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This Just In…
Has blogging grown too big for its own good?
September 26, 2008
Far from its humble roots as a hobbyist phenomenon, blogging has become a legitimate news force and shaper of opinion. As blogger and columnist Sarah Lacy writes on BusinessWeek.com, voters this election season are learning as much about the presidential race from blogs like DailyKos, Drudge Report, and Talking Points Memo as they are from cable TV. But among bloggers there’s a growing sense that in becoming so big, the blogosphere has lost its way — and some are now calling for a return to smaller blogs that speak to dedicated communities of readers.
“Blogging is simply too big, too impersonal, and lacks the intimacy that drew me to it,” former blogger Jason Calacanis is quoted as having written in a recent post announcing his retirement, after selling his blogs to AOL for a reported $30 million.
Lacy divides bloggers into three main categories: professionals motivated by money, amateurs who blog for the love of it, and early adopters who were fascinated by the platform. Labeled as sellouts by the amateurs, some professional bloggers have turned into the very media companies they used to rail against. Many early adopters, meanwhile, are switching to micro-blogging via the Twitter messaging service, and will likely jump to the next communications medium that catches their eye, Lacy says. She calls microblogs “a great way to push one’s voice further into the Internet world, sparking conversation and luring readers — kind of like in the early days of blogging.”
To establish their voices as respected thought leaders and effectively monetize their work, bloggers will have to invest in their content, she says, rather than cheapening it for maximum page views. — Compiled by Greg Beaubien for Tactics and The Strategist Online
Comments
SWEE says:
I think blogging's main contribution to the changing of web landscape is that it offers a simpler way to create content and syndicate it. While revenue is an unexpected side spin-off, and a delightful one, blog platforms offer an opportunity for PR practitioners to extend their reach to their publics. It offers direct contact between the establishment and its main publics, be it consumer groups or opinion leaders. Quick response tools (such as the comment function) on blog engines offer an excellent means of gauging opinions and monitoring responses to an idea or product. As for gaining respect, the web has a funny way to exposing charlattans given enough time. PR practitioners need not and should not fear blogs but should instead embrace this new convergent technology and use it to enhance his/her corporate standing. ABOUT ME: I am a public relations enlightened journalist in Malaysia, a member of the Malaysian Institute of Public Relations (IPRM). I also blog at www.fortheclueless.net
Anonymous says:
One in four Americans doesn't have Internet access. I'm guessing half of the Americans who do have Net access don't know what a blog is. In my experience, the blog stories that go "big" only go "big" after the mainstream dinosaur media picks up on them; they had no momentum on their own accord.
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