I think I found a new home...

As detailed, kind of, in the post below copied from my first blog, I am looking for solutions. The site I had started below was inadequate, and while busy linking some sites, I noticed that many of those people had their Blogs at Blogspot. Being the sensible person that I am, I checked it out, and with the addition of a couple of add-ons, turns out that this will suit me much better. So, here I am! clip... What follows are disorganized thoughts and ramblings about this blog: Toe In The Water... As I was looking for the past couple of days for a direction to take this blog I came across references to advertising on blogs. Specifically Blogads and Google ads. I mean, I have seen stuff about them before but have ignored them. Now I am interested. I started this blog on a free service, Seo Blog. When I decided to start a blog I looked at one that I had the technical skills to handle (limited), and the finances to afford (zero). The first one that I investigated that fit those criteria happened to be Seo Blog. So far, so good... I created my first 'testing, testing...' post, and it worked well. Then I started to customize my blog by adding a small graphic into the header, and quickly found out the limitations of free blog services. From this I am assuming that adding advertising to my blog may not be possible. There may be free blog services out there that allow me to customize freely, but I don't know about them. Yet. I could always ask for reader advice, but that brings up another area that is, understandably, severely lacking. Another item: Toe In The Water was started as a 'getting my feet wet' project, hence the name, and I don't know if I'll want to change it later or not. Or if it is possible to change... I may have to start another blog. I do own the name PaxAmericana.net, hosted on GoDaddy.com, but was unable to figure out how to use WordPress there... remember the limited technical skills. As most can deduce from the name, I had a particular direction for that site in mind when I created it. This brings to mind a huge concern of mine, and that is: Do I have anything worthwhile to say, and does anyone want to hear it? OK, so I'm looking at four areas that need to be addressed. 1. Finances to support blog. 2. Technical skills necessary to run blog. 3. Content of blog. 4. Readership of blog. Examining these one at a time, I'll look at the financing first. Easily done, I could get off my lazy ass and get a job. Or maybe not so easily. Being unemployed for three and a half years has certainly been an experience, and carries some intense baggage with it, but I'm not gonna go there! If that was my goal, I'd simply put up a tip jar, and then beg online for cash. Not gonna happen. If I was gonna wallow in self-pity, I'd have named this blog Jobless In Tennessee. So I'm left with free blogs until things get better here. No problems with that at this point. Secondly, the technical skills aspect. This is not a problem to overcome, I just need the time to learn the skills, and that will happen. Thirdly and Fourthly, as these are related, content and readership. If the content is compelling, readership will come. I have read that internet porn is the biggest moneymaker out there. Ok, so.... scratch that, ain't gonna go there either! That leaves me with original content, links and commentary, or a combination. As far as original content, I feel that I am sorely lacking. I am not a reporter in any sense, and unless something happened right on top of me would not be in a position to do any reporting. So, news is out. I don't have the critical thinking and writing skills such as Wretchard at Belmont Club to provide content like his. Besides, he does a fine job! I don't have a position like those fine people at The Daily Demarche, New Sisyphus, or the, sadly, retired and sorely missed, The Diplomad, and therefore no unique perspective for content. I cannot hope to approach the content of Bill Roggio at The Fourth Rail (hope to meet you at BlogNashville Bill!), or the boys at Power Line. LOL, am I name dropping, or what??? These sites are DAILY reads for me, and although I have yet to meet any of them, I feel like I know them well. My military experience was a four-year stint in the USAF in the late 60's, which kinda leaves out milblogging. Catblogging? Nope. Tireblogging? (Thanks, Glenn!). Nope. Can I be a news aggregator? I could, but there are so many who do it so well already. In order to be successful I'd have to find a niche that is unfilled, and that would leave me looking for more answers. One way or another, these thing will work out. Either I'll come up with some ideas that will fly, or this blog will die on the vine. Time will tell.