Back in the saddle with a new twist

It should appear obvious by now that Calvacca Blog has been somewhat revived in recent weeks. What is not so obvious is that I am back in the saddle again in terms of having a "regular job" -- a place where I go each day to work, learn and share.

The the details of the job that I started this week aren't as important as the fact that I have ventured outside of the mainstream media for the first time in my three-decade career. I am working in the communications department at a quasi-governmental organization in Northern Virginia. Many of my journalism skills are expected to transfer well as I get deeper into the job, which is not to say that there isn't a whole lot of new stuff that I need to learn in the meantime. I am grateful for the opportunity and welcome the challenge.

While I have sometimes questioned the usefulness of former journalists starting blogs -- it's almost a cliche, particularly since the start of the recession/layoffs in 2008 -- I can report that blogging (and all that goes with it) appears to have been a worthwhile endeavor that helped me land my current position, which required online and writing skills, in addition to a journalistic and design background. In fact, this was the second regular job that I was offered in recent weeks with similar responsibilities and technical requirements. Both hiring managers came from the newspaper world and seemed to have an appreciation for the time that I spent at USA Today and other papers. Neither employer made age an issue, which was a nice change from what appears to be the new norm at many other companies.

While the job market remains pretty tough, particularly for former newspaper professionals with ink in their blood, there does seem to be some glimmer of hope for folks who are able and willing to make a few sacrifices and to learn some new tricks. But be prepared. One's prior credentials or pay grade don't always carry the same weight in a new field. In some ways, you have to embrace starting over. Depending on your financial obligations, that isn't always easy to do.

The vibe of a newsroom is a fairly unique thing. It grows on you. It's hard to duplicate in other businesses. Back in the day, if you were patient and did your job well, you could eventually make a decent living on an editor's salary at a large publication. Those days are just about gone, as journalists with big paychecks are being shown the door at an alarming rate. But there does appear to be life outside of the newsroom, and with any luck, it will be an acceptable life -- one that doesn't involve the constant threat of layoffs that has poisoned the newspaper business and cut tens of thousands of careers short.

Note: I expect my blogging to be light for the next few months. However, I do want to continue to have a presence here, so please feel free to check out the blog from time to time.

Last post will be this Friday

I will have written over 320 posts by this Friday. This blog has been part personal diary, part commentary on the news, with the occasional meandering into other subject matter of interest to me. Current events like the BP oil spill and the recession provided a lot of incentive to write, but I am not so certain that becoming consumed by these things is the best way to spend my free time.

Perspectives and circumstances change. If I would have written this blog five years ago, it would have reflected a slightly different mindset. If I were to return to this blog in a few years, I am certain I would question why I said this or that. I freely admit to the probability of being wrong about many things. One of the benefits of maturing is in gaining the security to admit to not knowing everything.

I thought of writing a post about a potential job that I worked very hard to secure recently but realized I had given my word to the employer to not reveal what worsening financial conditions existed at their company that at the 11th-hour prevented them from hiring me. The interview process spanned three months, a lot of probing and some travel. It was an important position at a firm that I felt comfortable with. And I believe they were comfortable with me. After 20 months of not being on a regular payroll, not getting this job was a disappointment and would have made a interesting post in terms of illustrating just how fragile the economy is and why we could be facing higher unemployment rates in the near future. My personal feelings about not landing this particular opportunity run fairly deep, almost as deeply as losing my 13-year position at USA TODAY at the start of the recession. However, life goes on. Eventually, when the right fit comes along, this latest disappointment will fade.

This blog will be suspended on Friday. That's the one-year anniversary of my first blog post. I don't want to use the word "end" because I have seen other bloggers do that, only to return to posting a few months later. I may also start another blog, so check back here occasionally for updates. I plan on keeping this blog up, so in a way, it doesn't end. You can still leave thoughtful comments, which are always appreciated. I hope this blog has at least been mildly entertaining and informative. I think it's important in a free society to have an open exchange of ideas. Whether it be through blogs, newspapers or other venues, presenting facts, opinions and analysis about important topics is what will keep this country strong.

Pondering what is next

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the pros and cons of blogging. I questioned the usefulness of continuing on here. As the first year of this blog draws to a close at the end of this month, and as my life has become considerably more complicated due to my struggles to conquer the unemployment bug, I think I have my answer.

