FAQ

Are you really above average and is your name really Jane?

The pause between someone’s suggestion that I blog and the blog going online was about 15 minutes long, and this was the first title that came to mind. The various educational, occupational, and psychological tests I’ve taken over the years as part of school and work do show a fairly consistent deviation from the norm, but whether that makes me above average, below average, or just odd is open to interpretation.

I do write under a pseudonym and that is for a number of reasons. My spouse and children should not be subject to commentary or prejudice because of something I have said. Nor should any of the organizations I volunteer with be similarly tarred. Anonymity allows me to speak my mind more freely. There is also a natural human tendency to imagine the unknown as something larger and more powerful than it is. It has certainly played out in my case as those who have read this blog and later met me in person seem as surprised as Dorothy discovering the wizard was really a traveling salesman.

How do you decide what to write?

Sometimes things appear in my email with an outright request or an implied suggestion that I write on them. If it strikes my interest, I investigate what is said and if it appears correct I write on it. Sometimes I read something in the paper, or hear something at a community event, and decide to see if I can get a good post out of it. Timing plays a factor. Sometimes I want to write on something but don’t have the time to go into it as fully as it requires; when the time is there the issue is no longer relevant. It is one of the challenges of the working blogger. Sometimes I see something really juicy, but I can’t verify it in a reputable source and let it go.

What is your mission for this blog?

This is a niche blog, focusing on state or lower level politics. Sometimes I venture into the national arena but not often. Since this means writing sometimes on people I know or have met it requires a level of thought not always needed by those who write solely on national figures whom they are unlikely to encounter. Although a registered Democrat and self-viewed progressive, I am sometimes at odds with the party, and with many of the people who define themselves in a similar fashion, but I would like to think that at least a few other voters agree with me. The limited focus means that I am not likely to ever develop a large readership, but I am very content with the readership I have, and am actually surprised that I have any readers at all.

Is Above Average Jane really a front for a particular politician, lobbying group, or special interest?

Alas, no. If it were there might be some money in it. As it is, most of the entries posted here were written late at night after the kids were in bed. The mornings are too hectic and I often don’t get a chance to finish reading the paper until the evening. Sometimes they don’t appear until some time the next day but most are written late at night, which may account for spelling and grammatical errors. The blog has brought no material benefit to me or my family, although I have met some very lovely people because of it.

How long is this little joyride going to last?

Dunno. I have some exit strategies planned out, depending on whether the end is by choice or circumstance.


originally posted 11/19/05