Nick Carr is continuing the meme that Paul Boutin discussed last month. It’s the idea that blogs or blogging or the blogosphere is dead. They’re wrong, but it’s understandable that they think that way.
It only makes sense that blogging has now become what it is. It’s no just longer several thousand thinkers, theorists, and thought leaders exchanging ideas within niche groups. It’s now populated by what should actually be looked at as online magazines where the writing is often of professional caliber. It’s now millions of people, many starting up and then abandoning their efforts. It’s a conglomeration of ad networks and cohesive groups.
That’s the way it goes.
What happened is that people – publishers, that is – realized that there’s money to be made in bringing together decent writers with some sort of knowledge ona subject and give them a forum where they can regularly weigh in on whatever subject the blog – or publication – is about. Many of these bloggers are either not paid at all or share in ad revenue…revenue that amounts to beer money.
But these bloggers, I would think, are doing it for two reasons…just like the original pioneers way back in, let’s say, 2004. They’re doing it for the love of writing, of sharing ideas, of being part of a conversation. They’re also doing it to be recognized, to “put their name out there”. Just like those early pioneers.
One thing I’ve noticed though. There’s a definite hierarchy when it comes to blogging. And there always has been. It’s informal and for those on the upper echelon, it’s often a result of hard work. But I would notice a lot of pandering and elitism mixed in this scenario. How do I explain this…
Well, I first started blogging late 2005. From time to time I’d research an issue or a trend or a current news story and write a long, comprehensive post about it. I’m not trying to brag here, but sometimes the post would show solid insight. Perhaps I was closer to the issue than most. Or perhaps I did an extensive amount of research. I’d go to Technorati and see what others had been saying about the subject matter in past posts.
For instance, I once wrote a series of posts about a social media company here in the Washington area that was floundering because of their own incompetence. Beforehand, I did extensive research to see what others had been saying about the company all along. I also had some direct experience with the company that was somewhat negative. So I put out series of blog posts. In some cases I would directly contact those that had been blogging about the company and the space that they were in beforehand. It may have been what would have been considered a “mid-level” blogger in the topical area of interest. They’d write back and tell me that what I wrote was “telling” and that I seemed to have “a keen insight as to what is happening” with the company. But of course, they wouldn’t leave a comment. No problem – that’s life. But then would notice something else.
In the meantime, a rockstar blogger would write perhaps a post on the company that I profiled. It would be less insightful because the person may have been a casual observer of the company while having a deep interest in the space that the company was in. Their observations may have been somewhat generic or even what could be called the early part of the echo chamber. Not bad writing, but they would often be writing without any real deep knowledge of the company.
The mid-level blogger that I had contacted would read the rockstar’s post and then leave a glowing comment as to how great it was. Then the mid-level blogger would write their own post and refer back to the rockstar blogger’s post, calling the rockstar by his or her first name. No mention of my post in their post, none at all. Then the mid-level blogger would write yet another comment on the rockstar’s post, pointing back to their own post.
I’m not writing that to whine, I’m writing that to show that the blogosphere has always had a taint of a hierarchical self-awareness in relation to others. It’s always been seen as a self-promotional tool. Just now, it has taken on a professional flair and it involves people making money.
In the case with me, my guess was that my blog, at the time, wasn’t worth the effort to comment on. Odd thing though. What I had predicted in my posts (something that most rockstar bloggers missed) came true. The company tanked about six or seven months later.
Whatever.
So while I agree with the idea that the culture of blogging has been somewhat damaged in the way Paul and Nick feel it has died, I think that romantic past of your was a little less romantic than what is remembered.
