"Scott, what's with all the blogging?" is a question I get all the time now it seems, and since I'm also getting asked "Dude, how come you're never on myspace?" quite a bit I figured I'd jump online here tonight and try to answer both.

The easy one is about my lack of socializing at myspace/facebook/linkedin/orkut/twitter/etc., basically it's a matter of spending so much time on this silly machine earning my living that the last thing I want to do for fun is hang out on this silly box more.

I know it goes against the grain and that geeks like me (that still hurts to say) are supposed to love all this online social, Web 2.0 [BETA], uber-cool networking... but I don't. When I'm not consumed in work I prefer a few minutes of quiet time in the garden over trying to keep up with all the online pings and memes. After so long web pages really do just become visual noise for someone who spends all their time working on them. At-least that's my experience.

But please don't take it personal my friends, it's not you... it's not even me... it's the digital interface between us that makes me pull away.

As for all the blogging, I suppose that's pretty easy to answer too. I've got interests and opinions on a wide range of topics, blogs are a great venue for said opinions, and over the last few years I've also learned how to convert [most of] them into decent revenue streams for myself.

And with the natural integration of media and often passionate visitor interactions blogs are a lot more fun than constantly building and promoting the web services and retail based sites I began my small business with.

Seriously, I could keep building online stores for every niche market from fishing lures to lingerie (been there and done that), then go through the tedious work of marketing and promoting them... or I can read news reports of paranormal happenings and political intrigues then write little postings with my opinions on the material--which often prompts strangers to say things like "hey man, you're one twisted freak that I'd like to share a beer with sometime..."--which way do you think I prefer to spend my time? It's a no-brainer when either can keep the bills paid.

I've always liked to tinker and dabble, learn a little about everything but never everything about anything--the ultimate Jack-of-all-trades you could say, and by operating so many blogs on a wide variety of topics it allows my inner child to run wild as needed to keep me content from day to day.

So, that's the deal with me, the blogging and these social network sites. Where I'm at and where I'm heading in a nutshell. Each month I seem to be lessening the number of traditional product/service related sites in my portfolio and increasing the number of odd blogs.

I've also got a few writers working for me on these blogs as well as several Interns from a new program; did you know you couldn't flog Interns? I didn't--I knew sexual relations was frowned upon and I even set a no blue dress policy, but I thought ritual beatings were still allowed... damn!

Oh, the times they are a changing.