91ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ÎÛ

Today is the one-year anniversary of 91ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ÎÛ’s blog going live. Last year on this date, after blogging under the radar for a few days, we officially added the blog to our home page. Since then, I think the daily exercise of blogging has proven valuable in ways that go beyond what we initially expected.

Today, the blog enjoys sponsorship (thank you, companies at right -->). However, even before the blog had this support, it had value that was real and almost tangible—albeit hard to define. I sought to define at least part of that value in this commentary, which talks about how the challenge of the blog actually serves our core product, the magazine.

Yet there is even more value than this. The blog has a significance independent of our other products. Through the blog, we are able to reach out to our readers far more frequently—and serve them with information in a more immediate and personal way—than we ever could before. The real joy and energy of blogging comes out of this direct connection to the audience.

I asked our contributors to share their thoughts about the experience of blogging during the past year. Here’s what they said:

Chris Koepfer: The metalworking industry is a community. Unfortunately, it’s a community too often isolated from much of mainstream society because the vital work we do creating economic wealth is under their radar. Whether it’s training, technical knowledge, products, services or processes, we have to help ourselves succeed. I believe that disseminating relevant content through any and all mediums available is one of the key ways we can do that. Besides, blogging about stuff I’m passionate about is fun.

Mark Albert: For me, blogging represents an outlet for certain kinds of messages that I might not otherwise get to express. What I like is that a blog doesn’t have to be neutral. In fact, I’ve learned that my blog posts are better when I have a personal, favorite angle or theme to promote. For example, I like to find connections between our industry and the fine arts because they both represent humanity’s creative impulse. See recent examples here and here.

Steve Kline, Jr.: Prior to blogging, I was putting my thoughts on economic trends “to paper” in 91ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ÎÛ magazine once per month. I would examine economic releases during the month, but I wouldn’t comment on them until the end of the month. Blogging has made me examine each piece of economic data more closely at the time it is released, which has allowed me to extract more information from them.

Derek Korn: What I appreciate about our blog is that more than one person contributes. Having multiple contributors with different backgrounds and interests gives the blog its inherent piquant zestiness.

Matt Danford: The blog provides an outlet for flair, humor and a more conversational tone that would seem out of place in other types of content. Additionally, I’ve found it offers a way to give readers a sense of context and space, especially for content garnered from international trips. Adding a few sentences of tongue-in-cheek commentary on a different culture provides a nice, conversational introduction before linking to a more technically-oriented piece.

Emily Tudor: I don’t write many posts, but I am the “woman behind the curtain.” I schedule the posts and figure out the best way to present the information to you, whether that be video, photo, link, etc. My favorite posts are the ones that take creative energy. I love helping our authors find that one photo that will help them better convey a message. (See Mark’s “dammit” post.) I’m working on incorporating video more often, and integrating the blog with our and accounts. If you have any ideas of what you’d like to see more of on this blog—a certain subject, more videos, less of a certain thing—let me know. We would love some feedback! Oh, and you can always leave a comment on the posts. We like those too!