December 2008. That's when my 29-year career in journalism shockingly halted on a Wednesday afternoon in McLean, Va., not because of job performance, but because I got caught in a perfect storm. I never would have imagined that in August of 2010, the alleged "summer of economic recovery," I would still be locked out of a business that employed me, my father and grandfather for nearly a century. Nor did I know how challenging it would be to transition into another industry, particularly industries that could use good editors, writers, designers, teachers and publication/communication managers -- businesses and positions requiring my exact or similar skill set.

Regardless of the economic data and statistics, unemployment is something that I modestly assumed I would beat, even at my age (that previously wasn't thought of as over the hill), and even in a field that has been particularly hard hit by the recession. My entire newspaper career was built on versatility, so I felt like I offered lots of attractive options to employers looking for proven people. I still believe that.

Like with so many suggestions and advice that I followed up on after I was laid off, this blog was created in order to add one more skill to my already-robust resume. I was comfortable with technology, but people said that I needed an online presence to help prove it. I did all of the things required by employers in their job ads to make myself more likely to be hired, including blogging, tweeting and adjusting my writing style for this platform.

It hasn't worked. At least not yet.

Losses have mounted as I have watched time slip away. The losses are ones you would expect (money, professional relationships, etc.) and some you might not associate with joblessness. Another fall is approaching. The skies are getting darker. Another birthday just around corner. Juggling dwindling bank accounts is like brushing my teeth. Second nature. Always waiting for the next e-mail, phone call or job lead, hoping it will come from a stable employer in a good quality-of-life area of the country. Following the news intensely, wishing some political leader will have the silver bullet to finally kill this damn recession.

But there is no silver bullet. It appears any economic recovery is going to be a slow process.

Until the cosmos realign in a more favorable manner, I doubt blogging, electronic jobs boards, networking, career fairs or past experience will be able to pry me or millions of others out of this perfect storm. Extricating myself from this recession has proven to be a task that will take more than just abilities, determination or acts of Congress.

I am confident that my skills and work ethics remain top shelf and am tiring of feeling like a victim for not having a "regular" job. When this storm passes, I hope to be stronger and wiser than ever. Until then, it's important for people, particularly baby boomers, to continue to fight the good fight, piecing together whatever kind of occupational endeavors they can muster. We are not over the hill. We embrace innovation and possess some of the strongest work ethics in America. I will come out of this stronger and become a significant asset to a company or organization that can look past stereotypes and fairly assess my credentials. When that day comes, I will be appreciative. I believe my best days are still ahead and look forward to making meaningful contributions in my next part or full-time regular job.

Many of us have reached the point where the right employment fit trumps seeking a big salary. Employers should not be afraid they can't afford us. As I have said in this blog many times, wise employers will take advantage of the deep pool of talented and experienced people available now. They will see the silver lining in the current job market and slowly but surely put America back to work. At least that's my hope.

A pause for a blog update

This is month 12 of Calvacca Blog. When I started the blog, it was something to do -- a way to pass time in between playing guitar, searching for work and taking walks to clear my mind. A way to stay connected to the news and maintain whatever writing skills that I might possess. I have learned some technical skills like how to embed video into posts and adjust the HTML coding to make them fit, created links and utilized counters that track the number of visitors to the website. I know the identity of most of my core readers. They are family and friends. Some, however, remain anonymous but are fairly loyal followers. Others just take a peek now and then or are one-time visitors who did a Google search on some particular topic that I happened to have written about. I don't know how many people from foreign countries have come to this blog, but I am guessing it's at least three dozen. My numbers are small compared with the big-time blogs, but drawing a huge audience has never been my intent.

I have hammered away on topics that are important to me. The unemployment situation hits particularly close to home, not just because of my own situation, but because of others in my life who are either out of work or afraid they are going to lose their jobs. I realize joblessness doesn't always make for compelling reading. In fact, I am almost certain people avoid this blog like the plague because they don't want to be reminded of certain realities in my life or in the economy as a whole that might eventually impact their lives. I don't curse. I don't write about celebrity nonsense or show sensational photos. Therefore, the odds of this blog ever going viral are pretty much zilch.

There are very few warm and fuzzy tales or literary moments of note on this blog. While some bloggers focus on one subject, I've tried to remain open to writing about various issues that come up in the news or in my own life. I have tried to write these commentaries in a straight-forward, narrative style.

Besides it being somewhat educational and helping to pass the time on some lonely days, blogging hasn't been all that I expected it to be. With that said, I am not certain what expectations I had 12 months ago. With millions of bloggers across the world, one isn't likely to be discovered here without a lot of marketing. Advertising and sales aren't my thing. One blogger isn't going to change the world, although collectively there is some evidence that blogging matters in shifting opinions and policy. So in that way, I do feel that I am minimally contributing to society. Of course, that doesn't pay the bills.

