Comments on: Blogging: Not a Sweatshop

By: Jeff Yablon

Jeff Yablon — Tue, 08 Apr 2008 15:06:32 +0000

What we all have ignored up to here in this post’s comment stream is a broader issue that I believe (nearly) everybody will agree with: there’s no such thing as objective journalism any more.

Let that wash over you for a moment.

About 10 years ago the producer of my then-radio/internet program The Computer Answer Guy said “the only journalists left in the world are the guys on The Weather Channel“. And sadly, it’s since come to a point where even THEY editorialize.

So the Times has an axe to grind. Or an opinion. Or something. So does WWD, eh? So do we all.

Yes, the Times deserved to be called on the carpet for that article, and I saw Andreessen’s post and as always he made his point well; it WAS insipid. And Judi, I agree with you; had they slanted it differently they would have made what I opined yesterday was the point.

So the real question seems to be: when do we move from reporting to editorializing?

And on we go . . .

Jeff Yablon
President & CEO
Virtual VIP

By: Judi Sohn

Judi Sohn — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:12:42 +0000

Vaibhav, It may appear that it’s happening in droves, but I don’t know if that’s the case. I would venture that most are doing it like those of us who write for WWD are…part-time or working for multiple sites at the same time.

By: Charles C Stirk Jr

Charles C Stirk Jr — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 16:10:26 +0000

JOHN GRUBER at daring fire ball had a nice take on the above as well ..

Marc Andreessen on the NYT’s ‘Blogging Will Kill You’ Story ★
There’s nothing to say about such a goofy, insipid article other than to mock it. My grandfather was a coal miner. That was a hard, stressful, dangerous job.

http://daringfireball.net/

By: Vaibhav Gadodia

Vaibhav Gadodia — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 15:07:25 +0000

And yet people keep leaving their ‘low-stress’ jobs and keep moving to full-time blogging careers.

Hmm…

By: Judi Sohn

Judi Sohn — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:58:10 +0000

Jeff, then *that* should have been their story…about the “Digg culture” and its impact on news/tech blogs.

Instead, the message was, “work this hard and you might die.” Or more accurately, “Don’t even think of trying this from home…leave journalism to the professionals who do it for words on paper.”

If they were looking for balance, they would have included pieces of their interview with Larry Dignan, or the viewpoint of any number of pro-bloggers who find ways to live healthy lifestyles.

By: Jeff Yablon

Jeff Yablon — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 12:57:44 +0000

Mike, I understand your frustration with the Times article, and I confess that as I was reading it I was thinking it was a bit sensationalistic.

That said, they weren’t wrong. Have you seen the way Diggs and other such measurements of popularity have beeb trending down over the last 6 months to a year? Simultaneously with them going lower, compenation based on higher trends in those arenas has become more and more prevalent. That EQUALS “work harder and faster and with any luck you’ll be able to make a living”. And not a huge one.

Like I said, it WAS overblown. But it was also correct. Chillax, man.

Jeff Yablon
President& CEO
Virtual VIP

By: Charles C Stirk Jr

Charles C Stirk Jr — Sun, 06 Apr 2008 19:54:36 +0000

I think this is the classic not seeing the trees for the forest ..

When it comes to Web 2.0 I get a general lack of grasp with so much of the old guard media …

This focus on the 1% and ignoring the majority .. I initialy thought this was a referance to an earlier article in the nytimes

For most of us blogs are like business cards at this point most important bit about blogs is that you have one & the contact info correct .

In the last year initial client contact is via email primarily through the blog & other Web 2.0 .. I have not had initial client contact via phone in over nine months .