05 June 2007

blogging is NOT for the passive-aggressive

just ask "Dr. Flea."

two things jump out at me. first, it's extremely difficult to blog anonymously anymore. there is so much available about people online, you can get found out without ever mentioning your name. if you're just writing benign personal items, maybe no one cares. but if you're a good writer and a little smarmy, someone's always reading. and once it's on the internet, it's there forever.

second, i remain amazed at how "mainstream" (i hate that term) journalists have it out for bloggers. Dr. Flea made a huge mistake writing what he did. his lawyer probably told him not to comment on the case, but he thought he could get away with this. however, he's one of millions of people writing online. sometimes i think reporters and columnists (especially the columnists) don't appreciate the new competition.

take Brian Williams (was in WSJ but I found via Hugh Hewitt):
You're going to be up against people who have an opinion, a modem, and a bathrobe. All of my life, developing credentials to cover my field of work, and now I'm up against a guy named Vinny in an efficiency apartment in the Bronx who hasn't left the efficiency apartment in two years.

then remember that Brian has a blog. but it's one of those mainstream media blogs under his company's brand - significantly less street cred in the blogosphere.

journalists seem hung up on whether bloggers are journalists or not. i think most bloggers don't care what you call them, but many serve as a check on journalists. but what the pundit class may not realize yet is that millions of "citizen journalists" don't degrade the discourse, they eventually improve the communications environment because readers have more choices -- and don't have to read columnists or reporters that are shown to be consistently wrong.

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