For the most part, though, bloggers are voices in the night. Some are nut jobs. Others provide a lot of food for thought not seen in the mainstream media. Most struggle to build a following. A lot of bloggers are former journalists, like me, who lost their jobs in the recession and can't find their way back into a newsroom for whatever reason.

I am not sure where this blog is going as the one-year anniversary approaches. Lately, I feel that I have said everything I can say about the economy, the state of politics, the world in general and the condition of my old profession. Until things change, what else can I rant about or applaud?

The blog could use a lot more reader participation, but I have had to tighten filters on the comments because of the typical Internet stream of lunatics that want to leave inappropriate remarks. I don't use foul language or make threats on this site, but apparently those who comment don't have those same values. Seeing how ugly and limited people can be has been one of the negatives of blogging. Doesn't inspire much confidence in my fellow human beings. But that aside, blogging has been a mostly positive experience in a rather negative year. I have no regrets.

Moments of helpful surrender

Some days there's just nothing to say. When that happens, this blog usually goes dark for 24 or 48 hours. Why force it? It's not like I am being paid for this or providing the world with any great service. I am a humble blogger getting more humble by the hour.

For whatever reason, there have been more days recently where I just sit back in a kind of contemplative amazement, watching the wheels go round and round, as John Lennon said. It's like seeing the fog roll in. It's scenic, mesmerizing and ominous all at the same time. And there isn't a whole lot one can do about it except to take it in.

Today is one of those days.

Second thoughts about an online presence

Blogging has not landed me back on a payroll. Nor has social/professional networking, a YouTube page or a Twitter account helped me find a job. As the jobless months drag on, I wonder whether all of this online stuff has actually prevented me from being hired.

The drill for most laid-off journalists is this:

Day one: Join LinkedIn.com
Day two: Get on Facebook
Day three: Start blogging

Then let it all simmer a bit and wait for the phone to ring.

Actually, there is more to it than that, but you get my drift. We're becoming a cliche and the results are the same. The phone rarely rings. The e-mail replies from employers are scarce. The job sites, like LinkedIn.com or CareerBuilder.com, yield tons of spam but no job offers. Employers who want to hire me can't. Just not enough pennies in the pot. The new online-revenue streams aren't very deep and advertising remains flat. Hiring, particularly for newspaper companies, is spotty at best. I sense some editors and publishers wanting to capitalize on my experience by bringing me on board, but there just aren't any positions available.

There is some evidence, more so in my gut than in any scientific poll, that suggests that life on the Internet isn't a cure-all and can actually do more harm than good when searching for work. Yes, all the media and some career experts say modern-day journalists need to be tweeting up a storm and posting text, photos and video on their blogs regularly to show they are progressive and tech savvy. I can do all of that with relative ease, but it's never set well with me. I feel it's self indulgent. I think it reveals portions of myself that may not come across the way I intended. It's too easy to be misunderstood here.

For instance, I am politically independent. Yet, someone reading this blog, particularly lately, might think I am leaning towards the radical left. If that someone is in a hiring position, I am potentially screwed, depending on their political views. One edgy post in a blog of well over 200 could lead to a snap judgment. The only snap judgment I want to hear at this point is "you're hired."

Is it better to put yourself out there and run the risk of being misread? Or is it safer to remain relatively anonymous and not interact in cyberspace? These are questions job seekers wonder about.

There is no foul language or bikini-clad women in this blog. But there are opinions. As a native-New Yorker, I believe debating issues is a good and natural thing. As a one-time newspaper columnist and editorial writer, I guess this stuff is in my blood. I would think that would be a positive quality to project, especially to media companies, but I can also see how one's image could be skewed through a simple Google search.

After many months of being relatively well connected online, I've never felt so disconnected from the working world. Unemployed journalists need to find a delicate balance between being engaged online while not blogging or tweeting themselves right out of a job interview. My blog posts, LinkedIn.com and Facebook profiles, rock 'n' roll YouTube pages or anything else that comes up in a "Mick Calvacca" Google search are not the total summation of who I am. In fact, my professional personality and sensibilities are considerably different than my online persona might indicate.

There is a lot to mull over about the value of blogging and other online activities. I blog to keep my brain working and because that's what unemployed journalists do, I guess. It helps me keep up with the news and I have learned a few technical tricks along the way that might come in useful at some point. Those are good things. With that said, there is very little evidence that there are any job-finding benefits to having an online presence. What I need to figure out now is whether I am doing more harm than good by sharing some of my thoughts and interacting in such a public fashion.

