A more focused direction

Hello everyone!

I apologize for neglecting the blog lately. I just got caught up in lots of little projects and by the time Friday rolled around, I wasn’t able to fully focus on a well-written post. Maybe I should blog throughout the week instead of the first day of the weekend. That’s actually part of the appeal of a blog, the random posting; doing something on a strict weekly basis seems more like a periodical newspaper or magazine. Bloggers post at all hours of the day, whenever the inspiration hits them, and I should embrace that attitude more often.

As I skim through the previous Ranger Mike Friday posts, it’s clear that the tone has changed. Rather than becoming a forum for communicating NPS science, it has become a forum about communicating NPS science. Specifically, my efforts and projects as a designer. This switch to a more personally-reflective perspective might not be a bad thing. With our network’s upcoming Fall Workshop (December 3-4), it would be wise for me to start putting down my thoughts on the role that design has in good scientific communication. Obviously, it is something that I believe strongly in and gives me more to contribute than my reports from the field. That’s just how my job has evolved and evolution’s okay, right!

Eventually, we’ll have an amazing official NPS blog for public consumption. It’ll have regular contributors from park scientists and field crews, tons of photographs, and maybe even a podcast or two. For now, however, I’m just going to set a good example for our park and network staff.