Tech bloggers were the first bloggers. I was part of a wave of political bloggers in 2001, after 9/11. Then in 2002 came Dooce and networks of "mommy bloggers." She brought so much to the form, the medium, the conversation.
@jeffjarvis Tech bloggers were ready due to having been blogging for a number of years since the BBS days. What I miss most about the first day of blogging on the Internet? The comments from readers were of significant value to me, the readers, and the website.
Sadly, Dooce went off the rails in later years, in her personal life, her personal struggles, and personal opinions. I dread the thumbsucking piece that asks whether this was the result of living in public, with extrapolations about social media and teens. Please, no....
Dooce lived in public with a brutal honesty, for good and bad, funny or ugly, which made her and those who read her feel less alone. The tragedy is that in the end, she herself felt so alone.
@jeffjarvis I can never understand why people are surprised by this when it's been obvious for decades that stand up comics are often lonely and despairing people. Putting yourself out there in public doesn't ever mean you are happy and not lonely.
@jeffjarvis how are you defining 'blogging'? Because starting in 2001 erases a whole lot of people who were there earlier ... and not writing about tech.
@jeffjarvis My sole point of familiarity with her was that infamous transphobic screed, but it sounds like that might have been part of broader mental health issues
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