How blogging can make a difference...

It's been said and I have to admit that it is probably true that I am not good at promoting myself and I don't have the right ego to be a "famous" blogger. For me it's not about creating controversy or focusing on negativity to get hits. It's more important for me to believe in what I am posting about and to create discussion. I don't believe in being disrespectful to people who don't agree with me and in the history of this blog and my other blog no one except spammers/stalkers have ever been banned or deleted. I don't over-estimate my importance and even though I know I worked very hard on my local blog, I don't kid myself into thinking I have a great deal of power or some vast influence because I have a blog and I know how to use it.

Yesterday though, I received a comment on Glass City Jungle that hit home to me why I blog. I'm writing about it here because those of you who visit there know I don't get into to much of the personal aspect why I blog, and other personal things often and I also think this is an important issue that most likely happens in your towns as well. Back in September I wrote a semi rant about our local media being quick to imply several murder victims were drug users. Then they later either corrected this or seemed to forget that they should correct this allowing the impression to still exist in the minds of some of the public that these victims were somehow less than true victims. One of the murdered victims was a wife and a mother by the name of Tammy Cappelletty. Her sister commented on that older post yesterday confirming that her family knows she was not a drug user and was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time helping a friend. Yet they haven't had much luck in getting the media to correct this mistaken impression.

She thanked me for what I was doing, and that hit an emotional chord with me because this woman and her family should not have to be dealing with this in the first place, my blog shouldn't be one of the few places out there raising this as a question. It made me realize that more than just providing information on the government or campaigns or trash pickup issues that while she was thanking me, I realized I could do more and I promise I will. I know I can't perform miracles and I can't move huge mountains but I can do more to make a small difference and that's a start...