2. Be a better blogger

Does creating a new second blog mean that I'm twice as good at blogging? I suppose not.

It does mean that I have a new venue for exploring alternate features and software, starting with comments.

I think of my first blog, Wanderings of a Student Librarian, as an online professional portfolio. I'm not willing to have spam, flames, or comments from trolls on it for even a little while.

The new blog, 43 Things at 43, is obviously more artistic and personal. While I won't be hiding it from potential employers, I won't be advertising it, either, and I expect it to be viewed differently and more tolerantly. This may be fantasy, but there it is.

All that is not to say that 43 Things at 43 will be a haven of free speech. This blog is not a democracy and the dictator is not inclined to be benevolent. Spam will be deleted immediately. So will anything that might offend two of my favorite readers, my mother and my aunt, who came of age when discourse was expected to be civil and when insults were considered rude, not humorous.

I already learned that the default at Blogger is to only allow registered users to comment. I changed that to allow anyone to comment this morning.

My reward for opening up comments? A birthday greeting from a perfect stranger and one from a fellow member of the library blogosphere. Sweet.