InternetMonk.com's top blog of 2005: The Insight Scoop

I was rather surprised to find out that Michael Spencer, editor and main writer of InternetMonk.com, has selected this blog, Insight Scoop, as his top blog of 2005:

Despite the bad name, the blog of Ignatius Press is my favorite blog of the year. The posts are substantial and well written. The RC partisanship is sane and never paranoid. It’s an education and a rich mine for other material on the web. I’m more and more impressed with every stop. Not just a blog for Catholics. The essays and discussions on all kinds of topics of interest to Christians anywhere are peerless.

Thank you, Michael — we are grateful for your kind words. And since I'm already wearing a suit and tie and standing at the microphone, may I say a few words about Insight Scoop, blogging, and the Oregon Ducks. Well, maybe not the Ducks.

First, a couple of quick thoughts about blogging since there has been a lot of spin and din (not to mention alarm and consternation) about blogdom. On one hand, I find it amusing since blogging, in hindsight, is a rather logical progression in the way information is exchanged and conversations are facilitated in cyberspace. I first surfed the Net in 1997, the same year I entered the Catholic Church. I discovered a number of fine Catholic websites, downloaded a few million articles, and then became part of some apologetics discussion groups. These groups consisted of people e-mailing each other comments about a particular topic, thus forming "threads" that sometimes extended into infinity. We would comment on experiences we had, books we read, arguments we grappled with, and news stories that related to the topic on hand. In a way, it was to blogging what Pong was to later, more advanced video games.

A difference, however, is that while those discussion groups were just that — fifty people discussing a topic — blogs created, if you will, a hierarchy in the way information was compiled, examined, critiqued, and presented. Even if 200 comments are made, the original post maintains a certain detachment from the fray, creating a subtle but distinct space between blogger and reader. Some have argued that this turns the discussion into more of a bully pulpit (oddly enough, some who make this complaint are journalists for newspapers/magazines, which have traditionally operated on a very one-sided, one-direction model of "discussion"). As a blogger and as a reader of blogs, I think it makes for better reading, if only because the best blogs/bloggers eventually rise to the top and are not lost in a torrent of e-mails/threads.

My first posting on a blog (the "EnvoyEncore" blog — and, yes, I came up with that name and "Insight Scoop") was November 1, 2002. Since then I've posted on things big and small, wrote many silly things, often made a grammatical fool of myself, angered more than a few readers, encouraged others, and hammered out ideas and opinions that sometimes turned into articles or columns (a big benefit of blogs, IMHO). At times I tired of blogging, but I noticed that it was usually because (pick one) 1) I was too anxious to get dozens of comments and was depressed when I kept seeing "0 Comments", 2) too concerned about the number of visitors to the blog, or 3) someone had carefully and thoroughly demolished one of my perfectly written, cogently argued, and utterly balanced posts. Put another way, pride not only goes before the fall, it often goes public on the blog. Which is not to say I no longer struggle with those problems, but I'm far more mellow (no, really!) about blogging than I once was just three years ago (which, in computer time, is 285 years).

Strangely enough, I've actually failed to make Insight Scoop what I hoped it would be: the regular blog for several — dozens! hundreds! — of Ignatius Press authors. It turns out that most of those authors either have a life, are writing books, have their own blog, or don't care about computers/blogs/electricity. So, by a sort of chagrined default, I became the primary blogger. Thankfully, the quality of scoop-age rises when Mark Brumley can free himself from his 28-hour work day (he's the CEO of Ignatius Press) and post his usual thoughtful, coherent observations. The focus (I hope) is on matters generally Catholic and specifically Ignatius Press. Or, as the blog's info page states: "The Insight Scoop blog features daily commentary from Ignatius Press authors and staff about theological issues, current events in the Catholic Church, and a host of related topics." I know that some readers wish we would address this or that issue, but we can't get to everything — nor do we want anyone to think that we have. (Besides, readers should be thankful that I don't blog on whatever strikes my fancy. Otherwise they would hear a lot more about why "Close to You" is the best Sinatra album that nobody listens to, why Chesterton and Richard Wright were wrong about jazz, why there really is a East Coast/Midwest bias when it comes to college sports and the media, and why macrobrews don't deserve to be called  "beer".)

It's gratifying to know that folks such as Michael Spencer think so highly of this blog. It's even tempting to feel a bit prideful about it. But, better yet, it makes me more aware of the responsibility that comes with writing — especially when making assertions about really big and important topics (no, those don't include Ducks football — after all, I'm not a native Oregonian). Life is short, blogs are a dime a bazillion, and words can be cheap. So I appreciate those who read the blog (even if you don't leave comments!) and I don't for a second take it for granted that you stop by from time to time.

Comments

[Faith]

Still reading, Carl:)

A Blessed, Happy New Year to you & yours!

[Julie D.]

I'm a regular who rarely comments but I will say this ...

... they would hear a lot more about why "Close to You" is the best Sinatra album that nobody listens to, why Chesterton and Richard Wright were wrong about jazz, why there really is a East Coast/Midwest bias when it comes to college sports and the media, and why macrobrews don't deserve to be called "beer"

Bring it on! It all sounds interesting to me. :-)

[fr richard]

Sincere and heartfelt congratulations, Carl, as well as to Mark and the others who contribute to this fine blog!

[Essy]

Congratulations, the honor is well deserved. You are one of my daily reads.

[Veronica]

Congratulations!!!

[Joe]

Carl and Mark, excellent blog. And I also hope your vision come reality when more Ignatius bloggers are able join more to contribute more broader range of material. I really appreciate Ignatius Press efforts to defend the faith and help us (I speak for many) see and understand daily events in context of our Catholic faith.
Blessings!

[Judy]

Gotta stop by here more often. The discussion of Anne Rice helped me think this through and remind me to pray for her.

[Christine Johnson]

I stop by as often as I can, and I appreciate the email reminders to do so. Congratulations!

[Joe]

This is indeed an excellent blog. Consistently informative and with great links. And since I can easily be more caustic than intended, I also have to say it is a charitable one, to boot. Please keep up your. good work