Onward State is a new online blog that has recently gained popularity within the Penn State community. I had the chance to sit down with Executive Editor Davis Shaver and ask him a few questions.

For those who don’t know, what is Onward State?

Onward State is a group blog that focuses on Penn State and its community. It is a smorgasbord of interesting things and a cornucopia of content.

Where did you get the idea for Onward State?

I had the idea for Onward State on a sleepless night last July. It began as a Frankenstein creation, with me imagining what my ideal blog would have on it. The concept of creating a blog focused on a specific college was pioneered by Wesleying (at Wesleyan) and Bwog (at Columbia), but we’ve tried to rethink that model so it is a better fit for Penn State. Before Onward State, the information market at Penn State was a virtual duopoly. The Daily Collegian and the University were really the only institutions contributing to the public sphere. We thought that Onward State could provide an interesting and authentic alternative to those two information outlets.

What is your overall goal?

We want to be interesting and helpful to the Penn State community.

What was the funniest or best article that you have written for Onward State?

Working on the Green Man posts with Evan Kalikow was great. We went to the library during finals week and had a photo shoot with Green Man while he was studying with some friends. That was the article that was most fun to produce. But the funniest article that Onward State has run was written by Steve Sharer and is about an embarrassing ANGEL-related incident.

When you were just starting up, were the first few weeks difficult ?

The biggest difficulties that I faced were explaining to my family why I had decided not to write for The Daily Collegian and finding the money for our camera and web hosting. Other than that, starting up was a lot of fun. I live for this stuff.

What residence area do you live in and how do you like it?

I live in Simmons Hall in South. The best thing about it is the incredible Simmons Dining Hall salad bar. The worst thing about it is the smell after fish Tuesdays…

What was Onward State’s weirdest article?

The ‘10 Questions’ feature we did with the Willard Preacher. Did you know his favorite dinosaur is the brontosaurus?

What is next for Onward State?

Right now, at Penn State, there is no good way to advertise events. Penn State’s central calendar is archaic and rarely features student events, and the Collegian only publishes a short list of club meetings one day per week. We are in the process of launching a calendar system for event information. The calendar will give all community members the opportunity to advertise their events. Watch out for it in the coming weeks.

What was your favorite class this year?

I have two favorite classes this year. The first is Convergence Journalism (COMM 498D), which is taught by Curt Chandler. His class has been a singular influence on the direction of Onward State’s multimedia strategy. The second is New Media & Democracy (CAS 497A), which is taught by Dr. Veena Raman. Her class has made me realize that technology by itself isn’t enough to effect social change. The blogger is as important as the blog.

For people who don’t know you, tell us something interesting about yourself.

My life’s goal is to be a Head Master at a boarding school.