Well, I’m finally taking the plunge on this whole blog thing. Having watched others blogging for years, and getting a sense of what is involved, I’ve decided that this little postage stamp space of the Internet shall be mine!
To get the show on the road, I’ve decided to do a pre-blog blog. In this entry I want to put out a few faqs…which for the luddites (like me) means Frequently Answered Questions.
Who are you? Why are you starting a blog?
My name is Paul. I’m married with 4 girls. I live in Tipperary here in little old Ireland. I graduated from University College Cork in dental surgery in 1997. I’m starting a blog for a number of reasons. Over the years I’ve followed a very interesting blog by Joseph Mallozzi. He is a television writer and producer in Canada. He was a show runner for the tv series Stargate Atlantis and wrote for other Stargate shows. Joe is currently show-runner for the new tv series : Transporter : The Series.His blog, however, deals not just with television but with books, music, politics, food, sport and a host of other topics. I admire how he blogs everyday. And I mean everyday, hail rain or shine. It’s a great read and (television/sci fi aside) is interesting in its own right. Joe also runs a monthly online book club which suggests titles I would never have considered. His excellent blog is at : http://josephmallozzi.wordpress.com
Are you just emulating Joe?
No, but I am basing (a little) of the content on what he does over at his blog. I hope, later to also run an online book club, perhaps more general fiction than sci fi. That is certainly yet to be decided.
Why the moniker? Why not just call it after your name? Are you hiding behind a mask? No! I am not hiding behind a mask, in fact you can tweet me over on twitter at http://www.twitter.com/ShirtnTie The story behind the name is a long one, which I will be addressing in a future blog! Stay tuned.
What can I expect from this Blog? Is it Political?
I am hoping the blog will help to hone some writing skills. Using a newspaper column style and limiting myself to 1,000 words per entry, I hope to whittle down a topic to a palatable size, rather than long reams of coherent “rambling”.
While the blog may touch on several political issues currently in Ireland, it is not intended to be solely political. That said, anyone living in this country right now who isn’t political is a rare species indeed.
Will you blog daily?
No. I intended to blog on a weekly basis. Publishing on a Friday, limiting the blog to 1,000 words.
What topics will you discuss?
Anything (within reason)
I read many blogs everyday. Why should I read yours? I don’t have that kind of time. Agreed! That’s why I’m limiting the blog to 1,000 words. The size of a newspaper article/column.
Are comments moderated?
Yes. I don’t forsee a huge amount of traffic here, but comments will be moderated. Also, like Joe, I intend to run a “mail bag” of sorts once a month for questions that may arise (again within reason, common sense and good tase!)
Haven’t I seen you some place before?
Probably, I have that kind of face. No, seriously, I contribute (monthly) to a national newspaper’s health supplement on the topic of dentistry…BUT!!!….This blog here is in no way connected, aligned or bears any relation to that. It is a separate entity and views expressed here are my own- strictly my own. Let me be clear also that this is not a “dental helpline”, though of course, I will discuss some dental topics and will also help (wherever possible) with certain dental queries.
So when do you get started?
This Friday. First blog, limited to 1000 words will be titled : The Trouble with Twitter.
shirtandtie 