Rudy Carrasco

Earlier today I joined Andy Rittenhouse (Compassion Coalition, Knoxville, TN) and Eric Marsh (Hope for Long Beach) for a couple of appointments they had set up. Andy is on a five-day junket meeting with leaders from Mariners, Saddleback, Rock Harbor, New Song-Irvine, etc. Andy, through Compassion Coalition, has developed the best material / curricula for engaging churches in the needs and dreams of their community. The first appointment was with Rudy Currasco in Pasadena. Rudy is a respected thought leader as well as one of the most respected practitioners in the country. He is the executive director of the Harambee Center--a learning center in Pasadena committed to the success of children. Rudy began blogging several years ago (when it was known as Web logging). So the first topic he addressed was blogging. The following is from the notes I took on our time together.

Blogging
If there is a message you want to get across then you need to blog. Blogging is the new media different than any previous forms of communication. Blogging allows you to check facts. Like oil for food. People are able to supercede mainstream media by checking the facts for themselves and then pass their findings on to others. Top blogger (most widely read) is Glen Reynolds (instapundit.com). Blogging helps others find you and your unique message and you become a voice others may want to give voice to. For instance the best review on digital photography is a blog called dpreview.com. It created its own value and people found the site and it continues to grow.

A lot of the folks who have a steady stream of content are writers / journalists. Much of what I write is currently not strategic but will be strategic further down the line. Blogging creates a paper trail of your thinking and adds to credibility issues. If people want to know my views on capitalism or the war in Iraq or free enterprise, there is a steady stram of content that can be checked out.

I have known Rudy for around four years now. He continues to stay on my list of "go-to" resourceful people, whose insite and opinions I value. Thanks Rudy.

P.S. I have a link to Rudy's blog on my list of blogs I'm reading.