From time to time I try to make adjustments to this blog in an effort to make it easy to find things, and for readers and commenters to interact with me (and each other). In that vein, here are a few recent updates I’ve added:

1. New/different categories. You’ll notice the categories on the right sometimes change. Not a lot…but as I write about new topics I have not previously written about, or compile a list of articles (henceforth called “posts”) around a given topic, I change the lineup. For example, this week I’ve dropped a category for Rick Blythe (County Clerk) as the issue I was following for him is thankfully (for now) dead: drivers’ licenses for illegal aliens. The post is still on the site listed under the general category of “Government & Politics”.

I discovered I was writing quite a bit on taxes and the gross misuse of our tax money, so I’ve created a new category called “Taxes & Spending” and have tagged all relevant posts with that category.

By the way, posts can appear in more than one category. The categories are just a quick way of zeroing in on a topic you may have an interest in. Don’t forget you can always do a keyword search in the Search box at the top/right of any page.

2. Recent comments now appear on the right. Blogs are about conversations. They usually start with one person’s viewpoint (mine, in this case), but spread as people leave comments. It is amazingly easy to leave a comment and I want to encourage you to do just that! As you’ll notice when reading the comments on my blog, some agree with me, and some disagree. I have no problem with disagreement. Just keep it polite and civil–that’s all I ask.

Comments, like conversations, can and do get heated sometimes as these are often issues about which people are passionate (or you wouldn’t be reading a blog like this one). You’ll see in the right sidebar the 10 most recent comments, with the newest one at the top. The comments in the list are cut off after 140 characters, so you need to click the Commenter’s name to read the full comment. I have elected to keep my own responses to others out of that list to give you an idea of who else is “talking” on my blog besides me. Comments are one of the biggest pleasures of doing this blog. So please, talk to me–and others! It’s really easy–provide your name (or an alias) along with an email address. The email address is not publicized, and I never use it for spam, so there’s no risk in leaving a few thoughts if you’re so moved.

By the way, in order to read comments left by myself or others for a particular post, click on the Comments link at the top of the post, or click on the title of the post, in order to see the “full post” at its permanent web address. Only then will you see the comments (at the bottom) along with a box where you can leave your own comments.

3. Subscribe to comments for a particular post. When leaving a comment, if you want to see if I or others respond, you can now check a little box underneath the comment box before you hit “Submit” and you will be notified by email when a new comment has been added to that particular post. That way you don’t have to remember to come back and look. This feature makes having a “conversation” online a little easier.

If you have suggestions for new features, or topics you would like to see me write about, send me an email at: jim@rssbinghamton.com. Thanks for reading my blog!

- Jim Willis