"Its truths are provisional, and its ethos collective and messy. Yet the interaction it enables between writer and reader is unprecedented, visceral and sometimes brutal. And make no mistake: it heralds a golden era for journalism."

- Andrew Sullivan on blogs

I'm having a neighborhood "blog" party.

Everyone's invited.

Consider this a cordial invitation to join me as I become part of the blogosphere - that place on the Internet where ardent bloggers instantly post news items, random thoughts and frequent musings to a Web page. To see what I'm talking about, log on to the Web site http://BuffaloPost.net, "a news blog about Native people and the world we live in."

It's a blog site for the at-large community.

Each day, I plan to dish up bite-size morsels of news. Some of the words may be worth savoring, while others may be chewed up and spit out. That's the beauty of a blog. I'll write. I'll move on. For me, and the reader, it will be a come-as-you-are sort of thing.

Like any impromptu get-together, the food will vary, depending on who brings what. I anticipate that it to be potluck-style. As the host, I'll share tidbits from e-mails and news from callers who have information that might not otherwise find its way into print.

The blog will give readers a chance to express their views about the latest news developments. I expect the blog to be an inviting listening post and civil meeting place, no matter what's being discussed, be it cold weather, a tanked economy or health care woes.

To blog or not to blog? This was never a question I had seriously entertained. I can, however, attribute the decision to start the blog to my dentist, a professor and some brilliant students at the University of Montana.

As for the dentist, I was inspired to blog while sitting in the waiting room, where I was doing what most people do -looking at magazines. That's where I read a story by Andrew Sullivan, a veteran blogger of The Atlantic.

He described blogging as "to writing what extreme sports are to athletics: more free-form, more accident-prone, less formal, more alive. It is, in many ways, writing out loud." His article is available for viewing at www.theatlantic.com/doc/200811/andrew-sullivan-why-i-blog.

Sullivan's words reminded me of my professor and creative nonfiction classmates who encouraged me to break free from the constraints of daily journalism, where stories have a neat beginning and a predictable ending. The students had a tough sell. That's what we do as journalists. But I also appreciated their willingness to explore diverse writing genres.

I realized that a blog could give me a little more freedom to write spontaneously. Blog postings will allow me to go with news as it happens. For example: I just received an e-mail from a source who told me the Interior Department plans to close the probate office in Rapid City, S.D. This is the office that handles land transactions for all the Sioux reservations after someone dies. Some of my sources were livid.

I called the Office of Hearings and Appeals in Arlington, Va., to ask about the possible closure. "We don't have any plans to do that," said Earl Wait, OHA's chief probate judge. "But we're always looking at restructuring to provide the best services to our clientele."

I've already posted the item on the BuffaloPost blog. It could easily turn into a news story. I will still continue to write full, explanatory stories in the newspaper. Meanwhile, the news doesn't have to linger on my desk or the inbox of my e-mail. With the click of a "publish" button, it's posted.

The goal of the BuffaloPost blog is to share news that might not always reach the reader. A friend once asked me if I knew of any Native news bloggers. I had to do some searching. A few exist, but not many. Even then, I never considered writing my own blog. If I did, it was a fleeting moment. Now that I started one - I admit - it's a little addicting. It's kind of like having a Facebook account, which is a wonderful and informal way to keep in contact with people.

My new blog has allowed me to post news items about community dinners, families in need, inaugural parades and national health reform issues. Readers can get regular updates on blog postings by signing up for an RSS feed on the BuffaloPost site.

Where I come from, we invite people to the table and give them a plate.

So, what are you waiting for?

(Reach Lee Enterprises reporter Jodi Rave at 800-366-7186 or jodi.rave@lee.net.)