Blogs; An alternate view:
"The blogs are not as significant as their self-endeared curators would like to think. Journalism requires journalists, who are at least fitfully confronting the digital age. The bloggers, for their part, produce minimal reportage. Instead, they ride along with the MSM like remora fish on the bellies of sharks, picking at the scraps." -- Joseph Rago, Assistant editorial features editor at The Wall Street Journal
Wall Street Journal, December 20, 2006
On December 29, 2006, The Wall Street Journal printed my response (the unedited version):
Mr. Rago appears to be as narrow-minded as the people he attempts to malign. It appears that his article refers to political bloggers, however, with a broad stroke, he lumps all blogs into one huge ocean. Based on the blog search engine, Technorati, there are over 55-million blogs. No doubt, in that large school of fish, you will find many meaningless missives. However, if only one-percent are of any value, that means that there are more than 550,000 valuable, interesting and informative opinions.
Of course, none of us could ever consume all that information. So, people who are in the blogosphere, through various means, identify the blogs that are significant to them. And for those who have not dipped their toe into the blog water, the world of blogs addresses every interest. As an author who writes about the Internet, I tell people that good bloggers have two characteristics: They are passionate and are experts. With that in mind, the reader will gain much knowledge by subscribing to those blogs."
In 1997, I wrote my first book about the Internet -- 300 Incredible Things to Do on the Internet. My timing was right and fortunately, to date, I have sold over 3-million books. Now, you can enjoy the latest installment online. This version allows me to add online video, cartoons, and interesting quotes. Pretty soon, you'll be saying: "That's incredible!" Enjoy the journey.
