The other day, my ex- said I was self-obsessed because I had created a category on this site, called "Tom Watch." I tried to explain that this had nothing to do with my ego, or that I was developing an unappealing personal characteristic. It was all to do with "blogging."

Blogging is many things, and among those many things, it is also about the blogger. It is a form of communication/journalism, in which the author is clearly identified, his opinion is tightly bound to his name, and it also provides a vehicle for a remarkable range of flexibility in terms of subject matter, form, and delivery.

In writing Silicon Valley Watcher, I quickly realized that there are many types of content I wanted to publish. Some of the content might be more like an essay/thought piece to encourage discussion and debate. Some of my content would be more like a news story, feature, or column. Some of my entries would cover specific industry sectors or types of companies. And some of my entries would be about me, my daily experiences, my efforts to make a living, to recruit a team of colleagues, to launch a venture, etc. Thus I started labeling my entries as Tech Watch, Media Watch, etc.

By publishing a Tom Watch entry, I ask that my readers not think of me as self-obsessed, but that I am merely attempting to guide them to entries that they might enjoy, or would rather avoid.