Phoenix Light Rail Opens

I’ve written several times about the Phoenix tech community. One of the issues is transportation. We’re so spread out and it’s not easy for people to meet up with others. Inevitably, you’ll have people driving 20-30 miles from all directions to meet up. It’s tough to get a group together to go out to some bars in downtown Phoenix if everyone has to drive home afterward.

While it won’t cure the problem, the Phoenix Light Rail will help scratch some itches and help feed the nightlife in downtown Phoenix, Tempe, and other cities struck by the route. The light rail was an extremely expensive project and will be convenient for a small percentage of the population, but it is a very welcome step in the right direction.

Follow the RailLife blog, and/or connect with Nick (@raillife) on Twitter to keep up-to-date with the Light Rail!

I wouldn’t read my blog.

I know a lot of smart people who are crappy bloggers. They each may have a plethora of useful information, but the way they approach the act of blogging leads seems to be flawed. And I think I’m one of them.

Here’s my problem:

My interests cover several different industries, more than one brain hemisphere, a couple of cultures, and too many demographics. So who is my audience? I don’t know. How do I write something that will appeal to my audience? By not writing at all.

I occasionally overcome that issue, but only when I have something I really want to get out there. The thought of writing something that will appeal to my “audience” is what keeps me from being a “better blogger” (whatever that means).

When I write something, I tend to make an article of it. I want it to be well thought out. I want it to be thought provoking. I want it to be some sort of literary masterpiece. What do I end up with? A bunch of words.

Why I wouldn’t read my own blog:

I read blogs via RSS, unless I’m searching for something. When I go through feeds in my RSS reader, I blaze through them. I read through them so fast, the blogs authors’ keyboards rumble. I glance at the title and I sometimes skim a sentence or two to see if it’s something absolutely interesting. Long posts, like the ones to be found on my own blog, usually get the least attention — unless the title reaches through my monitor and grabs me by the eyelids. Believe me, that doesn’t happen often.

I’m thinking about what to do to resolve this. I want to write more often and I want to overcome my “audience” issue. Someone who is interested in my philosophical meanderings probably won’t be too interested in a quick blurb about something code-related. I wonder if I should create a separate blog for code stuff. A blog for wordy articles about anything, mostly philosophical, career, marketing, etc. Maybe even a blog for photography and video. Maybe a blog about neat crap I’ve seen on the web. I see a lot of neat crap and might as well share it.

Should I?