One Year of Emphasis Added… and Counting
Pardon a brief break from the ranting to mark an important milestone – at least around these parts. Last year on this date, I took the plunge into the blogosphere as a way to finally do some writing that I care about. It took a while to find a voice, but I believe the exercise of posting four or five times a week and engaging with a small but engaged and supportive readership has pushed me to think better, write better and become part of a wider community of intellectually-engaged people.
It’s been a great ride so far – certainly one of the best things in my life in the last year, and I’d like to publicly thank many of the people who make it so rewarding. At the risk of sounding like an Oscar speech, my heartfelt gratitude goes out to:
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Salon, for building us this pond to play in and even maintaining it once in a while.
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MediaPlant for hosting services, and Andrew Lueck for design help with the new look.
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Fellow bloggers Rayne, Jan the Secular Blasphemer, Pesky Susan, Kriselda at Different Strings, World-Saving Dave Pollard, Rich Pure and Simple, Patriotically Incorrect, Flitchyboy, FIONA, and our departed brother-in-spirit, The Raven (to name just a few) for their support, encouragement, and commitment to excellence on their own sites.
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Mark Hoback, proprietor of Fried Green Al-Quaedas, deserves special mention for founding and editing the great webzine Virtual Occoquan, and seeing fit to include my stuff in it from time to time.
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Readers who have taken the time to comment over the last year: Harald, Steve, Mepriser, Guy, Wilkins, Dave, Jimbo, Bruce, Mark and the others who have not only slogged through my prose day after day but often find something smart and useful to add that I hadn’t thought of.
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Finally, big thanks to Duffy (who I know personally) and Matt DeLuca (who I don’t) and all their conservative buddies who take the time to consider a different point of view and who keep this site from becoming an “Amen corner” for frustrated lefties.
Sorry if this all sounds so serious and self-important, but sticking with this for a year was an important goal for me, and to the extent the experiment has been at all successful, I want to celebrate it and the people who made it so. So thanks everyone, and be sure to stick around for Year Two!
Notes of Encouragement
The following folks were kind enough to write a few words on the occasion of the one-year blogversary.
The Raven:
This is the voice of the Raven. In the several past months you've seen a number of new blogs emerge on Salon. Some of these have succeeded, and some have crashed and burned in a smoking justice as profound as the contempt in which they were held by a wise readership. Some notables have drifted away, yet while there's breath there's hope.
Emphasis Added remains a stalwart among the shining stars that form the Salon constellation of literary voices, and for good reason. Few writers can match Rob's consistency and fewer still can turn eloquent and persuasive arguments with the precision and authority that define the EA eye. In a world of punditry gone sadly wrong, that daily appears yet even more unbalanced and unfair, Emphasis Added makes the case for heartfelt compassion and reasoned analysis - commodities woefully short in supply and ever welcome in this, a parched and restless desert of shambling, attention-seeking dilettantes.
Our congrats on your first anniversary, Rob. We'll be here for the next.
Rayne Today:
Here’s to Rob Salkowitz on his first blogiversary!
Rob was one of my inspirations for taking up blogging; glad to see he’s slugged it out and gotten the first year under his belt. I’m grateful for his insightful writing, grateful for another lefty who doesn’t let the right get off lightly.
Wish you many more blogiversaries to come, Rob!
Brian Duffy:
Congrats on one fine year of EA. I have enjoyed the perspectives contained herein, and, while I most always disagree with those perspectives, it helps me to see what the obstacles to positive change are. I tend to be an optimist when it comes to the ability of humankind, perhaps here at EA is where I get a dose of reality. May we all enjoy Life, Liberty and The Pursuit of Happiness! If only I could get the libs out of the way, I would get there. And Rob, I sense that someday you will see the light, and I will welcome you with open arms. The intellectual truth will set you free!!!
Steve:
Happy Birthday to You Rob and to your primo Weblog. "Emphasis Added", better than many Sandwiches.
Rich Pure & Simple
The diversity expressed by blogs in the hereabouts is perhaps what keeps us all thinking, entertained and motivated to continue. In other words, blogs are many things to many people. Unequivocally you're looking at one of the best in EA folks. Rob combines an innate and amazing intelligence - which he actually uses before he blogs - together with a semi-formal and very eloquent writing style that makes him, in my opinion, one of the top five bloggers in Salon. Rob, I sincerely hope to continue to enjoy your almost daily musings and editorial essays - a first and "must" read. Now blow out the candles.
Thanks one and all! [OK, orgy of self-congratulation over - back to the ranting]
7:17:01 AM 
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