So with all this talk about vlogs lately, I started thinking about starting my own, and then realized that the danger of starting a vlog is the risk of turning into the next Colleen Shannon.

For the uninitiated, Colleen Shannon had a public access TV show here in the Twin Ports back in the early '90s called "In My Room." In it, she would just sit in front of the camera and talk candidly for an ENTIRE HOUR. New shows aired weekly, I believe, but the episodes aired many times, so it seemed like she was always on the television.

I was sort of addicted to "In My Room." It was very rambling and disjointed. Most of the monologues had to do with politics. Colleen was very upset with the world, and in her rants she would often break down and cry. Every episode began and ended with music played on her stereo.

Toward the end of her stint on public access, she reached out and invited the public to join her. She wanted others to come on the air and talk about whatever it was they wanted to talk about. No one took her up on it, except a couple of punk kids who made their own version of Colleen's show called "In My Glass Of Puke."

In her way, Colleen Shannon was a pioneer vlogger, and I wonder if she's online. I used to see her around downtown every now and then, but I haven't for several years.

I have to hand it to her for being courageous, though. It doesn't seem that hard to put yourself on the Web, but doing the same thing on television is a whole other story. Especially when what you're doing is describing how you make reusable sanitary-pads out of sponges from Hardware Hank.

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