Watchful eyes on an obscure blog

I wonder who is out there reading, watching, listening? My blog audience is limited, but I do appear to have a few loyal fans. They aren't official followers/subscribers, so I don't know them by name. Some folks just don't like signing up for yet another online service, I guess. Nonetheless, their site visits are appreciated. They are anonymous. The information I have on them is limited to country, city or sometimes place of business. They literally are dots on a map. Sometimes those dots are in Asia or Europe. Most of the time the hits are coming from the states, according to the free blog-traffic reports I receive.

Who is watching me in Miami? Do I know them? Are they a distant friend or just a stranger who stumbled upon my blog and became curious enough to click on it a few times a week? The only information I have is that they are somehow associated with something called Gadjraj & Sons Imports. I assume that is a business in South Florida. I would be thrilled to hear from them and to ask what it is that draws them here. I would be even more grateful to hear from them if they are a long-lost friend.

Who do I know in Manhattan, Kan., Queens, N.Y., or Potomac, Md., who checks in now and then? Of course, in my situation, I am always hoping that someone will find me through this blog and offer me a job or at least a spot in their garage band. However, that doesn't seem likely. In fact, even sites geared towards that sort of networking -- like LinkedIn.com -- produce very few tangible results for job seekers. I joined a musicians site that has yielded a grand total of one query in three months. All the hoopla about having to connect online in order to find jobs or like-minded hobbyists seems to be more myth than fact.

How often does a personal blog like this come up in a search? When I comment about President Obama does the FBI or Secret Service take note through some sort of Internet wizardry? Do I get on some agency's to-be-watched list? Doubtful. They can't even keep track of who is on the White House party list.

When I made a remark about Jerry Lee Lewis a few weeks ago my blog traffic went way up. In fact, that week's numbers were the highest I've recorded so far, leading me to think I should abandon this blog and start up a Jerry Lee Lewis site.

There are other people I don't know who come here regularly. And, unfortunately, there are some folks who visited frequently at the start of this blog but apparently lost interest, which just leads to more questions about the true value of blogging, social and professional networking.

Great balls of fire!

I appreciate the bad boys of rock 'n' roll as much as anyone. But little did I know that a throw-away comment about Jerry Lee Lewis in a post earlier this week would drive my November blog traffic to comparable levels with September and October. Seems my implying that old Jerry should hang 'em up, or at least stop throwing around his piano stool on HBO/Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame concerts, infuriated some loyal fans here and abroad. Even produced a few irate comments. I have written about unemployment, animal rights, politics, child abuse and war, yet barely drew a comment a week. But mess with Jerry Lee and presto. Still, there is much work to be done with this blog. With the late-November Jerry Lee Lewis-surge, here are the numbers of blog visitors in the first three months.

Sep. 536
Oct. 692
Nov. 528

Blogging in the dark

My blogging experiment has been going on for nearly three months. In that time, I've learned a lot, almost all of it positive or useful in some way. I hope some of what I have learned while blogging will assist me in eventually landing a decent job, as it seems online skills are pretty much mandatory now, particularly in the news business.

The negatives have been few. Permitting anonymous comments was a mistake in that it allowed too many unfiltered, hit-and-run remarks at the start. However, making it a little tougher for readers to post comments by using certain restrictive blog settings has apparently killed comments entirely, even those from registered users. Trying to find a balance between being open and keeping things in good taste is something very difficult to achieve on the web.

Blogging is also time consuming. I am a bit of a news junkie, so reading takes up a fair portion of my morning. But then commenting on what I've read takes even more time -- anywhere from another 20 minutes to an hour or more depending on the length of the post. While the bulk of my day is spent searching and applying for jobs, blogging adds to amount of time my eyeballs are glued to a computer screen. Not all that healthy.

However, the biggest challenge with blogging is in getting people to visit the site and to return once in a while. Without advertising, building an audience seems nearly impossible for a general-topic blog like this. It has been a humbling experience for me because I thought I had enough interesting things to say to build at least a modest community here through word of mouth. As you can see by the numbers on this chart (above), monthly visits to the site are minimal relative to the traffic that other sites receive. And November is shaping up to show a slight decrease, which is discouraging. Even my friends rarely check out the blog, which is probably something I need to reflect on a bit more.

It seems it is much easier to get a reaction by just writing something quick and shallow on Facebook, where there is a captive audience with little time to read long posts.

