To BLOG or Not To BLOG...Whatever that is!

Let's pretend that most of us are not working on servers and the Internet all day and are not familiar with BLOGs. So what is a BLOG? Well, it is an Internet slang abbreviation for Weblog. This probably derives from the concept of Personal Log (think of Star Trek - Captains Log, Personal Log, etc.).

Bottom line, it is a journal or diary that you chose to post on a the Internet - or "The Web" - making it your personal Web Log, or BLOG.



Every registered member of this site has the ability to create and maintain their own section of this web site in the form of their own personal BLOG. Trust me - it is VERY easy and you do not need to know anything more than what you already do to post in the Discussion Forums. If you look at the top row of navigation tabs you will see a Blogs button. Simply click this and you can read other blogs, comment on them or start your own.

These BLOGs are different than forum postings in the Discussion Forum. A Discussion Forum is meant to be interactive. You ask a question or make a statement and expect a reply. Forum Postings are also usually short, sometimes one or two words. A BLOG is different. This is more like an article in a traditional newspaper or a daily journal. It is something you want to share with the world and do not expect a reply. Entries are usually longer and can include pictures or attachments. A BLOG is normally an ongoing story or a collection of related entries.

So why should I have a BLOG?

There are many reasons but here are two common ones for this site:

1) You are a key member/Match Director at an IHMSA range and you want to keep shooters up to date on the range. You can start a BLOG on that range (and even rename it from your username to the range name). It can become like a mini website for that range itself. You can post stories, range news, pictures of progress, match reports, notices of upcoming shoots, pictures of the BBQ, whatever. Members can "subscribe" to individual BLOGs, meaning that whenever you make an update they will receive an email. This is a good way to get notices out to members of your range.

2) You would like to share your story as a shooter. If you are brand new to IHMSA or a member for the last 20 years you have something to offer. You can explain how you got in to shooting, what you learn each match, helpful gear and gun tips, things that work for you, how you got to the point where you shot your first 40, etc. This type of information is much more helpful than you may be aware to other shooters. If we can see things through someone else's eyes it helps us improve ourselves, and the sport.

Now, a BLOG is not restricted to anything in particular. If you are a gunsmith and just want to post your daily ramblings of how cool you are on a milling machine, or a hunter and want to tell everyone how you have your deer feeder with a bell and motion activated camera to get ready for the harvest...uhhh...I mean hunt, that works too. Maybe just share your adventures of getting chased by a tiny little bumble bee while on a road trip on your Harley to Sturgis (if I provide the username here I may get shot...). Maybe post your never ending quest to build absurdly large XP-100's to shoot further and further (Hmmm, who might that be?).

Part of shooting in IHMSA - and probably one of the biggest parts for many of us - is interaction with like minded people. Sure this site is dedicated to IHMSA shooting, but its members have much more in common. So create a BLOG? Why not? Just don't go too far off the deep end...or else I will start on my rants of how SonicWall firewalls screw up the TCP sequence numbers when they perform hide NAT operations, totally screwing up the three way TCP handshake and making my life miserable at times!

Enjoy!