Welcome back. You have been missed. I always start my day at work with a cup of coffee and a read of your blog (as well as La Shawn's). I get here early to avoid the Chicago traffic and you are part of my "personal time" before the battle begins.

I am management person for a large retailer and your words certainly resonate on customer service, We spend huge marketing dollars to just get you inside our doors and then we turn over "first contact" to someone who could not care less if you ever come back.Everybody has the same merchandise to sell. The experience and service is what builds business. I think I will hang this post in our break room.

oops I meant to put this comment on your verizon rant.

Rob--that's why I go to Trader Joe's, which has excellent customer service and good prices.

Your blog has more readers than my blog so I'd love to hear your tips.

This is a brave new world for me, as I have just recently discovered the cultural phenomena of blog. I complement you on your one year anniversary; it does give you the right to express and I will be interested to read and see what you say about blogging. I have submitted my URL and would appreciate any critical comments you may have. By the way, we do have something in common. I also attended Wesleyan. However, even though I have felt like a kid and was always the first in my family to do things, I'm kind of feeling my age by telling you that I graduated from there before you were born. Oh well! Peace

Ambra - I'm still working on my "future of blog medium" post, and I hope it will as awesome as I know the future of blogging will be.

I'm 15 pages into Hugh Hewitt's new book about the blogging explosion, and it's a very good read. I recommend you read that as you prepare your post, as well. I hope to have mine up sometime tomorrow.

I'm glad you and your sister arrived home safely. :)

Where are you Ambra? We miss you. Hip Hop needs you. Hit me back on email.

How timely.
Check out this blog. It's a review on a new book by Hugh Hewitt titled, Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation. It may be of interest to you.

Here's a quote from the review:

In explaining the twenty-first century “information reformation” Hewitt compares it to the sixteenth century’s Protestant Reformation. While many others have compared blogging to the invention of the printing press, Hewitt delves into the history of the event and shows how a young monk named Luther used the new technology to transform Western culture. In doing so he revives an often overused metaphor and gives it new life, making a convincing case that 2005 really is “1449 and 1517, at the same moment.”

Not sure If I agree with all that, but it's something to seriously consider.

Anything that promotes relationship and learning is good in my book, that's why I like blogging. The future? I see much more art getting done on the 'net, there are so many toys that are compatible with it. But the real thing to tackle will be places where congregation and concensus can take place. But something like that requires a lot of time to be devoted to it. The future for me, at least immediately, is to make sure that what I do on my site is to write more than I blog. All the social things about blogging can be distracting, I mean everyone loves readers and getting comments, but I've found that the more I focus on what I want to do, the more readers I get. those are my random thoughts, and now back to work...

in my limited time in the blogging world, it's been nice to see the creative branches it's taken. photoblogging, audioblogging and sites like this that contain running thoughtful commentary are always hopeful signs for the medium.

just noticed you were down to my (now)home town of Dallas. still learning to appreciate it myself, but it has it's good points.

I would say.
1. blog daily
2. have opinions
3. Look for humor
4. Read widely
5. Use RSS feeds
6. Provide focus in disputes.
7. have a literate focused troll on the board with a thick troll skin.
8. Make examples and highlights of how to disagree with some decorum.
9. Give blog points or stars to bloggers who blog often and well. ones that stop and make you think.

Also, have good bandwidth

I've been to around 100 blogs, and I don't like a lot of them because they're not well-written. Some are not concise, not focused, or they're just a rehashing of what others are saying. There are less than 10 blogs that I read per day.

The first thing I look for in a blog is whether the person can put together a complete sentence. If I see a lot of "IM Speak" -- i.e., "u r 2 cool" -- I'm out and I won't return.

The next thing I look for is to see whether the writer has the ability to form an independent opinion about something, or if they're just spouting off because it's the popular opinion. Don't just say something stinks because everyone else says so -- tell me why you think it stinks. And don't be afraid of having what you think might be an unpopular opinion -- it's YOUR blog. Say it, sister!

Then the last thing I want is to be able to read about more than what you did/ate/etc. that day. But I don't want to read a rehash of cnn.com and yahoo.com. I want some originality, not the same stuff I could read in the paper. ZZZZzzzzz...

Glad to see you Ambra! And I, as always, enjoy reading your blog.

You are a charming blogess who happens to be black. Please don't become a black who happens to be charming.

Nykola, turn off the TV and start bothering people again.

I did have this nightmare last night. I was hitting submit on a blog post and it kept submitting the comment twice.

Not sure how many of these are cliches but here goes:

1. Blog regularly. If you don't post, you're toast.
2. Link to other bloggers, especially good ones with small audiences. They'll appreciate the traffic and your readers will appreciate your finding something off the beaten path.
3. Trackback. The only certain way to get a link to your blog on Powerline and other big blogs.
4. Leave comments on other blogs you like. Bloggers love comments on their posts, especially complimentary ones.
5. Vary your posts--some long, some short, some funny, some serious. Use humor if you can.
6. Don't neglect appearance for content. Slip in a photo or two now and then. Work on making your blog visually appealing as well as intellectually appealing.
7. Self-promote! When you compose a post that you are particularly proud of, let other bloggers know with a quick email, particularly if they're covering the same story.
8. Form alliances with other bloggers based on interests, geographic location, political orientation, or other criteria.

If you want to be loved, get a dog. If you want to be a blogger, stick to your guns.

Meanwhile, this whole medium is amazing. You see, there I was with my Minnie Pearl hat (Grand Ol' Opry) and my 20-pound pocketbook - strolling through the isles at Instapundit. The salesman, Glenn, said I should blog on over to "The Shark" (Stefan Sharkansky @ Sound Politics) - who in turn bloggitted me here.

Three good turns, just like that. But now I have to find my way home... and let you young people work things out.

Thanks for the tea, Nykol...

Write what you think, when you think it, and be ready at all times to tell the whole world to just piss off if they don't like it.

It's just about that simple.

I came to your site because you got major kudos from Michelle Malkin. She is a highly respected blogger in her own right and she was right on target with your site. You have opinions without being obnoxious, your passionate but not fanatical. Your writing is logical and inciteful. Ok enough ego-feed...what I don't like about your blog is...well, you could improve it by...let me think about that and get back to you.

Thanks

E