Recessionary Blogging

Posted by JR on December 2 at 1:26 PM Last week I blogged about SixApart's laughable answer to the recession: a blogger bailout program. First, it was a rather callous way to brand the program. Second, a handful of free blogging memberships valued at $150 would hardly have an effect.

But then I began to feel bad. As I gathered with my family at Thanksgiving, I looked over the turkey and cubed stuffing and wondered: should I take the post down? Was I right to let loose on SixApart? I mean, this was, after all, the Blogosphere's ONLY contribution to these trying times.

Well, just now, I regained my convictions and will let the post live. This is because Ariana Huffington's fantastic (liberal) blog and community has thrown their Blogging hat into the economy ring with a far more useful, powerful, and touching approach:

"For months we've been inundated with the raw data of the economic meltdown: unemployment figures, foreclosure numbers, massive bailout stats. Here at HuffPost we want to do more to put a human face on the suffering. The recently laid off, the newly homeless, the students unable to afford college.

And who better to tell their stories than the people themselves?

So we want to hear from you. How is the downturn affecting you and your family? Have you lost your job? Your home? Are you seeing For Sale signs on your street? Are more businesses in your town going under? How are you making ends meet? What are you hearing from your friends, your neighbors, your coworkers? Even if you still have your job and your home, and the ability to send your kids to college, how has the deep economic recession affected your outlook, your mood, your spending habits? If you work for a charity or a food bank -- what are you seeing?"

The Huffington Post is brilliant. The Blogger bailout is a joke. Blogging is about telling stories, it's the man or woman facing unemployment, foreclosure, food stamps. The blogosphere can help by giving the suffering a podium, and giving the rest of us actual insight into suffering we might not be facing.

And, still, the site is as humble as ever:

"Blogging is clearly not the answer, but it's a wonderful survival tool. A way to connect to others, a way to stay on top of how others are coping, a way to reach out, a way to stay sane."

Amen. Great work, HuffPo. It's touching to see a blog with a business show some heart and a smart approach to current situations.

As a note: the post I pulled these quotes from is powerful and one of the best I've ever seen on Huffington Post. So read it in full.

Read Blogging the Meltdown here

Blog the Meltdown here

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