Hitting "SAVE" for NancyLoo.net

For a number of reasons, I’ve decided not to divert traffic from this website to my blog at Chicago Now.  I guess I just don’t want to kill myself off online!  I’ve been writing in all sorts of web spaces anyway so what’s another?  While I’ll be posting here far less often, I’ll continue to blog on the Fox Chicago website, the Chicago Moms Blog and (this just in) the Yahoo Mother Board along with Chicago Now.

I became a journalist because I love to write which is why I want to encourage more young people to focus on it.  Along with a good friend, MJ Tam, I recently launched a website called Young Chicagonista.  Please indulge me by checking it out and reading this week’s Huffington Post article on our site.  Write on!

The keys to keep blogging...

This blog is about this blog.  Its existence and readership are now permeating many facets of my life. In the Fox Chicago newsroom, quite a few co-workers tell me they’re reading this blog daily.   Even my boss approached me to say, “I love your blog!”  When we had an issue with some equipment earlier this week, a technician blurted, “Blog about that – how a lot of our stuff doesn’t work!”

Even my former co-workers are checking in.   One newscast producer-turned-executive in NYC, emails “I am very impressed with your blog.  You go, girl!”  Another wrote, “Great website.  I’ll tell the gang at 7 Lincoln Square!”  That’s the address of WABC-TV, where I worked for seven years before joining Fox Chicago.

At “Back-to-School” night, I’m caught off guard when my daughter’s math teacher tells me she loves Scrabble, too.  She had read about my Scrabble addiction on my blog.  ”How do you know about my blog?”, I asked.  ”Oh, I heard about it from ______, the English teacher.”   Soon after, a mom of a classmate tells me how much she enjoyed the post “Question Mark Died”.  Wow, people are even recalling my blog titles!

I’m touched that one of my high school classmates in California is also dropping in here regularly. She writes her own blog and it’s great to get to know her in a new way.

I made MORE work for myself with this blog!

At my daughter’s cheerleading practice last night, another mom is quick to tell me, “I love your blog.” Might I write more about all the people she watches on TV?  Or how about that guy who’s no longer with the station?

I better watch what I say in here – though I can talk about the middle school history teacher. His colleagues call him “The Sage”. I love his passion for history and the way he breaks it down for middle schoolers to understand.  But he doesn’t like computers, boasting to parents, “I’m old and about to retire.”

Never mind.  He might still hear about this from the English and math teachers.

Reality hit today as I met with my tech pal, MJ Tam, founder of www.chicagonista.com.  ”Uh, you need to be blogging everyday,” she told me in a matter-of-fact manner.  MJ’s a veteran blogger and knows that it takes a truly dedicated person to keep a vibrant and interesting website going.

More guilt came through on twitter.  I had asked Social Media guru John Haydon to check out my new website  and soon after he tweeted, ”Looks fine to me.  Just blog as much as you can.”

Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane

I now realize I missed numerous topics to blog about over the past two days.  I had covered Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane and his return to the ice for USA Hockey Orientation camp for the 2010 Olympics after his arrest in Buffalo for allegedly assaulting a cab driver.   Just today, I was in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood where street fights have been a common problem all summer long.

Okay, watch out!  I think I’m getting the hang of this blogging business.

Hanging with some of Chicago’s top bloggers ahead of BlogHer ’09. (These are amazing women!)

As if my family and Anchor/Reporter job at Fox Chicago didn’t keep me busy enough, here I am spending my day off blogging!  Well, I just can’t help myself after meeting and getting to know many of the women pictured above.  They are moms, entrepreneurs and businesswomen – part of a far more influential tech community in Chicago than you may think.  For me, they’ve been pure inspiration and, perhaps, the sisters I never had.

My tech mentors have taught me to use social media far more effectively.  I now approach my news assignments differently and I’ve surprised myself with my ability to multi-task while reporting from the field and anchoring in the studio.

There are others on the internet who’ve guided and encouraged me but here’s to some of the amazing women who’ve pushed me to make this blog a reality and to grow in new ways.   Get to know them, too.  Who knows what they may inspire you to do!

(In no particular order)

Beth Rosen, Sarah Evans, Liz Strauss, MJ Tam, Barbara Rozgonyi, Hope Bertram, Wendy Piersall, Jackie Cuyvers, Carrie Kirby, Duong Sheahan, Kim Moldofsky, Amy Ravit Korin, Lisa Martin, Allison Worthington.