Publishing a blog is like blowing bubbles. You never know what direction your thoughts will take or when one of them is going to pop. Certainly, Lyle Denniston of Yahoo News stirred up a lot of bubbles the other day, when he wrote about the use of Presidential Executive Power under the United States Constitution. http://news.yahoo.com/constitution-outside-courts-president-obama-110205354–politics.html On the surface, it didn’t strike me as a subject with much bounce. Franklin Delano Roosevelt issued 3522 orders. Barrack Obama has issued 168. So? Yet, by last count, Denniston’s blog had received over 3,000 responses.
Okay, what was I missing? I didn’t see lewd pictures on the site or offers for a free Chia Pet.
I’d like to know what draws Denniston’s audience because my little soap box attracts neither bubbles nor crowds. Most of the time, I’m convinced I’m talking to myself. Occasionally, someone drops by to prove me wrong, which is great.
A few weeks ago, one reader took the time to remark that in one of my blogs I’d failed to make a distinction between an atheist and an agnostic. He was right. I didn’t make a distinction because I don’t believe one exists. A person who is unsure about God isn’t a believer, plain and simple. Nonetheless, I embraced his contribution because he’d bothered to make one.
Which brings me back to Denniston. He’s a man to be envied, not because numbers are an end in themselves, but because with so many readers airing their opinions, he gets a sense of direction. He knows what’s important to them and what isn’t. As I am about to begin my fifth year of Write Away, I’d welcome similar comments and suggestions.
(Courtesy of zongrik.wordpress.com)
