About this blog

When I launched this blog in September 2011 I was suffering from a massive case of writer’s block. And I was curious about how to do a blog. Thus, my primary goals have been to practice writing quickly on topics of interest to me (as in”writers write”) and learn which buttons to press without blowing anything up.

Note that Olympia Views is a sociological experiment rather than a “real” news media outlet, so don’t be surprised if it exits the scene as quietly as it entered. The work will continue even if this blog does not.

“So, you don’t have much of a format, do you?”

Not really. Olympia Views has organically evolved into offering a fluid mix of commentary on breaking news, an Utne Reader-style survey of interesting content from wherever, and think pieces of varying length that have something vaguely to do with the relationship between media, politics and “sustainable” public service in Olympia, Washington. Since we are a capital city, that inevitably means a blurring of the lines between state and local issues — with national and international dynamics also sneaking in.

Once in a while I have thrown in some bad fiction, usually satirical. If you aren’t sure whether I’m pulling your leg, check the tags or look for an editor’s note at the bottom of a posting. Other times you may have been confronted by the unbearable liteness of emo. Sigh.

“How often do you post?”

Don’t expect it until you see it. Typically I’ll post from two to five pieces a week. If you only check in once a week, the best time do so would be late Sunday. I do most of my writing on the weekends. Or you could subscribe (see the right-top corner). Know that my copy editor usually doesn’t show up until after I post.

“You call this journalism?”

Sort of. But not really. It’s a classic pajama blog by a former journalist who is attempting to recover actual opinions from the deep recesses of a professionally constricted psyche.

And, if I may be so bold, this blog is the journalistic equivalent of slow food. Yup, welcome to slow news! Instead of incessantly rushing to keep up with daily events 24/7, I’m more interested in taking a step back and asking: What’s the larger context here? What are the longer-term implications? How might this event help us to re-envision the future differently?

This is why I routinely violate a major rule among the professional bloggers: Don’t write about something that is more than a few days old. Sometimes I may hold back on writing a story for weeks if I’m still percolating about what an event means to me.

“The Stranger is snarky; why aren’t you?”

Because it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks. Instead I aim for a more detached analytical perspective that may often be most at home in a graduate school seminar.

People who are not used to having their underlying assumptions questioned could sometimes take offense to my musings. If so, know that I try to take to heart a former professor who called on students to be “tough on ideas and kind to people.”

“So then why do you insult them?”

Are you referring to David Brewster? The local Green Party? Erik Smith? The LOTT Clean Water Alliance? I don’t mean to insult. But it is something I’m working on in therapy. See, my dad was raised in Brooklyn.

“Who the hell are you, anyway?”

That’s another question for therapy. But if you must know, I’m a long-time resident of Olympia with a mix of experience in both the news media and state and local government. My biases tend more to the “progressive-green” realm, but my journalistic instincts focus on open and effective government operating in the public interest.

May I pontificate for a moment? I believe that no political party or ideology has a lock on the “best way” to organize government, but all too often a toxic brew of hyper-partisanship makes sustainable institutional reform difficult even at the local level. This needs to change if we are to have any hope of solving the increasingly complex problems of our time.

“Is you an ethical aggregator?”

Depends on how you define “is.” Let me explain with the help of my attorney. In November 2011, pioneering aggregator Jim Romenesko became the lightning rod for a journalistic debate about attributing the work of others. Here’s the backstory.

This incident validated my old-school approach of putting quotes around anything that I use directly from another author. In addition, when I paraphrase you should always find a nearby link to the base story and, where appropriate, a mention of the author. (Let me know if you don’t.)

Another issue that emerged in the Romenesko debate was the practice of “over-aggregation” — reproducing such a substantial portion of the original story that the reader may not have a motivation to follow the link. This is a slippery slope. However, one of my goals has been to try to not merely condense, but to also add original thought. Or a synthesis of multiple sources. Or a dash of absurdity.

“What’s with all the links?”

For you to click on! I don’t link to something unless I think it is worth your while (unless, of course, I’m doing a critique). There’s a rich and wonderful world of good reading out there, and with great enthusiasm I’d like to introduce you to juicy slices of it.

Another good reason to click on the link to a base story is that success in the Intertubes is often judged by traffic. By clicking to the base story you are saying “thank you” to the author. The number of page views he or she generates could even determine their livelihood. So don’t be lazy — click on those links!

“How can I tell commentator Tom Hyde he’s full of shit?”

Olympia Views offers three ways for you to connect. You can rate a story, press the star button at the bottom of the page if you like a story, or you can leave a comment. Your feedback and ideas are always appreciated.

If you are a first-time poster, your comment will need to be approved before it actually posts — which generally means either early morning or late evening. Once you are approved you can post subsequent comments immediately and without moderator approval.

My goal is to cultivate discussion that operates with the civility, depth and self-reflectiveness of a good seminar. As a matter of principle I post all comments that are critical of this blog as long as they are respectful, on topic and fit the format. Those commentators who would prefer Jerry Springer-style rhetorical food fights are invited to go to the many other readily available venues.

If you’d like to chat off-line, send me an email at olympiaviews@yahoo.com. However, I should say up front that my schedule is daunting enough that I’ve had difficulty responding in a timely fashion to reader queries. My sincere apologies.

– D. Lemming