While in college I was heavily involved with the campus radio station. I learned to solder and trace wires as an aspiring engineer, I called record labels and requested records as a pseudo music director, handled the design of the first station website, set up our first streaming broadcasts, dealt with licensing issues as General Manager, and produced a music show, a sports show, and a talk show. I really enjoyed my time as a radio lackey and too advantage of all there was to learn.
When I first started as a freshman, I had moved to central Pennsylvania from Southeastern Massachusetts. I had a strong accent full of long a's and dropped r's. My friends used to ask me to say "Pahk tha cah around tha cawnah". In chemistry class I'd talk about the placement of "cahbon mahlecules". With numerous public speaking courses and presentations, as well as the lack of other people who spoke like me I lost my accent. Education will wear off some of the rough edges, but not all of them. I still swear like a mofo.
In my first year of college I was a DJ with an accent as thick as New England Clam Chowda. I wasn't quite sure what to do. Did I work with it? Did I drop it and try to speak normally? During my first few weeks as a DJ I was under review, having my shows taped and critiqued. I was constantly being teased about the awful gyrations in my speech as I vacillated between barely understandable and trying to sound like I had a doctorate. Rereading that last sentence, I think I still have that problem.
In any case with time I found my voice and gained a small following on campus. I moved from on-air jockey to party spinner. I was the DJ for special events of varying importance ranging in location from the college President's house to the gym. At the height of my DJing career I MCed a major pep rally.
In working on this site it occurred to me that I've yet to find my voice as a blogger. It's an important thing to do, a sign of coming into your own. Jeffery Zeldman and John Gruber use their unique styles to critique the industry, educate, and influence. Dave Winer has created a host of enemies using his, but at the same time has accomplished some amazing feats. Charles Johnson has created a community where tens of thousands of people learn about the "others" of the world through his distinct mix of sarcasm, humor, and journalism. Ed Cossette has created a column that brilliantly describes the trials and tribulations of Red Sox nation using Jungean philosophy as counterpoint to the wins, losses, and media whirl-wind of the team. Meg has mixed technology, food, and gardening into a required daily visit.
What is A-list? It's another way of saying that someone has found his or her voice. They've reached a place where they're comfortable with themselves, they know what to share and what to hold back, and they�'re not afraid to be who they are. They understand what it means to produce content for a one to many medium and they do it well. They�re people who have created communities around their thoughts and visions. They know what they're talking about and they freely spread that knowledge with others.
I wrote last week about weblogs and the maturity of the format. I think voice is part of that in some form. I also came across a post I started and never published about increasing your traffic. Voice is tied to that as well. With the advances in technology(technorati), it�s easier to find people saying things you'd like to hear more about. Similarly, the voice of a site can also be expressed in the design and the technologies it employs. If you've found your voice, worry not: the traffic will come. If you haven't, take a second and think about it. It can only make your site better, more engaging, and more fulfilling.
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