I’ve been a big fan of the local newspapers’ blogs for a while. My hometown paper, the Winston-Salem Journal was late to the party but they’ve been launching blogs at a nice clip lately. The Greensboro News & Record was very early to the blogging scene and they host quite a few good blogs. On top of that the N&R has also turned some independent bloggers like Dave Hoggard into regular columnists.
But neither of those fine papers has done what the San Francisco Chronicle has done. To wit, the Chron has turned "intrepid sexblogger/podcaster/author Violet Blue"(from the Boing Boing piece where I found this) into their newest columnnist. Her beat, as it were, is sexuality and you can read her first column here.
No offense to Hogg and the other local columnists, but I’m thinking that Violet Blue’s columns are gonna grab more attention than covering the status of the Ice House ever will and I’m wondering if the Piedmont Triad could boast something comparable. Sure this is Bible-NASCAR-BBQ country, and it’s a given that Ms. Blue has much more raw material for her column in SF than we have here, but we’ve gotta be able to do something a little more risque than Fathers After 40. How about this: a column that explores the intricacies of flirting two pews over, finding alternate uses for BBQ sauce (hate to say it, but the vinegar style might prove problematic) and how to really enjoy watching a bunch of paunchy white guys drive in circles. Hey, it’s a start.
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Befuddled 
great post, jon.
if i see any more blog titles referring to this ice house thing (isn’t that a beer?) i’m gonna yawn until my jaw unlocks far enough for me to swallow my laptop whole.
thank god for rss, eh?
I recently saw in the Journal that Teem is getting a technology blog. And then today, I saw an ad for two more Journal peeps doing an ice hockey blog.
I understand they are trying to keep up with the other papers, but the existing blogs read so… forced. Like assigned homework. Really, really resented homework. Which goes against my entire blogging philosophy (if you don’t enjoy writing it, we won’t enjoy reading it).
I swear to God the N&R had an article recently about a woman who makes her own BBQ sauce and applies it to customers as a body wrap.
I was actually planning on being dead before they did that to me.
And please, indirect heat only.
Sean, right on with RSS and I was getting a little burned on the Ice House thing too (especially since I don’t even live in G’boro).
Esbee, I absolutely agree with you although I didn’t really put my finger on the problem until you described it. I’ve also noticed that they are using services like Blogger to host some of them and I’m not sure if that’s because the folks had done them on their own to begin with, or if they just can’t wait to have their own tech people set it up, or if they are holding off on spending the resources to set them up until they know they’re “keepers.”
I’ve met and emailed with Joe Murphy (he’s one of the paper’s online tech guys) and I’m pretty sure he’ll chime in on this when he gets the chance. Compared to the thundering silence that we had from the Journal re. blogs this time last year I’m glad to see them at least giving it a try, and in their defense I know it took me a while to find my “voice” with this thing and I’m willing to bet at least some of them will find theirs. If they’re anything like me they’ll find it becomes a kind of compulsion.
Fec, let me know where that woman’s operating…I’m not eating at a restaurant within a square mile of the place. Is she giving massages or “massages”?
“Mothers Under 20” might be a worthwhile companion-blog to Fathers After 40. Did any of you see the chart in the “This Week” section Monday in the Journal? It broke down births to teenage mothers in the Triad (I think) by the mother’s age. Unfortunately, some of the mothers weren’t even teenagers yet.
Esbee, the blogs were all pitched by the people who are writing them. I don’t believe they’re forced. The reason they’re on quirky topics is because the Journal didn’t want to dive into blogging and just do more of the same stuff that was out there.