The Pontification Problem

This is my third shot at creating a blog. First time out was with LiveJournal, back when blogging was relatively new and scary. I posted a lot over several years, but things eventually petered out as the people I knew on LJ went elsewhere.

Second time out was with WordPress.com. In the wake of job loss and ahead of travel adventure, I was looking to make things more professional. That blog is still going but like its LJ predecessor, the one thing it lacks is focus: it’s where I spout off on any subject that takes my fancy, whether it be politics, travel, technology, games or literature. Which doesn’t exactly fit its initial mandate of being professional.

Which brings me to here and now, and to Svbtle, the stripped-down blogging platform that focuses on the words above all else. Communication, devoid of anything that might get in the way. More than fitting, given that communication is my primary professional interest. Svbtle, by its nature, lends itself to the focus I’m looking for.

So, I now have a subject to focus on and a platform to communicate through. Leaving just the issue that I call “the Pontification Problem”. In other words, “why should I think that I have the right to proclaim on any given subject”?

There are two main ways to gain legitimate authority on a subject: experience or research. Though I’ve spent years as a writer and editor, I’m going to be pushing beyond my comfort zone here, so I’m going to be drawing on research. I recently completed a Masters in Interactive Digital Media in Trinity College Dublin, where communication and media were key concerns. I’m going to take what I know, add to it with research and reading and see where that gets me.

Accordingly, my first goal is to take a look at various communication media, recap their history and take a look at where they stand in the current era of constant connectedness. Video, audio, text, social and more. In the process, I hope to build up a picture of the current world of communication, a foundation that I can build on as this blog moves ahead.

I also plan to be pretty regular with posting here, in the hope of building up both a habit and a following. News events and other topics may intrude from time to time, but for the moment I’ll stick to the overview goal. Once that’s done, we’ll see where we can go.