Forbes goes after the bloggers

The cover story in the current issue of Forbes proclaims "Attack of the Blogs."

Inside is a piece that is fiercely critical of the blogosphere, calling Web logs "the prized platform of an online lynch mob spouting liberty but spewing lies, libel and invective."

The article was quickly besieged by bloggers who argued that its claims were overdrawn, its examples spurious and its logic faulty.

Blog community response:

"Do bloggers sometimes go too far? Of course. But if the best-read bloggers typically did work of the lousy quality shown in the Forbes stories, they'd be pilloried--appropriately so."
--Bayosphere

"My guess is that the author, Daniel Lyons, wrote the article pretending to take on the persona of the 'bloggers' he then skewers--because it seems like he does every single thing in the article (and the sidebars) that he accuses 'bloggers' (in general) of doing. So, let's all just pretend that it's satire and the Forbes' editorial process didn't really let this go in as a serious piece, and let it go."
--Techdirt

"With all respect to Lyons and the magazine's editors, bloggers are not Corporate America's Boogeyman. They can be a company's greatest allies and evangelists if AND only IF we take the time to take them seriously and engage them in dialogue. Instead of telling us about both opportunities and threats, you paint the blogosphere as the Wicked Witch of the West."
--Steve Rubel