This would be easier if it weren't so hard

Posted at 10:37 PM on May 1, 2006 by Bob Collins

In the blogosphere and even in mainstream media, there's a lot of talk about the effects that blogs are having now in politics and in the dissemination of information. There should be, of course. Giving voice to people who were relatively voiceless before, is a good first step in having something to actually listen to; stuff that can actually make a difference.

The unrecognize factor in calculating where this medium is going, however, is the effect of blogger burnout. Most of them simply don't last too long.

Blogging is hard. Mainstream media is no picnic either, but you get to go home at the end of the day and, most of the time, there's more than one of you. Oh, and you get paid.

Bloggers don't have that luxury. With a few exceptions, they have to come up with their own ideas, research whatever needs researching, and then find the time in their lives to actually write. And then do that four or five times a day.

When you get right down to it, not many people can sustain that. A voice today, is gone tomorrow.

All of that is a preamble to telling you that Backbone Minnesota's voice is the latest to fall silent.

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