2005 April — contentious.com

Monthly Archives: April 2005

Journalism\’s Blind Spot

April 29, 2005 – 4:03 pm

I’ve been reading, and regularly commenting on, the new Business Week blog “Blogspotting”, by Stephen Baker and Heather Green. So far, it’s pretty interesting. Yesterday, Baker posted this short item: “Mainstream press barely mentions blogs.” Here, he notices one aspect of the same blind spot I’ve been seeing. Mainstream media (MSM) professionals generally seem unaware of blogs — or their knowledge extends only to limited, uninformed cliches. Why this profound lack of curiousity? I took a stab at the bigger picture in the following comment…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in General, Media Musings, Net Effects on Society | Comments (0)

Reporters: Are YOU \”On the Record?\”

April 26, 2005 – 12:21 pm

As I mentioned previously, yesterday I got interviewed by my local paper. Then I read a new posting from PR maven Steve Rubel, “The Era of Transparent Media Interviews,” and it got me thinking. More and more often, journalists interview people who have their own weblogs. When a reporter interviews someone, the assumption is that, as long as the journalist has properly identified herself, anything the source says is considered on the record unless there is a specific, overt agreement otherwise. But does that tacit agreement work in reverse?…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Conversations, Media Musings, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (4)

Blogs and the Business Value of Relationships

April 26, 2005 – 11:37 am

Yesterday I was interviewed by my local daily paper, the Boulder “Daily Camera,” for a forthcoming feature on business blogging. I’ll let you know when that comes out. The interview lasted about 30 minutes, hopefully I’ll get quoted! The inevitable question in these conversations is always, “Where’s the business value in blogging?” Here’s something I mentioned to that reporter…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Content Style & Business, Conversations, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (1)

Blog Smart Outline, and Thoughts on Content Strategy

April 26, 2005 – 9:42 am

Earlier I mentioned Dave Taylor’s upcoming workshop in Boulder on May 5, “Blog Smart.” I’ll be attending that event, and I encourage people interested or involved in blogging for their organizations to attend as well. Dave just posted the course outline. It looks good. Can’t wait! One item on his outline especially intrigues me…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Content Style & Business, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (2)

Use Tagging for a Networked Index? Hmmmm….

April 25, 2005 – 6:05 pm

There’s a lot of buzz in online circles these days about tagging and social bookmarking. Are these networking tools relevant to news organizations? I think so, precisely because they’re messy and informal…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Content Style & Business, Labels and Metadata, Media Musings, Net Effects on Society, Resources | Comments (6)

Pop Quiz: What\’s Missing from this Article?

April 24, 2005 – 11:20 am

Check out this AP article published today on the web site of the Arizona Republic about a new online resource offered by the US. Federal Reserve: “Fed starts financial education web site.” Pop quiz: What’s missing from this article?…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Media Musings | Comments (1)

Upcoming Blogging Events in Colorado

April 24, 2005 – 10:27 am

These two upcoming events in Colorado should be pretty interesting for people in and around Boulder and Denver (my area)…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Amy's Adventures, Voices: Blogs, etc. | Comments (1)

Christian Science Monitor Loves Its \”Bloggiest\” Status

April 22, 2005 – 4:31 pm

Yesterday I noted that blogger Ethan Zuckerman has developed a new metric for measuring a newspaper’s popularity in the blogosphere and declared the Christian Science Monitor the “bloggiest” paper on the web — by a landslide. I thought the folks at the Monitor might be pleased, so I dropped them a note in case they hadn’t heard. Today I heard back from Tom Regan, the person in charge of the Monitor’s blogs and author of the “My American Experience” blog there. Bearing the enthusiastic subject line “Love it!” here’s what his message said, and the conversation which ensued (posted with his permission). Regan explains why he thinks being “the bloggiest” matters…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Content Style & Business, Media Musings, Net Effects on Society | Comments (1)

Journalism: Class, Craft, or Faith?

April 22, 2005 – 1:00 pm

Journalism is a tool, a craft, and an art. It can be put to many uses, to serve many purposes. Its defining characteristic, as far as I can tell, is: the practice of honestly, transparently sharing relevant, current information and context that has been researched, filtered, and vetted. Beyond that, the field is wide open. I know a lot of people don’t agree with that view – especially many professional journalists and editors who work for traditional news organizations. Several conversations and online exchanges I’ve had recently indicate, to me, that some people treat journalism as a kind of religion. “Objectivity” is their “god,” and they adhere to that concept with absolute faith. Maybe because I was raised Catholic (it didn’t take, obviously), I have a hard time relating to faith…

By Amy Gahran | Posted in Media Musings, Net Effects on Society | Comments (5)

Business Week Blog Cover Feature: Missing Some Links

April 21, 2005 – 4:55 pm

OK, this is just a minor quibble, but I can’t help mentioning it.

This week, Business Week magazine has a cover feature on blogging. (See: “Blogs Will Change Your Business”) It’s interesting (if basic), and kinda cute. It’s presented as if it’s a series of blog postings, rather than a standard feature article with subheads. It uses a very informal tone. The text includes lots of links. However, the blog facade collapsed for me when I realized it’s missing some very important links…