Various folks have offered advice on how to create more of a buzz and interaction here. My intentions were not to get people to come here through trickery or sensationalism, but to rather focus on the issues of our time (including subject matter from my personal life) with the occasional veering off to something outside of the news. I have also touched on a lot of journalistic issues that I thought would be of some interest to those in the newspaper or media profession. This approach and these topics, however, don't seem to get the viral reaction most bloggers seek.

Hopefully, I will soon be working again and either be blogging on some company's time as part of my job duties or leave the blogging world to pursue some other endeavor. What I won't do is continue to fuel this general-topic blog without an audience or any feedback. I don't want this blog to become nothing more than an electronic a diary.

I have also decided that any future blogs will be more specific. Perhaps I will do a Washington Redskins blog or a commuter blog for Northern Virginians, where there is a natural audience already in place. Seems that unless you're a celebrity, opinionated blogs about news and one's life just don't have the right stuff to go viral, not even on a small scale.

Going viral a difficult task

The chart to the left shows traffic trends (in page views and visits) to this blog over the last 30 days. Without getting into tedious details, the chart shows how difficult it is to grow an online audience. Traffic to the site is flat or slightly in decline. The severe dips are on weekends, which tells me people aren't online much on Saturdays and Sundays. New visitors to the site are almost non-existent.

This graphic, which is generated by a companion service, does not reflect how many comments folks are making. But it is clear that comments are also dwindling. One reader said the lack of comments is a reflection of my blog posts taking on a more moderate tone lately. Apparently, people are more likely to respond to emotional or controversial posts. As I looked at a few other blogs written by friends, I also noticed a lack of participation from readers.

This simple blog has hammered home the problem that media outlets face in trying to build an online audience. Reader loyalty was difficult enough in the heyday of print (magazines, newspapers, etc.) but is even tougher online where the choices are endless. It seems that unless you consistently post videos of monkeys flying airplanes or skateboarders crashing into trains, it's very difficult to build an audience with a general-topic blog.

Still, blogging is an interesting exercise for me and has taught me many things about digital communications that might prove beneficial one day. As I said in an earlier post, there are many good reasons to blog or to follow blogs. I am not comfortable with certain aspects of it, but overall I think it is a positive experience and something everyone should try at least once.

Why blog?

By nature, I am not a self-indulgent person. Blogging, like other online social interactions, takes a degree of openness, which I have been accused of not always possessing. It requires exposing your thoughts about the past, your interests in the future and an array of other topics that might come across as either trite or fascinating, depending on your audience and the subject of the day. Blogging requires thinking what you have to say is of some importance to someone. It's an act that some call a waste of time while others paint it as essential in a technological society where new ways of connecting with each other keep us from becoming too isolated.

I began blogging for several practical reasons. I was looking for a job and getting involved in various social and professional networking sites as a way of expanding my search. Blogging was just another way of having an online presence so that employers would see that I am competent on digital platforms. I used digital tools in my years at USA Today. I can write and create visuals. So blogging seemed like a natural fit. It keeps me in the game, sort of speak. It's fun to see comments come in and for followers to join the blog. Being a journalist, it's almost mandatory to have a blog, regardless of what the blog is about. These are all good reasons, I suppose, to blog.

The downside to blogging is that it makes me feel too self-absorbed. My tendency would be to blog about heavy, meaningful topics that seek change, but I know no one would want to read those too often. Most people want to read happy stuff or be entertained or informed in some amusing manner. In general, they don't want to read about what I think Thomas Jefferson was saying when he spoke of the dangers of corporations.

I meander around on here, trying to hone my online-writing skills and looking for ways to broaden my audience in order to justify the time spent writing these posts. In a digital world, these aren't bad goals to have. All kinds of businesses are trying to tap into the powers of the web. There are opportunities for those who embrace online technologies. Information is power. Doors open for those who use these tools.

Still, with that said, it's a fine line for someone like me to walk. On one hand, a blog is what it sounds like. A crude stream of throw-away thoughts. On the other hand, to not blog or interact on Facebook is to limit one's exposure to various new opportunities. When someone "Googles" your name, it's important that something (preferably something good) comes up so that potential employers can get a sense of you and your willingness to take advantage of digital venues. I maintain my old band's YouTube site so that other musicians might get a glance into what sort of band I might want to form in the future. Again, it's a tool.

I suppose people have different reasons for blogging. Mine are to remain a player. To learn a few things along the way about posting video or creating polls. To tap into ideas and innovations. I dislike the feelings of being self-centered but recognize that those feelings go with the territory.