Dollars to Doughnuts

David Rothman, in his lecture to us, noted that we can use the blogs as a way of becoming experts and displaying our expertise. Maybe I should go that route, as opposed to just sharing information and opinions on my interests. But the discussion then focuses on areas of expertise: in what area would I like to become an expert. Of course, the two ideas are not mutually exclusive. In fact, it would probably be best to have my expertise in an area in which I have interest.

Here's an option: doughnuts. I could become an expert in doughnuts. I could scour all the latest information in doughnuts through RSS. After a bit of learning, I could be an expert in the whys and wherefores of doughnutry. (I could start demonstrating my expertise by not using made-up words like "doughnutry.") I could share the latest information on new ingredients and baking methods which make doughnuts taste better or make doughnuts less unhealthy.

Let's give it a try:

Caffeinated doughnuts: by the end of the year, a scientist should have doughnuts with caffeine ready for public consumption. There's no word on, with the limited space in bakeries for doughnuts, how this will affect the availability of regular doughnuts. (Okay, not much for expertise, but I'm not there yet. I've just started.)

Pros:
Area of interest


Cons:
How much progress can be made in the doughnut industry?
Any discussion on the subject would probably include coffee. (Yeech!)
Might want to focus on healthful foods


And have a good day.

My Beef With . . .

I continue my niche exploration today with beefs.

Okay, this isn't so much a niche thing as it is putting my thoughts out for anyone to see even though there hasn't been much call for information on those with whom I am currently in dispute. However, misery does love company; so people might enjoy someone else shares having a beef with certain people.

Now, if I could focus my beef with people on people needing to be brought out of the shadows, there might be some use for it. Researching malfeasance could start reform and end up making the world a better place.

Pros:
Venting for the author
Commiseration
Reform

Cons:
Negative
Not really a niche
Low interest in it

There's my first beef. I have a beef with niche evaluations. They are so demoralizing.

And have a good day.

What He Said

Yes, I'm still trying to find a focus for this blog. However, I learned today, from David Rothman, that I'm not looking for a focus; I'm looking for a niche. So, please join me as I continue my search for a niche.

Here's a possibility. My son says some pretty humorous things. They other day, we were outside having lunch. Stephanie and I were commenting on how great the weather was that afternoon. Liam, still too young to understand measurements like this, looked up and said, "What's the temperature?"

Pros:
Liam's great
Liam's funny
Liam's adored by all
People hang on every word Liam utters

Cons:
Someone beat me to a blog about Liam's quotes.

And have a good day.

Word O' The Day

(continuing my exploration of possible focus points for the blog)

From where do words come? Someone makes one up and uses it long enough that others follow and use the word. Soon, it's used by many and news reports inform us about it being added to the dictionary. So, here's an option: a word-a-day blog where all of words are newly invented. Some may stick and some may fail, but they can all be traced back to here. Like "deort." Deort is that point when the dream becomes the reality. I wish to have a doughnut. While I'm walking to the bakery, I have a dream about eating a doughnut. I'm at the bakery and the moment I touch the doughnut is the deort moment.

Pros:
I would be able say I invented words
We'd have new words to overuse to the point where they become meaningless
Job security for folks who add words to dictionaries and for those who report on such events

Cons:
It'd never succeed
It's twice as much work as it would seem: I would need to invent words AND definitions
It'd be really embarrassing to misspell words I created

With that, we've come to the deort for those dreaming that this blog entry would end.

And have a good day.

Official First Post

Whoops. I forgot that the first post had directions to it. Even for a non-sequitur blog, this is going to be non-sequitur. Bear with me as I answer the question of my thoughts regarding Web 2.0 and Libraries 2.0.

I think there is a lot of anxiety over where technology is leading us. From other sources, I've heard about having our minds programmed into other objects, having chips implanted in our brains to read thoughts and transmit them to other humans instead of actually talking, and Second Life. I think Libraries 2.0 is showing us the information exchange of the future without too much scary stuff. (Okay, Second Life isn't so much scary as it is annoying.) Libraries 2.0 looks good. It's already becoming difficult to remember life before the web. Soon, all we'll have to do is wonder what life was like before the web, and a video will be beamed directly to our communication devices to show us.

And have a good day.

Ronnie Belliblog

One day, I drafted a fantasy baseball team fantasy baseball team and ended up with
Ronnie Belliard for no reason I could figure out. So, I thought I could either replace him with a player I actually wanted or I could become a fan of his. I did neither. I kept him on my roster for a while, but never actually created a blog to pretend I was a fan of his. Now is my chance.

Pros:
I have the opportunity.
He's as good a subject as any other relatively older player who could use a fan who doesn't really care much about him

Cons:
I don't really care much about him.
It's really only one joke. Two if you count the humor of calling it Ronnie Belliblog.
I'd actually have to keep up with his games. And his games are like every day. Who has time for that?
Ronnie Belliblog isn't really all that funny.
He's no longer on my fantasy baseball roster.

So, that's the long and the short of the Ronnie Belliard focus. Think about it. Give feedback if you'd like.

And have a good day.

An Introduction to My Blog

Hi,

I'm Mark.

For an assignment, I am to create a blog. I could just point to my real blog, but that has comments which may not follow company policy. This, I need to create a new blog. Ah, but on what should I focus. The list of choices is endless. Time is not. But I have made my decision.

My focus will be my focus. I will use this blog space to decide upon this space's purpose.

Join me as I explore the options of this space.

And have a good day.