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Blogging Reformation
By John W. Kennedy | May 14, 2008
Recently a title on a local used Christian bookstore shelf caught my eye: Hugh Hewitt’s Blog: Understanding the Information Reformation That’s Changing Your World. Because I’m relatively new to this practice, I bought the book. Hewitt is an experienced blogger, starting in the prehistoric era of 2001.
Although the book is three years old — an eternity in the fast-paced blogging universe — there still is much information in Blog to make it clear that a journalist must change with the times. The old media, especially newspapers where I began my career, are day-old bread in the new media environment.
But even more disturbing to someone with a journalism degree is that various bloggers with no professional writing experience are more widely read than some of the publications for which I’ve written.
Most old media – the daily newspapers and weekly magazines – have been slow to understand the revolution. They ignored it at first. When that didn’t work, some tried to charge for Web content. But few readers are going to pay for information when so much is immediately available for free elsewhere.
The power that the Web crowd has gained in shaping events is evident in this year’s presidential race. Last fall, the old media had all but coronated Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton as the 2008 party nominees. But bloggers, more in touch with the common voters, had other ideas.
The early 21st century blogging revolution is every bit as transformational to society as the advent of television in the mid-20th century. Television changed recreational habits and the way families interacted – or failed to interact.
Likewise, the Internet has changed the way we do everything. We consult Web sites for more than the latest news and political insights. We want to check out the new weather forecast, visit our friend’s MySpace site, find a cast-iron griddle on eBay or buy a compact disk on Amazon.com that isn’t available at Barnes & Noble.
The times they are a changing. I better change with them.
Pick up next Sunday’s issue of TPE. It’s all about blogging.
Topics: blogging |
May 15th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
Congratulations on your big year— starting a blog and turning 50!
Each blogging TPE staff member takes us places unique to the culture of their
generation. Your blogosphere presence, with a well-chosen title, fills a niche.
Your perspective and experience combine to make a very readable blog.
With equal skill you write about political issues, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Jacob
DeShazer, old movies and bygone game shows, buying American products, and
God transforming people’s lives .
Thank you for your important contribution to the TPE blog family.
William E. Richardson
May 26th, 2008 at 2:56 pm
Just like fruit,information often suffers from “excess handling” Bloggers relay it firsthand, often just as it happens! Wheather it’s a war zone,or just telling the world what you really think about anything thats important enough to you to write about. It’s fresh! It’s not always interesting…but it’s original, and unapollogeticly truthful, and apparently many people value that above a talking head in a suit reading from a teleprompter.