January 2008

I’ve been using Ecto 3 beta as my main desktop blogging client since upgrading my Mac to OS X Leopard in October 2007 and I have to say that I’ve quickly grown to like it. Each beta release shows improvement and I’ve only experienced a few bugs which are usually fixed by the next release. Beta releases are coming regularly and I’m currently at V3.0b24

Ecto 3 does things differently then its predecessor Ecto 2. From what I understand Ecto 3 is a complete rewrite.

I was hesitant to move to version 3 at first because they were so different but feel right at home with it now.

What makes you love to bog? With the two year anniversary of Meandering Passage this month I’ve been thinking what it is for me.

I’ve never entertained the thoughts of my blogging being about money or fame. Yes, there are a few ads on Meandering Passage but until this last month I’ve never made enough from them to even cover hosting. I doubt anyone would consider the amount of daily readers I attract as being any sort of fame, although I appreciate every one of them.

I did hope, when starting Meandering Passage, that my writing would have an impact, if not on others then on myself. While I can’t speak for the others, I can say that Meandering Passage has afforded me a positive outlet of thought and energy during a period when it was sorely needed.

There’s a difference between “loving blogging” and “loving to blog.” Many people start blogs because they love the idea of blogging and seeing their thoughts, concerns or daily lives published for the world to read. Everyone wants to be heard or have that fifteen minutes in the spotlight. Few who start a blog end up loving to blog.

Bogging itself, with regularly well written and informative posts, is hard work! Writers block is a very real part of the experience. Understanding that it’s not always going to come easy, learning how to go with the flow and connecting with your own creativity is key to viewing blogging as a positive experience.

It also helps to be open to change, willing to consider differing opinions and respectful of others.

My posts are not the final word on a subject, even for myself. My thoughts continue to congeal with additional consideration and the passage of time. Occasionally I might return to edit the post if I’ve drifted far enough away from center or if I’ve reached an understanding that improves greatly on the original content of the post. Most often I’ll let it stand the way it was posted.

For each post I write I literally read hundreds of posts from other sites. This reading provides me inspiration, subject matter and opportunities for learning how to improve my own writing and posts.

With blogging I utilize the Golden Rule, “Do unto other as you would have them do unto you.” I make comments to many of the regular posts I read, when I quote or use material from another source I go out of my way to give proper credit, and when disagreeing with someone I strive to understand their point of view, stay focused on the facts and not take or make it personal.

I knew when naming this blog Meandering Passage that my writing would tend to shift a bit as I found my own path. Since I write to please myself, breaking the rule for successful blogging that states you should have a narrow focus topic is no big deal.

Bottom line, as long as blogging is enjoyable and as long as I continue to love to blog, Meandering Passage will continue to have anniversaries.

I’ve always known that I learn more from a situation where I disagree with someone then when I agree with them. By disagreeing I’m in a position of reviewing my own beliefs, building my own arguments and trying to understand someone else. It’s always been a great opportunity for growth.

I’ve found that Kent Newsome presents clear reasoning for those things he believes in. So in the recent posts about iPods and digital music it’s been a pleasure to disagree with him.

The most recent round of this discussion has been at his blog via his post and comments on “More on iPods.“

While reading feeds this morning I came across a post by Kent Newsome titled “The Non-iTuners Manifesto.” I found it interesting in that Kent seems to be rejecting iTunes media in its whole because he feels it’s restricting, limiting and controlling:

We have previously rejected iPods, because we refuse to capitulate to iTunes, both the application and the format, as the toll road to our musical destinations.

We hereby reject iTunes movie rentals because we refuse to capitulate to idiotic viewing limitations

I have a different view on this. I have an iPod and I do sometimes use iTunes online. I guess there’s no surprise in this bit of knowledge since I’m a Mac user.

However, I use iTunes to the point of my convenience. No one forces me to be all iTunes or nothing. I get much of my music from sources other then iTunes, including purchasing CDs. I’ve been a subscriber to Netflix for years and plan on continuing to do so. Most of my movies will likely continue to be rented from Netflix but when it’s convenient for me I’ll probably rent a few from iTunes.

I’ve never had any problems with iTunes format or copy protection in music. I can play them where I want to and burn them to a CD if need be. I expect I’ll also find the movie rentals to be “workable” when I wish to use it.

I don’t subscribe to just one information source or blog on the Internet, I subscribe to many. By that same principle I like having various media sources, only one of which is iTunes.

No manifesto required.