February 12, 2004

Plains Folk: Blogging

Tom Isern, Professor of History
North Dakota State University

Stephen Long was right. There is a Great American Desert. It’s called the Internet.

This may sound strange coming from me, who has often spoken of digital communications as the long-awaited remedy for overcoming the tyranny of distance on the Plains. Indeed, like many plains folk today, I conduct massive amounts of business via the Internet, everything from buying long underwear to teaching graduate seminars.

There are, however, dangers out there. I’m not talking about pornography or scamming senior citizens or anything like that, although I suppose somebody ought to be looking into those problems. I’m talking about banality.

The next big thing, or current big thing, on the World Wide Web is blogging. “Blog” is short for “weblog.” A weblog is a set-up whereby ordinary computer users who don’t necessarily know how to write code can post frequent contributions to the Web. This is like an on-line diary for the world to read. Or it can involve several people in exchange or discussion. It’s democratic. Anyone with rudimentary computer skills can do it.

This blogging thing might have wonderful potential for encouraging personal expression, bringing together people of kindred interests and educating us all, except that almost all the weblog content out there is without merit. Not a tenth of it rises to the level of drivel.

I did some searches for weblogs in plains states and provinces. I thought there would be many bloggers out there who shared interests in prairie life. What I got was depressing.

For instance, there were scores of blogs from Kansas, from which I give a few samples. “Mischievous Prairie Pixie: A blog by a bored teen in Kansas talking about music, parties and growing up.” This one notes, “I was grounded for like 2 weeks over spring break and that majorly screwed up a lot of my plans.” Or try, “Angelchrys: A neurotic look into my life.” Then how about, “Our Love Story: The story of Justin & Stacey.”

Knowing that Canadian prairie folk are way more socially conscious than Americans, I looked in Saskatchewan and found “grrrl meets world: The ramblings of a misplaced 20-something grad student in Saskatchewan,” along with “Lectures on Everything: The personal weblog of Deron Staffen, chronicling his experiences, revelations, epiphanies and accumulated wisdom as he makes his way through life.” I can see why this fellow blogs. He’s already been tossed out of every bar in town.

North Dakota, surely things will be on the level there, right? Indeed, the state has an organization of bloggers, but from what I can tell, they are mainly devoted to trying to be noticed by one another. The only weblog I see any purpose in is that of Duane Sand, candidate for U.S. Congress. He at least knows what he wants.

All right, the search is not a complete bust. There are people who are using this new medium in heartening and constructive ways. There is Geitner Simmons, editorial writer for the Omaha World-Herald, whose blog is called, “A Nation of Regions.” He writes a lot about world affairs but also dwells upon American places, including the plains of Nebraska. He’s someone you’d like to have a conversation with.

In Ellsworth, Kan., there is Peg Britton, whose writings are intended to “celebrate more than 130 years and six generations of our family’s life in the Kansas prairie communities. We’d like for you to know more about the way we live.” She writes about feeding the woodstove, shopping at Gene’s Heartland Grocery and how the Ellsworth Bearcats are doing. I’d enjoy a conversation with her, too.

I’ll post links to Geitner and Peg in “Travel on the Gravel,” my weblog, which is accessible at www.plainsfolk.com. If there are others like these, with an honest sense of place, I’d like to know.

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