Get Openness While It's There

At Saturday's BlogLeft Massachusetts gathering, I found myself refreshingly retrograding to another career in another century. Waaaaay back when, I edited a convenience-store business magazine. The collegial feeling among the bloggers even before we officially started was much the same as then.

Imagine a time when people wanted more convenience stores, when they were not every 100 yards, scrambling for the lottery and beer and Oreos money of the neighborhood. I swear, back then, the then Southland-owned 7-Eleven and Hanniford's L'il Peach managers and executives were jovial and frank and sharing with each other. There was plenty of money, lots of growth, good will and camaraderie out the ears.


A trip to the national convention was a jolly business fraternity in party mode. Everyone talked about what worked best and what would help the industry to grow.

There's no reason to suppose that blogging will become as petty, price-conscious and competitive as the gas, rolling paper and Bud Light business. A few of the guys at the gathering make decent money from advertising, but almost all of us are there because it is both fun and fulfilling.

It is a pseudo-business that has those good vibes. We talked about how we get more readers and what makes our work easier. May it ever be so.