Blogging for Dummies?

Guinnessy writes "Wired News reports that one of the most respected journalism schools in America is going to be teaching blogging as part of next semester's course. I find this quite interesting, especially considering the existing controversy over whether blogging, such as Slashdot, is real journalism or not. I still haven't made up my mind." "Blog" now takes the cake as the most ill-used word of 2002. Please draw distinctions between webpages with news, mindless link propagation, discussion sites, personal diaries or journals, etc.

Comments

Slashdot a Blog?

[PeekabooCaribou]

Who in their right mind would call Slashdot a "blog"? Blogs to me have always been personal journals. Slashdot is more professional than personal, though it doesn't fit well into either category. Maybe it's just that I find /. useful, and journals self-centered and annoying. =P Off-topic? =)

Re:Journalism yes

[topham]

Kuro5hin might rank as journalism. Not very good journalism in my opinion... Slashdot on the other hand is seldom anything more than a news cutting service with the occasional editorial comment. (more often than not the editiorial comment is more ignorant than the trolls...).

Learning from slashdot...

[CtrlPhreak]

Forget the class and just take a basic class on spelling and grammer!

Matt Drudge and online journalism

[ObviousGuy]

Freedom of the press is one of the most cherished freedoms we hold in this country (the US). It, hopefully, is the 4th branch of government that keeps all other branches in check through close scrutiny.

Lately, however, such scrutiny has become non-existent. Whether this is a result of the 9/11 attack and its subsequent Arab bashing or because powerful entities with ties to liberal political movements (Ted Turner) have bought out all the major news outlets is up in the air. If anything, it's probably a combination of both factors. These days we see nothing but carefully crafted 'news' and air-brushed reporters and anchors on the tube. The real news gets lost somewhere on the cutting room floor.

So where can we get our news now without the Big Brother Filter working overtime? The main source is the Web. Sites like the Drudge Report, NewsMax, and IndyMedia (not to mention our own new-anarchist Slashdot :-) are set up to print news as it comes with only the lightest of editing.

So what comes out of this new media? Frankly, crap for the most part. However, hidden deep in the headlines are jewels of information and true news. Unfortunately these gems are surrounded by conspiracy theories and crackpot reporting that it is difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. That's the problem with the new media.

The benefit of the new media (or blogs as the article incorrectly calls it) is that discussion of the topics at hand can begin almost immediately. Slashdot.org is a great example because after each story the readers can chime in with their own comments and insights or provocations. In short, it is news by consensus. Not too shabby.

Meaning of blog is fine, dammit

[Anonymous Coward]

"Please draw distinctions between webpages with news, mindless link propagation, discussion sites, personal diaries or journals, etc"

No. I won't. And you're somewhat screwed up to think a word's popular use, lending itself to a definition, should change simply because it's too broad. A word, part of language, can encompass many topics and things. That's why we use them.

The single word, blog, can mean all of those types of pages. If you want better distinctions, find another word, came up with another word and hope it becomes part of popular language (you've contributed before with a term, e.g. the slashdot effect), or use language (words, usage, formatting) to clarify the distinctions you seek.

A square is (or you're case, wait, that's too broad) a rectangle, but a rectangle is not a square. Caucasion, human. Web pages, or slashdot.org.

Re:Meaning of blog is fine, dammit

[Broccolist]

Who cares what a dictionary says? If Merriam-Webster put out the entry "vertelswoop" in their next edition, would that make it an English word? The right definition is the one that most people use. Dictionaries can only describe definitions, not impose them.

This is a bit of a sore point for me, because the dictionary makers in my native language, French, constantly try to impose ridiculous rules on the language. For instance, "chat" has taken hold as the French word for Internet chatting. But the Academie Francaise, in its infinite wisdm, declared the artificial word "clavardage" (a hideous mutant splice of the French words for "keyboard" and "small talk") to be the Pure French Word to replace it. The worst part is that some people have begun to use it. We shouldn't ascribe that kind of power to the so-called "authorities".

I don't know which is funnier...

[anthony_dipierro]

Calling slashdot a blog, or calling it journalism.

'blog

[BreakWindows]

A "blog" is an online diary. Just because it's a "journal", doesn't make it journalism, by the practical definition. Hopefully, this school is teaching the difference.

My first reaction is: "Great, just when I thought the trend of whining bohemian teenagers was on the decline, more fascinating online drivel about how the Offspring sold out". Rethinking it, though, maybe the internet will take more shape as a source of alternative media. Televised news is a joke, newspapers almost all suck (besides the Indypendant or the National Review, I can't think of any worth a read), the clearchannel or the radio, whatever it's called, is getting more silly by the day...maybe a large group of "bloggers" seeking out stories and drawing the lines between them will form a perfect source.

