Blogging 2.0 - Shame on Me!

I tell my students that to be an effective blogger, you MUST post REGULARLY. Sadly, my last post was Nov. 17 - of last year.

I do have a good excuse. My mother died exactly one month after that post. But I notice that blogging is like exercising or keeping in touch with old friends: The longer you go without doing it, the more difficult it is to get back in the routine.

Having just spent a week in federal court as a juror on a criminal trial, I will pick up where I left off. I discovered that the feds have made it much easier for reporters to get access to court documents without leaving the comfort of their newsrooms. The PACER system (public access to court electronic records - it wouldn't be the federal government without an acronym) allows anyone to register and log in. You must supply a credit card number and pay eight cents a page to download documents. But what a great time saver! They also have fun stats and some good links.

I'm told the state courts - at least here in California - are trying to do something similar.