I’m sitting here on a Saturday wondering about the state of media. Old & new, knowing with certainty that the world is changing – not a revelation to most fellow bloggers. The technical abilities are the leveling factor here, of course, with nearly anyone having the ability to publish all forms: text, audio, video.
The most incredible part about blogging is the stunning talent that exists among these “amateurs”. With the wide ranging opinions, perspectives, and knowledge – bloggers have the ability to slam the MSM to the mat.
Old media has more expensive equipment, assigned stories that may or may not be of interest to the journalist, a set publishing schedule, radio broadcasters have developed a method of speaking that can make you laugh, and alienating talking heads that only need to look pretty on a glowing tube. Most important – they all refuse to state their bias. All these are are reasons why they will ultimately fail unless they change. And that of course is where the corporate part of these organizations will take over and correct the incorrect assumptions of the entrenched personalities.
Bloggers, however, are a bit different. It’s true that there is less “professional” equipment being used to produce blogs – but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the quality suffers. The very nature of blogging allows the individual journalist to take interest and passion in topics they write about. Video bloggers can actually be interesting and have a personality. They can be offensive and inflammatory if they choose. They can be themselves. Podcasters can build interesting, informative, creative shows that knock the socks off most traditional broadcast programs.
Moreover, all these forms of new media allow the individual to adapt quickly. There is no set schedule, there are no rules if you don’t want there to be. You can discuss your passionate topic all day long if you like. The story or topic your interested in doesn’t have to come prepared (“canned”) from 3 or 4 sterile processing plants (MSM studios) – sanitized for you protection – in New York.
Bloggers (YOU) are the the future of journalism in the world. It’s your passion, skill, and knowledge that will change the face of media. Also, it’s OK to have a bias – tell people up front and shout your message from the rooftops. Opinions are what makes the world interesting, and are relevant to changing perceptions.
The last few days, I feel like I’ve been trapped in an echo chamber, or time warp. The amount of time that I’ve been spending following the A-List bloggers has gotten me so in a pickle that I’m having problems thinking about new things. I really need to think without some inputs for awhile. There has been a lot of talk the last few days about social media, this product, that service, preferences and opinions. The sum total really got to me this morning and I was probably a tad grumpy to some Twitter Friends who were commenting on a speaker at Gnomedex.
What I really think is at the root of it is that I’m jealous of their ability to toss comments out, and my reluctance to share my opinion. I don’t normally like arguments as I believe them to be more destructive than constructive – that’s just a feeling I have while in the middle of one. My opinion is that open discourse really brings new thoughts and ideas to the surface – which is where I’m at today (so there’s your answer Chris).
What I think is wrong here, is that I’m finally where a number of bloggers have been for quite some time. The A-List echo chamber. There is too much of the same conversation going on and it’s clouding my judgement. In addition, I’m going to go through my RSS feeds in Google Reader with a fine tooth comb to whittle it down to feeds that bring value to me. Then identify the bloggers that I really think are bringing some innovative thoughts & ideas to the conversation. These blogs I will visit directly rather than just their RSS feed.
As I develop these lists, I’ll share them & the OPML of the feeds I end up with for anyone who’s interested.
So Microsoft finally tosses it’s hat into the online storage ring. Too bad it’s such a small hat. The competition has been out there for two years or more and has had time to mature their offerings and grow a user base. Microsoft needs to do better.
Hmm, wondering if Vonage will be able to make it. The reality is that voice traffic (and eventually all data) is destined to be a wireless service – period. So when you have mobile service with unlimited minutes, and unlimited long distance and all the
While some (“high profile”) bloggers see Facebook as the second coming of the blogging revolution, many see it as simply a child’s toy to waste productive time.
While an adventurous few of these users are willing to try these services, the majority are just awakening to online social networking and, of course, find things like Facebook to seem unprofessional. You have to admit that LinkedIn comes across as a professional-oriented service that is designed to build professional relationships between its users.
This has probably helped cultivate strong feelings about Jeff’s switch…. that and most user’s anxiety to change. Also, most people work so hard on their professional image (i.e. Personal Brand) climbing the corporate ladder, that they cringe at the thought of using something that may seem less than professional.
Of course, I think the point of Jeff’s BW article was to stir the pot. Good!
One of my Twitter friends has posted a great article on getting started with Twitter. 1389 goes over what Twitter is, and how you can take advantage of using it yourself.
I’ll tell you I’ve met several hundred people on Twitter and find their input useful and interesting. While I follow mostly technical people in fields that I find interesting, I’ve also found many people in other fields that I never thought I’d be curious to learn about.