I mean, the WTO protests in Seattle a few years ago had TV/radio/Newspapers reporting protestors rioting, and cops using almost no force against them. Personal accounts contradicted this and soon after, video and photos turn up on the internet of cops firing rubber bullets into crowds of people sitting on the sidewalk, tear gas canisters flying and even one cop ripping someone's gas mask off to pepper-spray(?) him. Who would know, if not for the fact that individuals spread the word independantly, that quite a few innocent people had been lumped in with the couple of assholes that kept showing up on CNN?

You can't take an individual's opinion as fact, but the same could be said of major news outlets. Similarly, you can't expect those major news stations to fess up when some stories don't add up, or are mysteriously omitted. If enough people start reporting what they see, eventually we'll get a much larger idea of what is really going on around here.

Re:'blog

[TheSteve]

'A "blog" is an online diary. Just because it's a "journal", doesn't make it journalism, by the practical definition.'

Not all what people are calling blogs are just journal and online gossip columns - there are quite a few out there that have a lot of good information and intelligent, timely conversation. I don't usually go a day without checking Metafilter, Kuro5hin, and not least Slashdot (you know where!)

These sites announce and discuss news, happenings and issues on average much sooner and with much more intelligence than more common news and media outlets - showing a wide variety of opinions and viewpoints on everything. It's easy to spot important comments, ideas, and trends when you've got the benefit of community discussion to fill out the picture. Some of these sites use voting and moderation to help elevate messages that need to be seen to the users' eye, allowing them to easily find the highlights of any discussion or issue.

There are even specialty "blogs" that offer information on more specific areas of interest. The state of the art in blogging and scripting in general is being developed and discussed right in front of your eyes at Dave Winer's Scripting News. Scripting News focuses on scripting languages (python primarily) and blogging using the Radio Userland system, a rich weblogging environment that allows the interface and performace of sites to be scripted and adjusted as much as you like. It can utilize live news feeds from other systems and sources, as well. The New York Times recently agreed to distribute NYTimes.com content to sites using Radio. Winer's site highlights the technological aspects of running blogs and gives a lot of good information and tools for creating incredible sites using technologies like XML-RPC, SOAP, python, and others. The links to other sites for their comments and viewpoints also provide a good view of issues and the community in general.

Celebrities are even doing it: Adam Curry of MTV and broadcast fame does with great results and Wil Wheaton runs a pretty good site using another blogging system called Movable Type. There are some pretty professional sites springing up using the tools available.

The timeliness of sites like Slashdot and Metafilter keep participants up to date and informed on relevant issues. We all know that to be true.

The types of functionality available to the blogging community cover a wide span of needs and purposes. If all you want is a journal that a couple of people can read - you can have that. If you want to have a place to store all of your bookmarks and discuss and share them with others - you can have that, too. If you want something that will integrate all of your news and discussion - you can have it. If you want to compete with Big Media, you're fully free and capable of doing just that, as well.

With such a wide choice of blogging themes, it's easy to see that there is room for much diversity with this technology. All roses may be flowers, but so are dandelions - Ferarris may be cars, but what I'm driving's definitely just a car! "Blog", while a catchy name, is still a broad category. It's like saying "web page" - it could mean anything. Once "blogging" is mainstream, it will be time to make some new categories and descriptions.

Blogosphere

[webword]

There was a pretty good article about the "blogosphere" a week or two ago. Very long, and relatively interesting, especially if you are interested in blogs, journalism, news, and that sort of thing. If you have a blog, you might like it too. If you are interested, I've got interview questions sent off to John Hiler, the author of the blogosphere article. I think he'll be getting back to me in a few days. I'll have the interview posted on WebWord.com soon after that.

There was also another story making the rounds about a week ago about making a living from blogging. I was expecting a lot more from it, i.e., some real details on "how to do it", but it was still a reasonable article. It might give you some ideas. Mileage may vary.

Last link whore comments: If you haven't seen Blogdex or Daypop, you might want to check them out. Very nice tools to see what it hot in the world of weblogs.

hmmm

[_ph1ux_]

"most respected journalism schools "

I dont know about you... but I dont have much respect for journalists - nor berkeley...

I find that journalists have about as much integrity as lawyers and politicians. I guess thats why those groups run the world... little cunning bastards that do anything for a buck.

"Blogs" are not journalism

[Raunchola]

First of all, Michael is right..."blog" has become extremely overused, much like "P2P." But that's besides the point.

Merely linking to news does not equal journalism. Slashdot isn't journalism. Kuro5hin isn't journalism. Yahoo's Full Coverage site isn't journalism. Hell, Fark isn't journalism. They are link farms. They find and post links to actual news stories across the world. While this makes for an easy-to-read digest of news and information, it does not mean the site becomes a seeming bastion of original journalism.

Real journalism, IMHO (speaking as one), is going out, researching a story, interviewing people, and putting together a concise unbiased story (keep your media bias arguments until the end of class kids). Journalism is not posting a link to a news story elsewhere, and then adding your own personal opinions or thoughts. While the Berkeley school is trying to avoid this, putting a "blog" label on it won't make any difference. Major news sites, like the New York Times and the Washington Post already post their news to the Internet in real time. Some even include "Comment on this story" links as well.

