Sometimes I’m asked why I blog. (Most other times, people don’t really want to know and I’m looked at with a mixture of scorn and pity as if I just admitted that I collect dead bugs.)

Well, the answer, for me, is that I blog because deep inside, I’m still an adolescent. I’m still that awkward, chubby girl with bad skin, sitting in my bedroom, listening to Elton John and writing madly in my diary. For me, writing has always been the only way to explain what was going on in my head. But that’s only half of it.

I also blog because, if I’m lucky, once a year, somebody will come up to me in the grocery store or at the car wash, and say: “I like what you wrote. You get it.” To me, a simple comment like that makes me walk on air for a week. And it helps me forget when my dad asks me about “that thing you’re doing for free…your…what do you call it – glog?!”

We bloggers are certainly not doing it for the money, because, there is none. And although some bloggers out there on the internet are paid, I have neither the knowledge nor the wherewithal to figure out how to make that happen. Besides, the 10 or 20 Wauwatosa people that stumble on my blog are a decent audience. Heck, that’s a good-sized crowd for Thanksgiving, so who am I to complain?

This week, about 30 of us blogging types gathered at the Journal Sentinel offices. We came from all corners of the metro-Milwaukee area. We all have different reasons to blog and different ways of going about it. Some want to effect change in their communities.  Others, like me, just have the writing bug and wouldn’t mind adding a touch of humor or interest to somebody’s day.

On hand to cheer us on were “the bigs” from the Journal Sentinel: President and Publisher, Betsy Brenner, Sr. VP/Editor Marty Kaiser and Sr. VP/Interactive Media and Audience Development Sharon Prill. They told us that we were “the future” of what’s going on in journalism (Ray Py will love hearing that) and that they were working hard to stay on top of current and emerging trends. We even got a sneak peek at some new website technology that will affect us all, hopefully, in a positive way.

We were given ample opportunity to ask anything we wanted about the Journal Sentinel. The one question that I had, and was asked by someone else, was about the future of the Journal Sentinel. Brenner and Kaiser answered deftly, albeit also vaguely, basically explaining that recent changes made were based on market conditions and information that was available more readily and more up-to-date elsewhere (such as stock quotes). It’s an uphill battle. Sadly (a self-defeating statement coming from a blogger), more and more people are getting their news from the internet. The Journal Sentinel is working hard to get a piece of that action, but I can’t help but be concerned about the future of my favorite early morning routine – reading the local paper. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer of us reading the Journal Sentinel every day. Sigh.

I guess what I’m saying is three-fold: First, if you read my blog or other blogs, thanks. It means a lot. Second, be sure to share your thoughts, either through comments or e-mails. We don’t get paid, but feedback is awesome payback. Third, if you love reading the paper, subscribe to it, talk about it, buy it and talk about it some more. It won’t survive if readership dwindles. If you don’t like what you read, tell them about it. They welcome any and all comments.

You might not have noticed but your friendly neighborhood bloggers have some new tools for their blogs. Now we can add photos, links, and other enhancements to our blogposts. We're hoping this makes our blogs more inviting and interesting to read. In addition to our new tools, you also have some new tools. Now you have an opportunity to comment on our blogs. That's right, next time we say something that drives you nuts or perhaps something that sounds brilliant, you can say so, right below each of our posts. Oh and if you really want, you can even remain anonymous. I think I speak for all of the bloggers when I say that we put a fair amount of thought into our posts and it would be great if we could hear from you. So here's your chance!

We do ask that you be respectful and polite, but we'd expect nothing less from our fellow Tosans. So dig in, read our blogs and by all means, comment early and often!

Along with the ability to comment, there are two other really cool features that I wanted to point out. If you look on the right side of this page, you'll see a section called "Tags" with lots of different sized words. Those words represent categories. I've marked every one of my posts (over a year and half of them!) and tagged them. Click on the words and you'll find my posts related to that tag.

Then there's the section called "I heart these blogs." These are blogs that I recommend, starting with my own personal blog called Momhood which I've worked on for over 3 years. The others are just plain fun. You'll find cute puppies, the writing of Jess Riley who is a hilarious Wisconsin writer, an MU basketball blog and TMZ.com - famous people doing infamous things. Check them out and enjoy.

Oh and in case I didn't say it before, thank you so much for reading my blog. I really appreciate it because "I heart my readers!"

Last Thursday night, while you were sitting snugly in your homes, perhaps waiting for Grey’s Anatomy to start, your friendly neighborhood bloggers were gathering. No, it wasn’t really an apocalyptic event, but for us it meant free cookies, bottled water and the chance to match faces with names. We joined with more than 30 other bloggers from across the metropolitan Milwaukee area to talk about our CommunityNOW blogs, learn about new blogging tools (something you most definitely will not find out back in the shed) and see where the future of community journalism is headed.

These blogs that you regularly visit (you never call or write, but the statistics don’t lie) are apparently a source of a bit of excitement down at the Journal Sentinel offices. Because of our passion for writing and your passion for internet surfing, we’ve become quite the successful team – you and us.

There are nearly 80 bloggers spread between 25 communities. Some of us blog because of our passion for writing, some to speak out on issues and others still just to share a quip, a story or even a photo. We’re mad, we’re sad, we’re glad, we’re concerned. We’re young, we’re old and somewhere in between. We’re all of those things and we want to talk about it, which is why we blog. Thanks for visiting and be sure to drop us a line or an e-mail sometime!

Now that I have your ear, I also want to point out to you a new feature on the WauwatosaNOW site. It’s called The Tosa Town Square. It's over there, just to the right on the page you're looking at right now. Have you been there? Well, why not?! The Tosa Town Square is what is known, in web-speak, as a “social networking” tool. (Yes, I know - more tools. No, this is not Home Depot.) You go in, you look at the various categories, you click on them and read what your neighbors and fellow Tosans are talking about. And if you find it interesting, you can register and join in on the discussion. I know, “register” is kind of a scary word, but you actually give very little information and create a screen name. Why? Because the point of this “social networking tool” is that you’re anonymous. That gives you the freedom to speak out on issues (be nice please) and perhaps ask questions that may be sensitive, but are important to you. Or maybe you need to know where to find a business or a service. Let the Tosa Town Square help you! Just click on the “Enter Here” link and take a look around. Go ahead and give it a try! Tell them that one of your favorite bloggers sent you.