Comments on: Journaling Does Not a Journalist Make

By: Seth Finkelstein

Seth Finkelstein — Wed, 14 Jun 2006 00:46:00 +0000

Au contraire, the blogging movement REQUIRES a definition sleight-of-hand.That many people like to keep diaries, even online, and like to chat with their friends, is not a “movement”.That professional pundits are fighting over the changes in the news business is interesting to them, but very much inside baseball.But if you can HYPE HYPE HYPE the diary-writers and chatters as threats to the pundits, and dangle the power/influence/attention of the pundits in front of the diary-writers and chatters – well, that’s a MOVEMENT.From the other side, whenever anyone criticizes the blog-pundits, deflect the critism by saying they didn’t mention the diary-writers and chatters. And whenever anyone points out the diary-writers and chatters aren’t all that influential, deflect the criticism by saying they didn’t mention the blog-pundits. So the confusion strategy works both “forwards” and “backwards”.

By: Earl Moore

Earl Moore — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 10:54:00 +0000

Kent: Thanks for expanding on that. I understand your point.

By: Kent

Kent — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 03:15:00 +0000

I think it’s being held back because1) there are a lot of people (Gillmor et al) who are trying to define blogging in a way that serves their interests;2) as a result there are a lot of counter-agruments from others about what a blog is or isn’t (I am certainly guilty of this);3) and as a result, mainstream America looks at us as the lunatic fringe where, as I said in another post today “the customers aren’t.”It’s not the lack of a definition that bothers me; it’s the attempt to create a consensus when I don’t think one exists. When big companies and mainstream media see bloggers arguing over this stuff, they are more likely to just write off the whole movement.It’s complicated, but at its core I believe the problems arise between the camp that (wrongly, IMO) looks at blogging as a way to make money and the camp that looks at blogging as an extended dinner table conversation.

By: Earl Moore

Earl Moore — Tue, 13 Jun 2006 03:01:00 +0000

Kent, I agree with you on the point of Journalist and Mark Scoble’s post. However, I can’t say I agree with your statement “the biggest thing holding the blogging movement back today is a complete failure to reach any consensus on what a blog is and what a blog isn’t.” Can you clarify that statement for my understanding? What group of bloggers is being held back and how do you see it being done?I’ve always viewed this lack of definition as a “freedom” and one of bloggings greatest strengths. I fear that if you reach a consensus on what a blog is then the next step is setting rules to govern blogs. Not something I would like to see happen.