I discovered blogs about two years ago. The few that I visited seemed to be teenagers' diaries. I didn't see the appeal, and forgot about the concept for a while.

Then last March I noticed that my friends Laurent, Johanna, and Esther were writing blogs, and that they weren't writing teenage drivel. Esther writes about management and process improvement. Johanna writes about management and hiring. Laurent writes about all kinds of topics that I can categorize only as "Laurentia." Suddenly I had a whole new idea of what blogs could do, and I caught the bug.

I decided to test the waters by starting with a personal blog, Twelfth Root of Two, which consists mostly of middle aged drivel. I wrote my first entry, a brain-cramping piece about how a common question becomes a strange question when it's offered as a strange question in strange circumstances. And I was off (read that however you like).

Several days later I created Conversations with Dale , my business blog in which I write short articles about how we can create joy, value, and meaning in our work.

Blogging has been a great way for me to ease into the writing habit, to clarify my ideas as I struggle to make them presentable, and to present myself more fully to the world.