Author Topic: So tell me about this Blog thing  (Read 4795 times)

garrettwc

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So tell me about this Blog thing
« on: March 10, 2005, 07:20:50 PM »
I thought I was pretty net savvy. I understand forums, instant messaging, email, etc. But blogging has me baffled.

I have heard of them. Even browsed a few. One of the news programs did a story on them the other night.

I sort of thought they were an online diary and/or rant session. But then with the Dan Rather scandal it appears that some of the bloggers may be amateur news publishers.

So what are they? Why do the bloggers do them? How do they work?

jamz

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« Reply #1 on: March 12, 2005, 02:36:57 PM »
Well, like as if all diaries were publically viewable, some would be worth reading, and some would not.  There is a pretty big incestuous relationship in what is termed the "blogosphere" in that there are often circular references- blogs quoting other blogs, referring to other blogs, etc.

In a very real sense, they ARE ameteur news outlets- but not news as much as commentary.

Go ahead and start one yourself- it's easy.  Go to www.blogger.com and go from there. Smiley


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labrat

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« Reply #2 on: March 12, 2005, 02:46:17 PM »
I'm on  www.livejournal.com. I've actually made quite a few good friends through there.  

jamz is right... it's kind of incestuous in a way but that's how I meet people.

jamz

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« Reply #3 on: March 12, 2005, 02:56:36 PM »
I've made no friends though my blog cause no one reads it  Smiley



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theCZ

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« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2005, 06:50:02 PM »
I got hooked reading my friend's livejournal, so I started one up.  Now I'm hooked on reading other people's journals and commenting to them.  I'd say 90% of them are now worth reading, but the good ones are usually pretty good.  Plus I've met some really interesting people.

SpookyPistolero

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« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2005, 07:39:02 PM »
I tried it for a while and had a lot of good political 'arguments' with an incestuous group of bloggers on Xanga. I ended up dropping it because it took a fair amount of time when I had little, and only a small group of people read the page. The conversations were good, just very topic-specific. I think the only time I opened up and said something personal, the people who spoke up to comment made me wish I hadn't to begin with.

Overall it's a really great thing, and I think it will be a large tool in keeping 'the world' (politics, business, etc) a bit more honest in the future. I have no idea if I'm remembering this correctly, but I think there is some kind of law they are trying to make about reducing what you can blog about regarding politics. Wont ever fly though.
"She could not have reached this white serenity except as the sum of all the colors, of all the violence she had known." - The Fountainhead
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Steelharp

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« Reply #6 on: March 13, 2005, 01:41:12 AM »
Have you seen where CMT is offering a $100,000 salary for a year for someone that will watch the entire run of the "Dukes of Hazzard" series and write a weekly blog about it?
Mikey D...

GigaBuist

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« Reply #7 on: March 13, 2005, 05:50:31 AM »
I watched some CSPAN last night which featured a replay of Wednesday's conference with the guys from Powerlineblog.com (who got the ball rolling pretty good on Rathergate) and here's the summary from them:

Blog writers themselves really don't break stories.  They just provide a bit of info and when the readers know a bit about that info the start sending in emails with evidence to back that up.

So, the blog writers take this information, sift through it, see what matches up with what others are saying via email and publish.  Rinse, repeat.

They had type-writer repairmen, engineers, and collectors writing in.  Military personel pointing out incorrect abbreviations, and a few reports that remembered (and had articles to back it up) that somebody featured in the National Guard memos were retired at the time of their supposed writing.

I run a rather small one but I've had a few instances where people involved in the stories themselves email me with their perspective.  Rather interesting to get reports from the people actuallly involved.

duck hunt

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« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2005, 06:14:57 AM »
I'm on livejournal and have been for 5 years.  I really enjoy it as a time-waster and fun place to shoot the breeze with friends near and far.  I'm not much on the pretentious blogs with "something to say."  With some exceptions, I see blogs as an extension of vanity presses -- usually there's a reason nobody's paying to publish this stuff.

garrettwc

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« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2005, 07:00:13 PM »
So it's a cross between a personal journal and having your own column in the paper. With the ability to get comments from your readers.

Now if I only had something useful to say.

jefnvk

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« Reply #10 on: March 14, 2005, 02:43:15 AM »
Quote from: Steelharp
Have you seen where CMT is offering a $100,000 salary for a year for someone that will watch the entire run of the "Dukes of Hazzard" series and write a weekly blog about it?
Where do I sign up?
I still say 'Give Detroit to Canada'

duck hunt

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« Reply #11 on: March 14, 2005, 07:53:52 AM »
jefnvk.......

http://www.cmt.com/interact/promotions/dukes_institute/

I actually went over there with the intention of applying myself, but the gala weekend kickoff at Dukefest is June 4-5, the same weekend as Book Expo America in New York where I'm kicking off my new book.  In short, have at!