This is a special aside for all the bloggers out there.

Wait! This isn’t baseball-related. Is it?

I think it is. Every week, I find more hobby blogs abandoned. Shipwrecked. Likewise, I encounter wise hobbyists who don’t think their insight and opinions matter.

Hugh MacLeod is our cheerleader. A sometimes-shocking one, but a needed voice in blogdom. I subscribe to his daily cartoons. He began his artful career drawing on the backs of abandoned business cards. Without his 10-year-old blog (found at www.gapingvoid.com) MacLeod insists his current gig wouldn’t be possible.

In his book Freedom Is blogging in Your Underwear, Hugh shares some classic cartoons. He drops a couple of F-bombs, flashing a bit of salty language, but makes some clear points.

Try. Share your voice.

MacLeod has written a love letter to the blog. He feels we can each savor a slice of the blogosphere pie, as long as we bake it ourself.

The book is NOT a how-to manual or textbook. At just 117 pages, you’ll find the title is a one-sitting breeze. His chapters read like quickie blog posts.

His cartoons sparkle with snarky reality, as MacLeod reminds us why NOT to blog.

In one scene, he shows a blogger proclaiming:

“My last blog post was re-tweeted 475 times…”

A second character appears with a bag of money. “Fantastic! Here’s five million dollars!”

The book would be worthwhile simply through his three short chapters:

1. The Internet is a Miracle
2. The Best Thing About the Internet is the People You Meet
3. Now Quit Your Yappin ‘ – GO MAKE STUFF

MacLeod is strong coffee for bloggers and the cyber-wannabes. Freedom is just what we need. Blog on!