Saturday, July 7, 2007

Local Blog Off To A Great Start

I discovered that The Sanford Herald has a blog linked from its front page online that is written by the editor, Billy Liggett. This got me pretty excited as I have my own personal blog, and I also started the one you are reading now.

During the recent Winston-Salem annexation, in which we were swept up, I wrote a piece on a reporter coming to my home to interview me on the annexation. Ken Ottenbourg, the Managing Editor for the Winston-Salem Journal, wrote a bit on his blog about that interaction with the reporter, and the whole idea behind "citizen journalism" in the new media age. It was fun to get a mention in Ken's blog. It was even more fun to learn of the local editor having a blog in Winston-Salem. And now I discover the local Sanford editor has a blog, which is even more, more fun.

So far Liggett has done a couple of product reviews, covered the US Women's Open (golf) and spoken on a couple of local articles/issues. It's a pretty interesting read. I will encourage him to keep the focus on his mission statement from the first day or so of his blogs inception:

"Well, my focus will mostly be this newspaper. This will be my way of answering questions we receive, defending the choices we make and explaining the direction The Sanford Herald is going."

It keeps the discussion local, and might stir some discussion on the local issues first and foremost, state and regional issues second, and national/world issues third. I'll be sure to send him some questions when I get settled in!

I wish Billy the best with his blog. Heck, maybe he will offer me some free lance work sometime!

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