In the world of blogs, I am practically a veteran - two and a half years is half a lifetime in blog years. They come, they go, some thrive, some fail. Mine has done neither really, just chugged along with many peaks and valleys.
I always felt, even from day one - that blogs would become not just a fad, but an alternative medium. And I would like to think that I am right.
Just last night I was watching CNN's Paula Zahn show, because I heard these bloggers were going to be on.
How exciting, finally blogs making the big news, breaking real stories. Investigative reporting and hard journalism. It was exhilarating!!!
I caught Glenn Reynolds and he is certainly professorial, even on TV. I wonder sometimes, how does he do it? You know, teach law, run a thriving website, father and rear children, be a dutiful husband - AND EVEN PLAY POKER?!?! Perhaps he has discovered the secret that millions of mothers throughout the century have known: zero sleep adds at least six more hours to each day.
I never caught the Powerline guys - I think they declined or were bumped or something. Very disappointing. I thought I might even see this blogger or this blogger. Both run extremely successful blogs that are constantly updated, hugely popular, highly relevant and have their thumbs on the throbbing pulse of politics and current events.
One is run by an anonymous individual who I suspect is an underemployed big media writer - or at least should be.
The other is run by an overemployed mother/wife/nine-to-five worker, who should have also been scooped up by big media.
And you know, they are actually real bloggers. To me a real blogger is someone who writes an online journal that can consists of both personal and factual information that is both relevant and of interest to a segment of the population on any subject. Then if you add the process of editing, fact-checking and research to that equation - minus a bankroll and the meatpuppeteering and engineering of a false persona of journal writing - you might have yourself a blogger - or at least a news blogger.
So why oh why did I see Wonkette YET AGAIN? How is she relevant? Why is she relevant? She writes hacker style posts, beating the same redunant dead horses about political figures with the same punchline: SOMEONE having anal sex. She raises vulgarity to an artform and is STILL invited to appear on TV and radio. In fact, everytime I hear a blog mentioned, she always seems to be the one.
Article comments
1 - Temple Stark
Wonkette, who?
Seriously. I've gone beyond being impressed by most bloggers. Everybody's got an opinion and many of those with them are assholes.
Isn't that how it goes?
Anyhooo. How's the family? Anyone who offers something no one else or few others have -they have my attention.
If you're just there for the shock value? Booooooooooooooring. I detest reality ahows for the exact same reason. Never watched one. Ever. My life is so much better for it.
2 - Eric Olsen
The bitch sucks, the arrangement is tawdry and compromised, the presentation cynical and vile - you should mention that Nick Denton is a creepy piece of shit for engineering it.
Great job Dawn, nice pic too.
3 - Doug
Eric,
You are obviously trying to get some tonight. Such shameless "atta girl" cheerleading! Hope it works for you. Seriously, though, Dawn is absolutely correct (as are you) concerning Wonkette. Wonkette, Denton and Co. have created the blogging equivalent of Britain's "The Sun". Perhaps we need a new vocabulary to diffentiate between "True" blogging and commercially sponsered smut blogging?
peace.
4 - Eric Olsen
Doug, I atta-em as I see em, especially when I agree.
5 - Doug
Eric, I was just funnin' with ya. I hate emoticons, still I hope you get some tonight.
6 - Rodney Welch
Wonkette rocks and so does Ana Marie Cox -- how's that for a couplet? I read Wonkette every day, and I'm a fan of Ana Marie -- whom I only know on-line and even then just a little. She's smart, she's funny, and I've admired her a long time, dating back to her days at the late and much-lamented suck.com to her initiation last year of her blog The Antic Muse -- which she started on her own and which managed to get noticed pretty quickly, and which led to Wonkette. The way I understand the story, Denton was attracted to the idea of starting up Wonkette based on what he saw at The Antic Muse. So I don't begrudge her success at all. I'll admit she has off-days, but the success of her site has a lot to do with timing, marketing, right place, right time -- and the Washingtonienne scandal didn't hurt either. Anyway, Ana's groovy in my book.
7 - Eric Olsen
Rodney, well there you go providing balance. I just find her icky in every way.
8 - Dawn
Hey, to each his own - but as they say, there is no accounting for taste.