On the Egyptian Revolution — What Western Bloggers Can and Should Do at Times Like These
In the last week or so, two different people have asked me for advice on how to be an effective blogger. It’s a question I’ve been asked before, but it’s only recently that I’ve settled on a short answer I like. Here’s that answer:
Make yourself useful.
Find a question that people are asking, and answer it. Address a widespread misconception, or a currently popular myth. Draw attention to something that needs more attention. Do a translation. Do an intervention. Do the math.
Make yourself genuninely useful, and by definition you’re doing something worth doing.
I haven’t made myself very useful on the blog this last week. Between writing syllabi and tending to a feverish four-year-old, I’ve kind of had my hands full. And the big story of the hour — the Egyptian revolt — isn’t one I’ve
