What are some strengths and weaknesses of the open source media community? If you read through the lists below, you'll see that this community possesses some of the same advantages and disadvantages as the open source development community.
STRENGTHS:
The open source media world possesses vast amounts of expertise on nearly any topic, subject, or issue.
Information passes quickly through this new medium and reaches out to anyone who knows how to find it, sometimes being disseminated even before new and traditional media even have time to hear about it.
Ideas are generated and improved upon quickly as they pass through the community.
Odds bits of information, not often known and/or connected by other media sources, are connected through the myriad of sites and/or commentators through which they pass.
The open source media community is connected everywhere, and has an increasing influence upon society.
The OSM community may prove an even more powerful draw than talk radio in that it is far more interactive. If you have an idea or thought, you post it your blog. If you have a comment for another blogger regarding their post, you leave a comment. It's all very easy and VERY powerful for individuals who feel the need to actively engage in any number of debates.
WEAKNESSES:
Sometimes you get what you pay for. In other words, you need to be very wary of information flowing out of the open source media community. Where did the story originate? Can you track it back to a reliable source? What data is there behind the story? These are just a few of the questions one must ask when reading through any Blog. The fact is, bloggers often validate their stories by linking to traditional media sources, which tells you something about the need for filters on information within the open source media community.
We still have to see vast improvements in blog search technologies and tools. The Blogosphere is a massive database of human thoughts and ideas, but first you have to get to all those great thoughts, comments, and insights. Not always an easy task.
Content of any given site can be quite inconsistent. There are a few excellent blogs which post consistently high quality content at consistent intervals, but most blogs are inconsistent both in quality and in timing of posts.
WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
It means that the media world has expanded its boarders yet again. It's the new media frontier perhaps, and the long-term implications of the OSM is anyone's guess.
Personally, I think the OSM is one of the most democratic forms of the media ever to appear. The blog is the early 21st century's version of the printing press, and the implications, socially, politically, and economically, are just now being felt.
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Comments on this article
exceptional job David, very thorough and interesting analysis of the media and blogs' role therein - a very fine primer for those who haven't been following this for the last few years. Thanks!