Ashvegas bloggers: Who are we and where are we going?

Jason Sandford

Jason Sandford is a reporter, writer, blogger and photographer interested in all things Asheville.

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Ashvegas bloggers got together yesterday for a first-ever meet-up and by all accounts, everyone had fun.

It was informal, free-flowing and laid back. Scrutiny Hooligans had snagged primo people-watching real estate at the frog bar in downtown, and everyone just sort of hung out. I had a great time talking with the Hooligans, Modern Peasant, DEMbloggers and the Syntax of Things and the the Penguin-Driven Life.

One question from Screwy Hooli kept my mind working. “What do you want Ashvegas to be in three years?” I had no answer. I thought it was a great question. It made me ask myself why the hell I started doing this in the first place.

For me, it started as a creative way to express myself, to keep my writing going. It turned into me looking at my life in a new and creative way. I became more engaged in my own life. Everything suddenly became post potential. It got me talking to people and asking questions I might not have otherwise.

I have an inherent interest in media, another reason I wanted to do my own Web site. In the back of mind, one thought was that hey, this might turn out to be it’s own money-making venture one day.

Down the road, I have no idea how things will evolve, but I will be thinking more about it. I know I have to continue to get more technically savvy, and I’m looking to my fellow bloggers for help in that regard.

I also think there is power in a group of bloggers working together. It’s the power of the Internet – connecting people into vast networks that can be very powerful. EasyBakeCoven was dissing group blogs the other day, and I think she’s wrong. Hell, she even admits that she participates in a couple of blog rings.

The fact is that the next evolution of blogging is going to be a weeding out and a banding together. Why? That’s where the power, and the money, is. So, stick to your hippie ideals of “freedom” and your irrational fear of the Wal-Martinization of the world. You’ll just be left behind like with the others.

There’s dozens, if not hundreds, more bloggers from Western North Carolina out there. Let us know, if for no other reason than to say hello.

Thanks againt to Screwy and company for organizing this first meeting. I’m looking forward to the next one. Check out my photo galleries link for a few snaps from Saturday’s meet-up. You guys feel free to steal those and use them as you wish.