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« Bredesen/Naifeh Stealth Tax Increase Update | Main | The Power of the Link » April 16, 2004Another Newspaper Disses BlogsPaul Chenoweth passed along the link to a Christian Science Monitor story headlined Blogs: Here to stay - with changes. Says Chenoweth: "I don't necessarily agree with the broad stroke conclusions that this guys makes, but the points on political forum 'substance vs sound AS for the CSM's story, it's little more than a rehash of recent news coverage of various stories including a recent Pew survey on blogging, and another from Perseus Development Corporation, which offered up stats that simple-minded traditional-think reporters continue to use to make it seems as if blogging isn't that big a trend. Sure, there are blogs that aren't very good, aren't updated frequently, and aren't read by many people. But there are also blogs that have hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of readers. And what Traditional Media doesn't get is that blogs can have influence far beyond what the size of their readership would suggest. My blog has about 1,500 regular readers. That's not a big number. But it's not zero - and I know from various sources that among the 1,500 or so regular readers of my blog are opinion leaders and policy makers. People in high up in state government, both elected officials and bureaucrats read my blog. I know, for a fact, that my recent posts on efforts by Tennessee's governor and some Democrat legislators to enact a stealth tax increase on business have not gone unnoticed in the governor's office. my readers include some broadcast and newspaper reporters, editors and producers, and lawyers with prominent Nashville law firms, and CPAs with sizable practices. I know that beyond Nashville my readers include Tony Snow of FOX News, several radio talk show hosts, and at least one reader in the Council of Economic Advisers - if you don't know who they are, here's a clue: Their office is located in the White House complex. My point isn't to impress you but to point out that 1,500 readers isn't such a small number if the 1,500 readers happen to include press, politicians and influential people. And at 1,500 regular readers, HobbsOnline is really only just getting started... Posted in Blogging & Journalism
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I know what you mean - both from email and from looking at the hosts file, I may only have 5-600 readers a day (enjoying a brief bump right now to 800) I have regular visits from Congress, the Pentagon, and the state houses of both Kansas and Missouri, and a lot of federal agency servers. Most, I'm sure, are just folks - but they are folks in positions to influence others.... Posted by: John of Argghhh! at April 18, 2004 08:46 AMIsn't there a parallel in the magazine world? The Paris Review or Granta may not have the circulation of The New Yorker, but they're read by a lot of important people in the literary world. Couldn't the same be said about the political mags as well? Posted by: Bill Peschel at April 18, 2004 07:39 PMBill, your points are well made about the growing number of readers who seek out blogs as a source of information. In terms of diffusion and acceptance of blogs as an alternate source of information outside of traditional print/electronic media, I believe blogs are still on the low end of the information source curve across generational lines in American culture. News junkies, blog evangelists (like you), and those who feel disenchanted with the media (like me) are thrilled to find interactive sources of discussion/idea exchanges and in-depth, live reporting. Bloggers and the growing culture of blog subcribers probably scare the heck out of print publishers, blogging is a disruptive technology (and that is a good thing). I take it as an encouraging sign when you report that a growing number of decision makers (and media people) are taking notice of blogs as a source of information, however, decision makers and media people are still a small minority of our population... but that is a great place for blogs to have an impact! What should really get the attention of our print journalist friends are studies like the Perseus Development Corp blog study that reports, "Blogs are dominated by the young... More than 92 percent are created by people younger than 30, with 51.5 percent by those ages 13 to 19." I don't believe that it is a stretch to believe that as that 13-to-19-year generation ages, they are much more likely to seek out in depth, on-line, interactve journalism rather than accept what prior generations of print journalist have produced. Thanks for the reference to my blog, Chasing the Dragon's Tale, the bump in traffic that resulted from the link in your blog gave me a bit of a scare... readers DO respond...further proving your point(s). Posted by: Paul Chenoweth at April 19, 2004 06:19 AMPost a comment
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