Bloggers Consider Forming Labor Union

Yahoo Finance ^ | Sunday August 5, 3:03 pm ET | Ashley M. Heher, AP Business Writer

[jmcenanly]

Do bloggers need their own Norma Rae? In a move that might make some people scratch their heads, a loosely formed coalition of left-leaning bloggers are trying to band together to form a labor union they hope will help them receive health insurance, conduct collective bargaining or even set professional standar

The effort is an extension of the blogosphere's growing power and presence, especially within the political realm, and for many, evokes memories of the early labor organization of freelance writers in the early 1980s.

Organizers hope a bloggers' labor group will not only showcase the growing professionalism of the Web-based writers, but also the importance of their roles in candidates' campaigns.

"I think people have just gotten to the point where people outside the blogosphere understand the value of what it is that we do on the progressive side," said Susie Madrak, the author of Suburban Guerilla blog, who is active in the union campaign. "And I think they feel a little more entitled to ask for something now."

But just what that something is may be hard to say.

In a world as diverse, vocal and unwieldy as the blogosphere, there's no consensus about what type of organization is needed and who should be included. Some argue for a free-standing association for activist bloggers while others suggest a guild open to any blogger -- from knitting fans to video gamers -- that could be created within established labor groups.

Others see a blogger coalition as a way to find health insurance discounts, fight for press credentials or even establish guidelines for dealing with advertising and presenting data on page views.

"It would raise the professionalism," said Leslie Robinson, a writer at ColoradoConfidential.com. "Maybe we could get more jobs, bona fide jobs."

But not everyone is on board.

[jmcenanly]

It seems that lately, anytime a new medium of communication opens up, the conservatives find new ways to use it , and the left finds ways to gum it up and slow it down.

To me a bloggers union makes as much sense as a union for golfers.

[Jaysun]

Who would they strike against? This is crazy.

[Anti-Bubba182]

"..Do bloggers need their own Norma Rae? In a move that might make some people scratch their heads, a loosely formed coalition of left-leaning bloggers are trying to band together to form a labor union they hope will help them receive health insurance, conduct collective bargaining or even set professional standar.."

Only goofy Bolsheviks would think they are entitled to benefits like this.

[xcamel]

a bloggers union makes as much as a plumbers strip club

[tcostell]

My first thought also. Collective bargaining against who exactly? Who is it that they claim is “oppressing” them?

[period end of story]

Loggers I can understand, but bloggers?

[keepitreal]

Meet our demands or we will never blog again! (sound of crickets)

[rfp1234]

So who will be their Jimmy Hoffa?

[mamelukesabre]

Maybe I don’t know what a “blogger” is. Because I don’t understand this at all.

[keepitreal]

conduct collective bargaining...

For what?

[bikerMD]

a loosely formed coalition of left-leaning bloggers are trying to band together to form a labor union they hope will help them receive health insurance, conduct collective bargaining..

It takes crack-addled brains to come with that kind of nonsense.

[DoughtyOne]

"Go to your corner! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9..."

Unions, doing what's best for the rank and file leadership...

Unions are on the ropes. Most everyone has figured them out by now, thank heaven.

[don-o]

[Anti-Bubba182]

I don’t get it either. It is just more Lefty fantasy.

[tbw2]

Standards for the bloggers union - let’s start with standard use of spell check.
Did anyone else notice the misspelling of “standard” in the first paragraph?

[keepitreal]

Better yet, they all must pass a spelling and grammar test prior to being admitted to the union!

[Popman]

union for golfers.

That's a great idea!

Negotiate for my handicap, protest for an extra mulligan, free beer on every other hole, free membership for life for a hole in one, turbo charged golf carts.

Union thugs enforcing playing though

The list is endless

[adorno]

My first thought also. Collective bargaining against who exactly? Who is it that they claim is “oppressing” them?

The answer is a no-brainer.

Those bloggers would've have been "oppressed" by the readers who refused or didn't bother to come to their websites and read their junk. It's akin to the liberal talk shows that nobody listened to. The liberals complained that the people weren't being fair to them, or felt that the "right talk show hosts" hogged all the airwaves. And the liberals won't have anybody ignoring them again and, hence, they need a labor union to make sure that enough traffic is sent their way. Imagine, fairness on the internet where liberal bloggers get the same amount of traffic as republican/conservative bloggers. Imagine that you click on a "right wing" blog, but your browser is redirected to a left-wing blog because traffic to the left wing blog was sensed as being lower at any particular moment than traffic to the right wing blogs.

It's only fair and that's why a union is needed. /sarc

[Dilbert San Diego]

I am sooooo confused.

Are there bloggers who get paid for blogging? Maybe I’m behind the times, but I thought the bloggers were ordinary people putting their opinions out there on the internet, but it wasn’t a paying job of any kind. If it’s not a paying job, how can they have a union?

[rfp1234]

—Did anyone else notice the misspelling of “standard” in the first paragraph?—

Perhaps they were referring to a German blue granite style ;-)
http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images/view?back=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fsearch%2Fimages%3Fp%3Dstandar%26ei%3DUTF-8%26fr%3Dslv1-%26x%3Dwrt&w=609&h=611&imgurl=www.mgf-horlebein.de%2Fgfx%2Fmaterialien%2Fgranit%2FNam%2520Blue%2520Sod%2520Standar.jpg&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mgf-horlebein.de%2Fsektionen%2Fmaterialien%2Fgranit&size=128.7kB&name=Nam+Blue+Sod+Standar.jpg&p=standar&type=jpeg&no=1&tt=17,820&oid=4b46708c01b72d66&ei=UTF-8