Posted on 01/02/2006 12:41:12 PM PST by Keyes2000mt
"I envision a future where there'll be 300 million reporters, where anyone from anywhere can report for any reason. It's freedom of participation absolutely realized." —Matt Drudge in his 1998 Speech to the National Press Club
The future is not yet. Despite the talk about the influence of blogs, the medium is still in the process of change and growth. According to a study published in early 2005 by the Pew Research Center, 62% of Internet users don't even know what a blog is. 27% are Blog Readers and 7% have published their own blogs. Even big blogs like Glenn Reynolds' Instapundit or Michelle Malkin don't approach the readership of the Drudge Report, Worldnetdaily, or Newsmax.
A technology that's not completely understood and is growing in influence scares a lot of movers and shakers in traditional media and politics. In a recent piece, syndicated newspaper columnist Kathleen Parker painted bloggers as the mad boys from "The Lord of the Flies," and begged people to ignore them. While the tactic of smearing the blogosphere to the ignorant may work for a time, you can't fight progress. Change is coming, the only question is what form it will take.
Understanding the Blogosphere
The cited number of people blogging or reading blogs have little to do with what political people think of as blogging.
While logs on LiveJournal, Xanga, and MySpace count in questions about people reading blogs, the content is quite different in that these sites are almost entirely personal and will say little about current events or politics. A large number of blogs focus on other topics from sports to computers to pets. In addition, many blogs are dormant with no posts in months or even years. These other blogs only serve the change in media and political circles if they're in fact "gateway blogs." People may start reading about sports or computers on blogs, and its not too big of a leap to start seeking political information as well.
Some have a vision of bloggers fundamentally changing the structure of how we get news and information. "It's the modern equivalent of the Gutenberg revolution, a way of putting not just published material in the hands of the public — but publishing itself," say the founders of the Pajamas Media blog network.
Others view Blogging as a key to activism. Jay Stephenson's Stop the ACLU started in February of last year and has grown in popularity with its focus on the ACLU's abuses. Bloggers played a key role in the downfall of the nomination of Harriet Miers. While most big groups in Washington took a "wait and see" or even supportive approach to the Miers nomination, most Conservative Bloggers made their displeasure clear. Folks in Washington read it as representative of the general conservative discontent and the nomination was pulled.
I tend to believe that political blogs in general are going to end up more on the activism side. The reason for this is that bloggers get started blogging because they care about issues not because they want to be professional writers. They want to be heard on important issues of the day and make a difference in what happens in our nation's life.
In the future, each blog that puts any effort into it will have a circle of influence. It could be 50 people, it could be 50,000, but whatever its circle, a successful blogger is going to persuade his audience on the issues. So, rather than getting the New York, Los Angeles elite media views on the news, a vast cross-section of America will be informing public opinion. No longer will it require a billionaire benefactor, an Ivy League education, or "knowing" the right people. The skills of 21st Century advocacy will be intelligence, wit, writing skills, and dedication.
There will still be big blogs and there'll be other outlets like talk radio, but rather than small blogs being blown about by the latest statement from huge blogs or Rush Limbaugh, there'll be a strong give and take, with big blogs linking to small and vice versa. The greatest danger big blogs face is forgetting what makes blogs appealing in the first place and becoming as arrogant and self-important as the mainstream media and political establishments. Losing touch with average people may be called professionalism in some establishment circles, but it will bring certain death to a blog.
That's the future the way I see it. No wonder the establishment's scared.
I wonder what Dan Rather's doing today?
Don't forget the "littleredbookgate". I don't think a lot of FReepers are aware of that interesting news story. Just type in the keyword "LITTLEREDBOOK". I think it didn't got noticed to much, because it all happened during the Christmas season.
bttt
We are the Blog! You will be assimilated!
50 readers? Let's visit eachothers blog, and we will each increase circulation 1%! :-)
http://freedomstruth.blogspot.com/
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