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The blogosphere: Are blogs worth the hype?

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Women raise your hands
by burningbird August 10, 2004 1:32 PM PDT
One of the issues with weblogging is the fact that 50% of webloggers are women, yet articles such as this come out and manage to reference several weblogs without listing one by a woman--at least, from what I can see in the list.<br /><br />Does this make a difference? After all, any person can start a weblog and have their say.<br /><br />However, when you have articles such as this, or the DNC and RNC issue passes for bloggers based on how well known they are, it does make a difference. <br /><br />There is more to weblogging than middle aged white guys.
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From a college webmaster's (limited) perspective
by August 10, 2004 3:16 PM PDT
They are not an important tool for college websites to use.
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Why blogs fail
by August 10, 2004 3:35 PM PDT
One thing that is overlooked with all this blog <br />hoopla is "who chose the bloggers?" <br /> <br />The truth is, select members of the DNC chose <br />who would be 'credentialed' bloggers. After <br />watching the pageantry of the DNC and presuming <br />a well orchestrated RNC, I think it's safe to <br />say neither side will be willing to let some <br />loose cannon with an axe to grind into their <br />midst. <br /> <br />By most accounts there's a lot to lose in this <br />election for either side. What neither one wants <br />is a blogger that capably calls BOTH to the <br />carpet for their actions, and here we have the <br />crux of the problem: <br /> <br />While Ted Koppel might get away with soft and <br />medium questions, or even questions we know <br />won't get answered, a good blogger with real <br />aspirations may ask questions wherein the <br />answers create a political jeopardy for whatever <br />party. The fact that this discomfort level is <br />raised by "a normal person" --ie, someone that <br />might *really* resonate with average joes-- only <br />intensifies a potential voter's distaste to <br />un-liked answers. <br /> <br />Also overlooked is how much the parties are <br />entreating the computer culture with talk about <br />doing something about outsourcing. Nevermind <br />that promises have been made and broken for the <br />manufacturing base that is now largely <br />outsourced (who do you think makes all that <br />cheap Wal-mart Product????), having a GOOD, <br />critical amateur reporter that understands the <br />medium and the audience poses a real threat. <br /> <br />In my opinion, the only really good blogger <br />we'll ever see at any event is one that doesn't <br />care about press credentials. The need for cred <br />to gain entry only means there are some willing <br />to sell themselves for glory.
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Great WIRED article on blogs this month
by August 10, 2004 4:00 PM PDT
The gist of the article was this: blogs are only truly interactive at the small level. Big blogs (as measured by links to them) become indistinguishable from broadcast or read-only websites because the author can't respond. Fame is asymmetric attention. Example: one author with 1 million readers attempting to compose a 1-minute response to 1% of the audience would spend all week.<br /><br />Still, I think blogs or other forums similar will be the driving force for investigatory journalism (thank you Derek Zoolander) in the future. News is too commercial and too efficient to really dig, so it will be up to the amateurs to dig up facts, frame the story and build it up to where it can't be ignored.
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Dave Winer feedback
by charlie cooper August 10, 2004 4:34 PM PDT
Dave Winer had feedback on his weblog at scripting.com:<br /><br />"News.Com asks if blogs are worth the hype. I loved the comment from the former NY Times editor, Howell Raines, calling blogs "unsourced ranting." A few years from now we'll look back and wonder what all the fuss was about. When it's all shaken out, it'll be clear that, far from being unsourced, bloggers are the sources. When the pros stop thinking of us as competition and start seeing us as tools, it'll all just work out. Sure, some reporters will lose some power, because we'll be able to find out if their quotes are accurate, and get more points of view, but why, if they have a passion for news, would that bother them? Answer: It doesn't bother real journalists."<br /><br />"BTW, thanks for the link to Scripting News. But why not point to our convention coverage, and why use the Wired article about weblogs.com hosting, the one that didn't get the accurate story. It's things like this that make me question the independence of the News.Com editors. They're picking at us, not informing their readers. Don't they see they have a conflict of interest in this discussion, and as a result should bend over backwards to be balanced. Their piece is lousy journalism, imho of course, one big cheap shot."<br /><br />As luck had it, Dave was in town today and dropped by to discuss the issue in person. It was a good conversation. I guess the only thing I would add here is that I (we?) don't see bloggers and journalists as being in competition. Rather, I see an evolving complementary relationship. Dave rightly pointed out that many of our sources are going to be out blogging in their own right. Many already are.<br /><br />Charlie Cooper<br />CNET News.com
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Don't put ME on stage...
by August 11, 2004 6:33 AM PDT
I developed my personal website about five years ago, on which I have recently started to develop a blogs page. Since the genesis of my site, I have had a large essay as the centerpiece to the entire site. Many people have complimented the (sometimes quaint) eloquence of my writing.<br /><br />I also was called to give a one minute speech around the same time as the development of my site. I spent seventeen minutes. I stumbled, stuttered, stammered, sweated (a lot), and wandered off topic. Needless to say, I've gotten better since, but I don't speak in public unless it's absolutely necessary to a job or I'm passionate about the topic.<br /><br />Consider, it probably took you a minute or two to read and get the gist of this posting. It took me fifteen or so minutes to write it.
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No thanks
by August 11, 2004 8:36 AM PDT
Unless you're writing thesis on the author, I don't think reading the blow-by-blow of anyone's thought process is valuable. Journals are fine, but I think they help the writer much more than the reader. I think peer-review and editing result in better content.
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A waste of time
by Earl Benser August 12, 2004 7:32 AM PDT
'nuff said
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ENTERTAINMENT
by David Arbogast August 12, 2004 10:18 AM PDT
Blogs amount to entertainment. They represent individual opinion posted on just another web site. If you like a particular blog and read it often, then you are being entertained. There is nothing amazing about blogs. Just lots of people running their mouth online.
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Much ado about something
by Catgic August 12, 2004 1:50 PM PDT
The proliferation of blogging is much like the proverbial 100 monkeys at 100 typewriters typing out the complete works of Shakespeare. <br /><br />In the aggregate, Web logging does produce golden nuggets of wisdom and truth often missed or ignored by the mainstream media. It is up to each cybercitizen to tweak their Blog filters so these golden cybernuggets are properly identified and separated from all the cyberfool?s gold that is out there. The heuristic setting assigned to any blogger "credentialed" by either the DNC or the RNC would be "Probably Blog-Spam" with their Web log entries routed directly to the Spam Folder.
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