The Huck Upchuck Toasts The Daily Dish

Andrew Sullivan is celebrating 10 years blogging at his site, which he calls "The Daily Dish." Today, Andrew has been featuring reactions to his 10-year blogging anniversary from around the blogosphere. So, I thought I'd throw my two cents on the table. I'm just a small-fry, occasional blogger; but I've been at this blogging thing fairly consistently myself for more than 8 years. It's worth noting that the very first sentence of my very first blog posting (Wednesday, August 14, 2002) reads:

My foray into web-logging owes much to Andrew Sullivan, who I consider to be THE pioneer of the medium.

I've been reading "The Daily Dish" nearly every day since it started 10 years ago. Occasionally, I write to Andrew Sullivan to share my thoughts and discoveries with him. (One time, in the early years of his blogging career, Andrew even kindly wrote a personal email back to me.) And what a thrill it has been on those few occasions, even as recently as this past summer, when Andrew considered what I had to contribute worthy of publishing on "The Daily Dish" as a reader comment or contribution.

As for my own blogging, I can't claim that it has made much of an impact in moving issues and debate, even local ones; but I can say upon reflection that it has also not been insignificant. For instance, when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans and when the levees failed to hold, blogging was what ended up being the glue that kept my professional and intellectual community together. I crafted a blog which served as the unofficial website of my place of employment, the Stone Center for Latin American Studies at Tulane University. That blog was crucial in pulling our scattered diaspora of faculty, staff, and students together. That's just one example. I've also used (and continue to use) blogging as a pedagogical tool. I don't want to belabor the point, but I just wanted to say that blogging has enriched my life, and I like to think it has made some small positive impact on the world in which I live. It has certainly given me joy and happiness over the years. And it all goes back to "The Daily Dish." Thanks, Andrew.