And another thing....
Blog clots
Don’t get me wrong, I love my blog, but it is NEVER going to make me money (somebody, please, prove me wrong?). The media blather about blog “influence” seems to me just wishful thinking on bloggers’ parts and half-hearted paranoia (and its accompanying self-importance) on the part of the media.
Remember Video? Back in the eighties, network television was going to be replaced by a kind of roll-your-own do-it-yourself video revolution. What happened? Well, we still have local cable access shows, some of which have a camp appeal, but the networks stagger on, despite the hippies.
Now there’s “podcasting.” Webbers and webbies are creating their own shows which listeners can download to their iPods. Apparently there are hundreds of these shows out there. Their appeal, according to the Associated Press, is that “ unlike traditional radio, shows can be easily paused, rewound or fast-forwarded. The listener doesn't need to be near a PC, unlike most forms of Internet radio.”
Well, I seldom listen to stuff on my computer, unless it’s something sent to me as a joke. I don’t own an iPod. And I kind of like listening to the radio, because you DON’T know what you’re going to hear next. If everything we watch, read, or hear is just a reflection of what we’ve watched, read, or heard yesterday, well, aren’t we doing to ourselves what mass media already does? Why do their work for us?
Don’t get me wrong, I love my blog, but it is NEVER going to make me money (somebody, please, prove me wrong?). The media blather about blog “influence” seems to me just wishful thinking on bloggers’ parts and half-hearted paranoia (and its accompanying self-importance) on the part of the media.
Remember Video? Back in the eighties, network television was going to be replaced by a kind of roll-your-own do-it-yourself video revolution. What happened? Well, we still have local cable access shows, some of which have a camp appeal, but the networks stagger on, despite the hippies.
Now there’s “podcasting.” Webbers and webbies are creating their own shows which listeners can download to their iPods. Apparently there are hundreds of these shows out there. Their appeal, according to the Associated Press, is that “ unlike traditional radio, shows can be easily paused, rewound or fast-forwarded. The listener doesn't need to be near a PC, unlike most forms of Internet radio.”
Well, I seldom listen to stuff on my computer, unless it’s something sent to me as a joke. I don’t own an iPod. And I kind of like listening to the radio, because you DON’T know what you’re going to hear next. If everything we watch, read, or hear is just a reflection of what we’ve watched, read, or heard yesterday, well, aren’t we doing to ourselves what mass media already does? Why do their work for us?
posted by Merle Kessler at 7:32 PM
2 Comments:
I think you're right. Time and time again, people have overestimated the effect the Internet would have on "traditional media," while missing that its actual strengths lay elsewhere. Bloggers won't replace conventional news media for one simple reason -- the conventional news media is where bloggers get the stories to comment on!
(Incidentally, I *do* often listen to stuff on my computer, but it's almost always streaming audio of regular radio shows. Radio reception in my office is poor, but the Internet connection is excellent.)
Question: Do you have an address where contributions can be sent, to encourage you in your fine work?
Comment: I just hope that you aren't "blowing off steam" in your blog that could be distilled into Ian Shoales vitriol!
-Doug
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