I wonder (as y’all know) if anyone reads this; if the blog makes a difference; and should I keep writing (because blogging is hard work).

Over the last two weeks, I’ve received over 50 comments about my posts, from folks who are not subscribed and who read the post.  I don’t know if their search engine has optimized my blog so it pops up or if they are really interested in evaluation.  Some of the comments appear genuine; some seem specious at best.  Please know I read them all.  And I appreciate the feedback.  There were some questions posted in the comments.  Here are some answers, not in any particular order.

1. AEA365 is a blog sponsored by the American Evaluation Association.  It invited known evaluators who blog (like me) to contribute a post to their AEA365.  Susan Kistler is AEA’s executive director; she has really good ideas.  I wouldn’t be surprised if this was one of them.
2. To be an evaluator who blogs, you first need to be an evaluator.  You get to be an evaluator by studying evaluation.  There are numerous places to do that–universities, Evaluator’s Institute, AEA’s summer institute, on the job training.  I went to university; I got a Ph.D in program evaluation.  Most people who come to evaluation come through some social science–sociology, psychology, social work, anthropology, other disciplines.  If you want to know more, I’ll be happy to elaborate in a future blog.
3. When I preview my post, the graphics look fine.  I don’t have to click on them more than once; they just are there.  My IT person says it might be the browser being used.  I use Firefox; I am a PC user.  I don’t know how this looks on a Mac.
4. Although I try to stay off my political soap box when I post, there are times where the topic (Viktor Frankl, for example) is both political and evaluative.  For those of you new to evaluation, evaluation is a political discipline.  I have a few passions in my life that I return to again and again as they have been with me for a long time (some as long as 50 years).  Evaluatiion is one of those passions even though I’ve been a professional evaluator for only 30 years. (I’ve probably been a lay evaluator for as long as I’ve known my passions.)
5. 500 words seems to be a good length.

I’m working with my IT person to make this blog better.  Since I’m a technopeasant, learning something new is hard work for me.  Next week I’ll talk about evaluation again.  I promise.  Hopefully, y’all will see the sun where you are. Here in Oregon, we are eager for the sun.   Even if it is the sunset in Florida.