Take away the personal opinions and rambling links, and you don't have a so-called "blog." You have an online news site, just like the big boys. Calling it a "blog" doesn't give any more "hipness" or credibility.

I wish everyone would get over this stupid "BLOGS ARE THE FUTURE OF JOURNALISM" crap. You know what? They aren't.

Re:"Blogging"

[outlier]

from The Brunching Shuttlecocks' (funny) weblog FAQK:

How is [a weblog] different from an online journal?

Weblogs do not contain little graphics at the end of each entry telling you that the author is "feeling bummed."

Is it marketing or journalism?

[webword]

This isn't exactly related but then again maybe it is....Is it marketing or journalism?

It can be tough to decide how to define something. A blog is a blog is a blog. The material posted by kids about their lives might mean nothing to you but everything to that kid and his/her peers. If you don't like it, move along. Call it a journal or call it something else. Call it a blog, or not. Fine.

On the other hand, there are some "industrial strength" blogs out there. At a minimum, this is going mainstream, for better or worse. For example, there are blogs written by folks that are employed by Macromedia. Examples...

Mike Chambers (Flash MX):
http://radio.weblogs.com/0106797/

Vernon Viehe (ColdFusion MX):
http://vvmx.blogspot.com/

Matt Brown (Dreamweaver MX):
http://radio.weblogs.com/0106884/

And then there a blogs by the professional folks at MSNBC:

Eric Alterman: Altercation
Michael Moran: World Agenda
Cosmic Log: Alan Boyle's Diary
Chris Matthews: Hardball
Jan Herman: The Juice

Not everything is a front-page story

[Bodrius]

That's not necessarily a bad thing.

It doesn't take an in-depth analysis of the news story to make journalism. It only needs to be true, correct, and competently addressed even if it's little more than a footnote.

Not everything in a newspaper is a front-page story, you know? News companies have limited space and resources to create and publish those marvellously researched pieces you're so fond of. There are also columns, socials, and those collections of AP/REUTERS notes that you find almost as a margin to the "big news" and compose 90% of what's happening in the world.

"Online news sites" are similar to these last. They condense information as much as possible while trying to give a non-misleading picture of what it is about (and usually fail), so that interested readers can do their own research and find out more.

Blogs with active comment systems are a mix of these with "open-eds" and "letters to the editor".

But Blogs may also be more than just a collection of links. While Slashdot follows this pattern, it's mostly because that's what it does best and/or what the community values (witness the popularity, on the other hand, of Jon Katz).

Kuro5hin, for example, follows more closely the pattern of a magazine or publication. MLPs are similar to the link collections (or AP notes), while the rest of the site is often populated by articles where the links are secondary to the argumentative content... which is in some cases not entirely about the current emotional state of the poster. Original content that is not a substitute for group therapy is possible in a blog, after all.

The advantage of blogs is that they provide an immediate source for the reader to do their research, so they don't necessarily have to accept the incomplete, inevitably misleading piece of news they were given. Users can interact with each other and with the author exchanging sources of research, and even correcting intentional and unintentional errors in the article.

The disadvantage is that, being posted by amateurs, they degenerate into diaries with links... that is, a throughly unentertaining and unresearched "opininion column" on electronic media.

Communities formed around these throughly biased weblogs (witness Slashdot), and will react against the removal of that bias because it gives them "a sense of community". They enjoy the non-journalistic flavor of the blog, but that does not mean a journalistic endeavor cannot benefit from the blog format. Rather, it means it must resist the temptation of pandering to the public which is probably greater than in other formats because of the greater level of feedback.

A journalistic "blog" should not foster that bias and would probably be unable to provide any "sense of community" while being competent in the journalistic sense, but one or many biased communities could be "resident" in a journalistic blog, though, much in the same way Clans or Guilds are specific to some online games.

I agree with you, though. Blogs are not the future of journalism, nor should they be. Hyperlinks are the future of journalism and should be the present; Blogs are just one of the ways of getting that into the heads of stubborn journalists half a century too late.

Confusing 'Journal' with 'Journalism'?

[Bazman]

'Blog'. From 'Web-log'. The 'log' of which derives from shipping navigation. Sailors would throw a lump of wood - the 'log' - into the water and watch it float past to measure the ship's speed. This was written in a book every day, which became called 'the log'.

'Journal'. From the latin 'Diurnalis', meaning daily. A record kept daily, like a diary, which probably evolves from the same root - latin 'dies', meaning 'day'.

'Journalism': The collecting, writing, editing, and presenting of news or news articles in newspapers and magazines and in radio and television broadcasts.

It seems that somehow people putting their journals on the web via a web-log got all up themselves and decided they were 'journalists'. Errr no. Writing a journal does not make you a journalist these days.

The UCB course mentioned in the article looks more like it will teach on-line journalism, but they've buzzworded it with 'blogging' as a PR exercise. These guys know PR, you see.

Baz