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The blogosphere--a reality check
Robert — (archived)

You focus a lot on how the blogosphere is faster than traditional journalism, as if it's virtue, but why is the blogosphere faster? Why? Because it has no quality control mechanisms. The "drag" on real journalism is the process of editorial review and fact-checking. Bloggers are trying to take a shortcut to success, and it seriously undermines the credibility of the 'sphere.

Sure, bloggers piss and moan at each other. That falls far short of an error-correction system. Does the fact that I argue with Tom, for example, mean that Tom's opinions are therefore vetted? Gimme a break.

What fascinates so many people about the blogosphere, I think, is just that you can always find a blog that agrees with you...and for most people, that's the definition of "truth". Or "fair and balanced"... what seems so revolutionary is, most often, just the novelty of seeing your own views presented as gospel truth.

Let me ask you this: What is it about blogs that make them more credible than, say, the opinions expressed on a BBS? Is blog software any different from BBS software?

In fact, no. A blog is simply a BBS that displays one thread at a time, in which only the owner gets to start threads (make a root post). Comments (replies) are typically presented in a linear fashion, but there's no reason they couldn't be presented in a tree view (which would encourage more conversation among respondents; a linear view keeps the focus on the root post). That's it. For all practical purposes, Tony became a blogger when he made the root post.

(Which is why "Blogs for Zoners" is on my to-do list for the next version of software.)

The blogosphere is just a subset of the hype-o-sphere. Been there, done that. A lot less there than meets the eye.

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