Trevor pointed out in his response to Wednesday's blog. I can vaguely remember having a reason not to at some point, but that reason has since become irrelevant and forgotten. So, from here on out, I will make a conscious effort to respond to your responses, assuming they merit a response.

Response.

Usually, I'll just respond with my own comments in the comment section. (Maybe I won't even have to do a word verification since it's my own blog.) However, since Trevor's comment(s) raised a number of issues, I'm going to respond this time with an entire blog. It's also just an easy blog topic, which is nice.

Before I start the answering, let me say that this is exactly the type of conversation I've always hoped to stir up with the "What should I do with the blog?" questions. As any good writer ... er writing instructor will tell you, understanding audience is a crucial aspect of effective writing. I feel like I understand Bryan (plus I talk to him every day), and I have a reasonable understanding of Matthew, but beyond that, I don't know who is reading and what they want. That's why I ask the questions.

Now for some answers:

1. I do read your blog responses. I get an email from Blogger every time somebody responds to my blog. Assuming I have internet access and am running Microsoft Outlook, I get a desktop notice every time I get an email. So, I usually read your responses pretty quickly after you respond. The emails with blog comments are usually my favorite emails.
   
   
2. I don't agree that my lack of response to your comments precludes community. After reading your response, I decided that this blog has already created a community. The fact that Trevor and I communicate pretty exclusively through this blog proves that. A community is a place where people go to communicate about certain things. In my mind, there isn't a set number of communications that have to take place before that place becomes a community. At any rate, what I should have said is that I would have liked a bigger community.
   
   
3. At a further rate, I'm still totally down with the community aspect of this blog, but it also has other, potentially more important purposes for me now, namely:
   
   
   1. To prod me to write regularly. If I believe my own teaching, the best way to become a better writer is to write.
      
      
   2. To set an example for my students who are all required to blog.
      
      
   3. To showcase my writing skills to potential employers. It's not much proof, but at least I can put it on my résumé.
      

   These are some of the reasons I'm willing and partially excited about letting the QotD – blog starter though it was – take a bit of a back seat for now.
   

4. Another reason I'm considering chilling the QotDs is that not many people are answering them, even if they do respond to the blog. One of the QotD's purposes was to encourage response, but if you folks are responding to the blog in general without need for a question, then that purpose seems less valid.
   
   
5. With that in mind, I will begin test driving a new feature format next week. I don't want to devote certain days to particular sports, as Matthew suggested, because there isn't always MLB or NBA news, though there's always NFL news, much to my chagrin. I also don't want to limit my ability/desire to write on other topics, like the state of the blog, video games, or TV. Anyhow, here's what I'll try next week:
   

   Monday: Event of the Week
   Wednesday: Quote of the Week
   Friday: Question of the Week
   
   I'll deal with Tuesdays, Thursdays, and weekends as they come up, if they do.
   

6. I got this picture from MLB.com's Gameday feature. Once I found the at bat I was looking for, I used the print screen button to essentially copy everything on my screen, which I could then paste into whatever – I think I used Paint. From there, I just cropped out the excess, saved it as a .jpeg, and posted it.
   

A few other notes:

If you're the Mets, at some point you have to start thinking about replacing your training staff, right? Just look at their injuries. Ridiculous.

My other blog has undergone a revamping of sorts lately. So, it'll look a little different if you check it out.

Happy early birthday to stat boy who finally turns 21 tomorrow and should be drinking beers at the Milwaukee/Houston series this weekend.

(Possibly the final) QotD:

The NCAA football preseason coaches' poll was unveiled today. What do you think?

My take: Four ACC teams, including my alma mater? I like it. But considering the semester hasn't even started at most -if any - of these schools, it's safe to say that it's still early.