From Santa Monica Airport to...

Welcome on board! I hope you have started enjoying your frequent fliers' benefits. Today we will be flying from Santa Monica Airport and if you don't know where you will be arriving don't worry, that's the beauty of our flight.

Blogs have certainly a lot to offer to their readers, but for me the most exciting thing they offer is original and alternative information. Blog is the medium to which I will turn to when I want to learn something I wouldn't find in the mainstream media. Talking about alternative information, Harriet today through her post informed us that on Thursday, November 4th, 2010 the metal band Metallica will be performing in a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport.



The performance will be part of the launch of a new video game called Call of Duty: Black Ops, and the money raised from the show will go to The Call of Duty Endowment, a non-profit corporation which helps soldiers' transition to civilian careers. Tickets for the concert will not sold, but the fans can go to the band's website to learn how they can win a pass. Personally, I am not a Metallica fan, but I am really excited that I got to know about this concert. It's just interesting to know that Metallica will be performing in an airport, and it is something I would never learn unless I followed Harriet's blog. That is why I believe blogs are a wonderful hub of information.

Another characteristic of blogs I really appreciate is their interactivity. Blogs offer a two-way communication; they are a medium that encourage discussion and participation. When you follow a blog you don't just get to read, you also have the opportunity to comment and give feedback. That is, in my opinion, why blogs can be so engaging.

Harriet in her blog Stuck at the Airport allows comments, but doesn't seem to be getting a lot. It's almost five days till the last time someone commented one of her posts, and that was actually a tweet. That doesn't necessarily mean that people don't follow her blog. I believe that it is the theme and the nature of the blog that don't favor participation. The information presented in the blog is really interesting, but is not "controversial" enough to start a conversation. It's a blog that is really fun to read, but I don't think there would be anything really to comment, apart from how fun it is.

Harriet in the past has tried an interesting way to engage her followers. She concluded one of her Souvenir Sunday posts by saying:

Have you found a great souvenir while you were stuck at the airport? If it costs around $10, is “of” the city or region and is, ideally, a bit offbeat, please snap a photo and send it along. Your souvenir may end up featured on a future edition of Souvenir Sunday. And if it is, we’ll send you one of our favorite souvenirs.

I found it a really good effort to solicit her readers and make them participate more. It also shows that she enjoys getting feedback; that she prefers collaborating with her followers in order to write her blog, than writing it by herself. And that is what makes a blog engaging.

The landing process has already started, but I would like to make a last announcement: At the back of your front seat you will find a form, which we would really like you to fill in. It will be a great way for us to get to know you better. We would love for example to know where each of you end up being at the end of our flight.

Thank you very much for flying with us today. Hope to see you again in one of our flights.