Why Blog, Why Create An Ad?

by Ed Bonderenka

I was interested in history at an early age.

In reading about the Revolutionary War period, I noticed the influence of “Pamphleteers”.

These were guys who wrote short letters that were copied and passed around promoting their point of view and influencing the Body Politic.

Thomas Paine, John Jay, Noah Webster, George Mason, all shaped public opinion with short essays instead of long involved treatises or scholarly books.

I’ve always enjoyed writing, putting words together in a way to make them funny, thought-provoking, influential, etc.

I know people online, some I’m friends with, who have written books and stories I’ve read, some of which have been published.

I’m not good at plot or characterization.

I might write an autobiography or memoir someday, but most of the interesting parts I’m not proud of, or can’t talk about.

I used to be a regular contributor to the Letters to the Editor page of the Detroit Free Press which was very similar to commenting on a popular blog. Of course it was better edited, meaning some editor thought that what I had to say deserved the limited real estate of the page it was printed on.

 

A few years ago, I was moved to write short tracts as advertising tools for promoting Christianity and our local church. 

I and others thought they were clever and I had them printed as business cards to be left around town.

 

Then I discovered blogging and found an outlet for my creative writing urge that didn’t require the work and discipline required for a book.

I say all this to explain why this campaign I’m involved in, Your Voice Your Ad, is so meaningful to me.

I can create a short argument for being a conservative that I am forced to edit for time.

The contest portion of it, and my involvement in it, meant that the more I progress in the competition, the more exposure my creation gets.

Am I proud? Yes I am. Am I insufferable? I’m afraid of getting that way.

But I’m getting a lot of encouragement from co-workers who I’m discovering are sympathetic to conservatism, or becoming so.

 

I hope I’m having an influence on that.

 

I’ve been told that our ads have been heard by the Republican presidential candidates and other powerful figures such as Reince Priebus.

Regardless of our feelings about some of these people and their motives, influence is good.

 

This was edited from my personal blog, ed-bonderenka.blogspot.com and if anyone would like tips on inexpensive audio tools or techniques for editing an ad I can be contacted at edward at bonderenka dot com.