Access and Transparency

Access and Transparency
Mary Hamilton 8/28/09

The most interesting thing about creating a blog is how accessible it is. Anyone who has access to the Internet can create their own blog and post comments. The availability of the Internet and blogs means that people almost anywhere can follow national and international events and post their own opinions of them. This also means that people can follow almost anyone else's blog. When people have greater access to information about events, this can led to greater transparency and literacy. Such transparency and literacy is very fitting for a country that emphasizes freedom of the press and transparency in government. For example, during the Revolutionary era, the number of newspapers and political pamphlets increased dramatically. Pamphlets, in particular, were like 18th century blogs. Some of the most famous "blogs" during that period were "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine and "The Federalist Papers" by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay. "Common Sense" made people think about why they were fighting the Revolutionary war and "The Federalist Papers" helped ratify the Constitution in Massachusetts, New York, and Virginia following the war. It is important in the 21st century to maintain the kind of transparency and literacy our country was founded upon. Just as the printing press offered people in an earlier age a connection to the public events around them, so can the Internet and blogging offer a connection to us to the major events in our own day. Blogging allows us to follow events, read other people's opinions and form our own thoughts. I hope I will be able to be better informed and make better judgements through the experience of writing this blog.