Friday, October 15, 2004

Blogs

In many ways, the 2000 election was the 'election of the internet.' That election marked the watershed moment whereby most technologically savvy people, and more than a few unsavvy, began to get most of their news on the internet rather than on TV or in a newspaper.

This election is the 'election of the blog.' People not named George Bush are still getting their hard news from traditional mass media sources (networks/newspapers) via the internet, but they are supplementing it with rumors, opinions, and projections from small independent sources on the internet, ie. blogs.

One thing that has bugged me is that the word 'blog' has been so overused. In a rush to seem hip, or at least less stodgy, many mainstream media folks have started what they call a blog. But these really violate the spirit of the 'blog.' Let set some rules:

1. If you are a celebrity, you do not have a blog. You have a fan-club.
2. If you are a reporter affiliated with a newspaper or network, you do not have a blog. You have a freelance column.
3. If your posts are not the primary attraction of the site that they are viewed on, you do not have a blog. You have a feature.
4. If you are a well-known political activist, you do not have a blog. You have a, well, I'm not exactly sure. But it ain't a blog.

In essence, if you have access to have your posts published by a media outlet, you do not have a blog!

posted by bkopec @ 1:06 PM   3 comments