@We Media: At Last! Someone Says Something Exciting

At last! A bit of passion at WeMedia and it wasn’t because Helen Boaden managed to mention the word ‘romance’ three times in one panel session. (Strange, but true.) I’m at a secret meeting at the docks (well, a college room in Soho) made up of disgruntled WeMedia bloggers and delegates trying to wring a bit more value from their first day in the conference.
Social blogging consultant Suw Charman has issued a call to arms to everyone that knows about blogging: “I’m sure everyone here knows more about blogging than anyone that was on that panel today” – and said you can’t have a conference about citizen journalists and not have any citizen journalists speaking. (I think I’ve yet to go to any conferences with a real-life citizen reporter. Are they a figment of Dan Gillmor’s imagination?)
There’s a consensus that many speakers today were disrespectful and dismissive about the quality and credibility of blogs. “It’s an intense disappointment to see the media pat each other on the back and say ‘aren’t we clever’,” said Suw. (I think it’s more a rabbit-in-headlights thing myself.)
“Big media has to realise that they can’t just buy a community and try to exploit it. Social media is harder than it looks and big media needs to wrap its head around the idea that it can’t just keep on taking. Social media sites all give something back. Citizen journalism is not just about a few comments and a few photos from Buncefield.” Love it! The truth hurts. I think it was GU’s Neil McIntosh that came up with the analogy “it’s like watching a vicar trying to disco dance…”
Expect some ferocious haranguing of the web forum moderators tomorrow as the bloggers try and make themselves heard. That’ll be the ‘blog bullying’ Helen Boaden was so worried about this afternoon…
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This article originally appeared in MediaGuardian.

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