MediaShift

This is the post where I plead with you, offer you crazy schwag, and hope you will take 5 minutes out of your very busy lives to please fill out first ever MediaShift Reader Survey. I know, every other site on the planet is asking you for feedback too this week or this day or this minute.

Let me put it this way. If you like what you see here on PBS and want to support the programming and journalism and comment you enjoy each day brought piping hot and fresh to your RSS reader, you need to give me every last cent you have in your wallet! Wait a sec, that's the wrong pitch... I don't need your money.

What I'm trying to say is that I very much value your feedback on what you think about this blog, so please click on this link and take a quick online survey telling us what's good, what's bad, what you want more of, what isn't working and all that jazz. If you as the audience want to gain control, here's another chance to take control and tell me what works and what needs improvement. I promise it will be painless.

That link again.

Thanks for helping me help you. Much appreciated.

Guest Blogger on Board

In other news, I will be taking another one of those rare vacations where I won't be blogging. Working, yes; blogging, no. Maybe even not working for a day or two, if you can believe it. (I'm sure you can tell I need it...)

During that timeframe of one week, Oct. 2 to 6, you'll have the distinct pleasure of enjoying the wordsmithing and guest blogging of Mark Tapscott, editorial page editor for the DC Examiner and one of the driving forces behind the new transparency law that requires Congress to keep a public online database explaining all contract payments and other money going out. Hard to believe this wasn't public before, but bloggers across the political spectrum joined together to make it happen.

I believe he'll be updating you on what that new law means about the state of bi-partisanship in the blogosphere leading up to the contentious (is there any other type?) mid-term elections. Because politics has been hard for me to stomach lately, I hope Mark will give you plenty of fodder through his practical, conservative lens.

Hope you all enjoy your first week of October, and I'll return to the blogging trenches on Oct. 9 refreshed and ready for action.

[Photo of Mark Tapscott by JD Lasica, unofficial Creative Commons photographer for MediaShift.]