Best Bets in the Blogosphere

When I think of blogs, usually negative connotations jump to the forefront of my mind. Thoughts of endless thirty to forty-something-year-old's inflated egos and personal opinions on a topic they claim to be experts on, spilled onto the web without regard for competent rhetoric or basic grammar.

However, after much effort to beat back those thoughts of negativity, I decided to look critically into the blogosphere in an attempt to find an exceptional blog that I knew had to be out there. 

Lo and behold there are many to be found. In this post, I will cover the New York Times blog entitled At War. I was previously aware that the New York Times hosted several blogs on varying topics. All of them are worth reads and I encourage all readers to take in as many of them as possible, as they are contributed by people who work in or are affected by the topics at hand. These first-hand accounts provide a personal insight into topics that are generally covered in a more formal manner.

At War is a blog supported by the prestigious New York Times

At War is a blog focused on the many stories coming out of the Middle Eastern conflicts that have taken place since 9/11 and continue to take place to this day. There are a few stories that extend the reach of 9/11 and cover military exploits including World War II and Vietnam. Many of the additions to the blog are written by ex-members of the military and their first-hand accounts of various topics that plague the ex-military population including PTSD, depression, women in combat, life changing combat injuries and the overall day-to-day lives of active duty soldiers. There are also contributions to people who are affected by the military life such as an addition by a physical therapist who treated veterans with amputation injuries. 

There are three reasons At War is successful: timeliness, depth, and credibility. The United States has been a military presence in the world for the better part of a century now and it seems that our role as an international police force will be one we occupy into the foreseeable future. Our military has been stationed throughout the Middle East for the better part of my life (in 2003 I was 11) and we have been up, down and side-to-side the massive region ever since. The United States military is always a hot topic with the general public and holds a lot of relevance given the personal connection people have with members of the military. According to the Department of Defense (DOD) as of December 31, 2013, there are 1,369,532 active men and women serving in the U.S. Military, and chances are you know more than one person serving. 

The blog also provides incredible depth and detail of the many topics that are covered. This is achieved through the credible contributors that this blog employs. The first-hand accounts provide a base that allows readers to fully engage in the stories without the fear that they are simply being lectured by some amateur that can only provide insight from the outside looking in. 

This blog also creates a community platform for veterans, active duty soldiers and those involved in their lives to share stories and experiences with each other as well as the general public. There are many challenges and feel good stories that are laced into this blog that can help provide an outlet for the struggles, personal victories and possibly injustices that occur within our military that otherwise might not be available to the individuals surviving them that aren't in the national spotlight.