Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Is blogging making us unsocial?

There are multiple ways you can interpret the latest spat between A-list bloggers and Wired Magazine:

1. Which interview method is best?
It depends on the topic in hand and the objective of the journalist reporting it. Does he go for a pre-scripted email interview, a lively chat via IM, or does he want to gauge the interviewee’s body language/tone, looking for clues that might tell a real story?

The reporter knows better that words comprise only a part of the full message – nothing beats doing it live.

I read a Jeff Jarvis post about the new Telegraph news room, where he ends by writing that the newsroom should make reporters uncomfortable enough to go out into the community and get stories.

Bloggers still have to learn this, I guess. Early times.

2. Learning from A-listers and their linkbait tactics.
Some might say that it is easy for so-called A-list bloggers to rake up minor issues, knowing perfectly well whom to target, and whom to ignore.

Choose your targets well – Wired is big target, no doubt about it.

3. Look into your own backyard.
While it is a habit for us bloggers to diss the mainstream media and its ‘capricious’ ways, some might even point out this episode gives more visibility to Calcanis and Arrington’s new venture, the Techcrunch 20 event.

4. Is blogging making us unsocial?
Is blogging the new email? The new IM (this would be more appropriate in case of Twitter)?

Many of us find it easy to say in our posts what we wouldn’t care, or dare to say in person.

The recent Kathy Sierra case was blogging at its worst.

Many of us find our comfort zones, away from the human eye, shielded by our words.

Are words enough?

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