One might ask "Why "The Newsprint"?" Why such an old term for a new publication in a digital age? And why the blog medium?

First, and foremost, "blog" is short for "weblog" which is short for "an online site where a person logs their personal opinions, thoughts or experiences or who links to other interesting sites on a normal basis". “Blog" is an old(er) term. Blogs were the first foray into social networking.  Blogs were a small place in the online world where one could post their own thoughts and could share those thoughts quickly and efficiently. If one wanted to share thoughts publicly prior to the Internet, one would have to write a book or become a columnist for a newspaper.

And, hence, "Newsprint".

Thoughts, opinions and stories were printed on newsprint before the Web. Before the Web, newsprint was one of only a few avenues into a world full of knowledge, fact and expression. Newsprint was prevalent; found on every street corner newsstand and in the hand of every coffee shop venturer, newsprint informed the masses day in and day out.

"Newsprint" was to then as the "Web" is to now.

I bet you can see why I feel so attached to the classic medium.  With a history degree, I inherently value where we've come from. I've held a personal believe that humanity can not know where it is headed without first understanding where it came from. "The Newsprint" is my hearkening back to an older day of communication — an older day of the spread of knowledge and ideas. "The Newsprint" is my showing of respect to where we came from and my understanding of where we are going. Newsprint was the medium then and the blog is the medium now.

Apart from the philosophical inspiration for The Newsprint, I intend to use this modern blog medium to formulate thoughts, opinions and news in the same manner they would have been created for newsprint. The Newsprint will act as a column, whereby I, The Newsprint's editor, will hire myself as The Newsprint's columnist. Generally, columnists deliver pieces on their daily interests and experiences, of which mine are heavily skewed by the digital age. I love researching and adopting new technology to create efficiencies in my daily work or to entertain myself in new ways. I hope to use The Newsprint's columnar format to pass on my experiences to you, the reader.

The Newsprint was designed with inspiration from popular writers and websites which I frequent each day. I really admire Shawn Blanc's style of writing and his taste in site design. Although blunt and edgy (perhaps) at times, Marco Arment's personal site showcases beautiful typography and an appealing reading environment. And finally, the timeless look of Daring Fireball is something all web publishers should admire. These three sites had a major influence in how The Newsprint was designed — as you can probably see — and I hope The Newsprint can maintain a timeless, albeit iteratively improved, design.

Lastly, many popular web writers appear to fill a niche aspect of the publishing market. Take Apple for example (one of my favourite topics, of course). Some blogs excel in dicussing the company's finances while others excel in discussing how they use the company's products to complete their work. The Newsprint will be reflective of the new iPad-workstation niche. I plan to use an iPad almost exclusively to run The Newsprint. I don't plan to use an iPad exclusively to prove that I can use it exclusively, but rather because I feel, with the appropriate apps, that it's a better device than my notebook for running this site. Combined with Squarespace's incredible mobile platform, I am very excited to see how far the iPad can go.

I'm not a hired writer or freelance journalist, thereby rendering an inevitability of mistakes and misunderstandings. The views expressed through The Newsprint are solely my own (or that of potential guest writers) and are not reflective whatsoever of my employer or family. Tech news doesn't become too heated, so I foresee a minute amount of conflict. However, I wanted to cover my butt somehow.

I thank you deeply for both your interest and your time in reading The Newsprint. I aim to contribute as much thoughtful and well-worded prose over the next few months (hopefully years) as possible and I hope you enjoy what you read and what you see. Do not hesitate to contact me via the link in the sidebar. I can not wait to try my hand at proficient correspondence.

Josh Ginter