One of the first things we’re told in Journalism school was that “You need to know how to blog, how to use social media and create a brand for yourself.”
My name is Fred, and I am horrified every time I’m exposed to this idea.
I’m a firm believer of the notion that stories and human emotion are of greater value than the tools used to spread them. Sure, services like Twitter, Facebook and YouTube bring a generation not only what it wants but also when it wants it. But it’s that same one-button expediency that is making a generation world-weary without even the friction of breathing outside of an office or classroom. Great stories are not about expediency and refinement. Great stories are a composite of the people, places and events that impact our choices and our lives.
Great stories move at their own pace. They have their own voices. Writers simply order these voices into a narrative, adding context and insight only when need be, much like a composer may orchestrate a pit of sound from a cacophony to a symphony. To that end, and not without a sense of begrudging, ironic acceptance of the medium, I’ve started a website for my stories.
[fr]ed’s notes is a place for original stories and commentaries about ideas and issues of interest to me. These may include, but are definitely not limited to,
- The value of an individual in an individualist society.
- First-world consumerism. Where it’s been and where it’s going.
- Corporate responsibility, both local and global.
- Communities, how they define themselves, and the consequences of those definitions.
- Events outside of the U.S. and their significance to the U.S.
There may be indulgence, from time to time, in reviewing the odd BBQ restaurant, book, cellular phone or craft root beer. Consumerism, remember?
Entries may also appear in either French or Arabic. This is contingent on working memories that have survived decades of day-job erosion.
I hope you enjoy your stay here, and feel free to inquire about anything you see.