the sophomore edition

Ok I'm back for another short entry. The initial feedback from friends and
family about my blog have been good. It still seems like a rather new idea
to them though. That's ok, 5 days ago it was new to me too. I think my
biggest concern has been privacy and security. I mean, if this thing is
going to be searchable on the web, then anyone with any motive can access
it. I'm a believer in the the honesty of mankind and find people to be
mostly harmless who give an intimidating impression, but still you never
know.

Identity theft is an increasing problem in the USA these days. Last year,
someone stole a paycheck out of my mailbox and tried to get credit cards
in my name. Fortunately I was alerted to the problem before any harm or
money could be charged, but for thousands of others, it costs like 7-800
dollars to correct the problem.

And then there's the issue of privacy. What will people think of me? I
don't have a trendy angle on the news or technology. I just like the
latest things that make life easier or more interesting. But there's a
place on the web for all sorts. I'll keep my real name off this blog for
the time being, so you can just call me Fuzz or Jefe or Fuzzy Jefe if you
want.

I see that I can add design changes to my blog. That will be the next
thing I do, but right now I have to write a paper about native speakers in
second language acquisition! Hooray!

Starting to Blog

At first I was really skeptical about bloggers and blogging. I thought it was only for those who spend a lot of time on the internet and are opinionated enough to have to write something. Then I heard about how bloggers contributed to the exposure of the false military documents that CBS used to question the President's military record. And how they helped the press get the story right or wrong. Hmm, I thought, maybe blogging isn't that bad.

Then during my graduate studies, I heard about how blogging is changing how we use language. I'm an ESL teacher, so this kind of stuff interests me. And I know my students are blogging, so in an effort to relate to my students in class better, here I am. It's very freeing to have an outlet to write. Don't expect any radical conspiracy theories, or rantings from this blog. Maybe some political theories, language teaching ideas, and day-in-the-life reports to the fam. I like how the interests that I list connect me to other bloggers, interactivity is what blogging is all about.

So its takes a little bit of bravery to start blogging, but once you do, it grows and becomes easier. That's what I'm finding out. I'm open to your tips and thoughts about what makes a good blog. See you on the Net.