Comments on: Read me – I am a blog

By: Grandad

Grandad — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:22:07 +0000

Niall – Speaking for myself, I wouldn’t say I was defensive about it. If anything, I am a little amused. In general it seems to be the journalists who are defensive.

And with all due respect to journalists, there have been many instances of “unsubstantiated hearsay passed on without any attempt to check its accuracy” appearing in the press over the years. Anybody reading a blog must know that the content open to question and more often than not reflects the writers opinion. But then articles in the papers reflect the journalist’s and editor’s opinion?

By: Niall

Niall — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 11:32:30 +0000

“But how can you analyse something as diverse as blogging?”

That’s like saying how can you analyse something as diverse as politics, as music or as as the media itself, yet that is what journalists and bloggers spend much of their time doing.

Blogging is a social phenonemon and its incumbent on journalists to write about it. Bloggers shouldn’t be so defensive about this. Bloggers spend a lot of time writing about the media, after all.

Having said that, after reading Conan Drumm’s post the worst aspects of blogging become all too evident: unsubstantiated hearsay passed on without any attempt to check its accuracy. It doesn’t matter if its true or not once it appeals to people’s prejudice and creeps into public consciousness.

By: The Crabling Otter » What kind of Bloggery is this?

The Crabling Otter » What kind of Bloggery is this? — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 00:11:56 +0000

[...] says he’s blogging to state a personal opinion, and if he influences people then he’s delighted. I like that! That sounds like the answer I’d want to give after I’ve been blogging for [...]

By: Kathy

Kathy — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 11:45:53 +0000

Sorry just saw Conan’s point now. I can’t believe I even need to say this, but no, that is not true. Where do these bizarre rumours come from?

By: Twenty Major

Twenty Major — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 21:24:28 +0000

There was a story circulating about the Sunday Times Irish edition a few years back – I am sure it CAN’T be true – that a writer gets more space for a piece of knocking copy than they do for positive commentary.

Perhaps it is the standards they employ in there but they do tend to err on the side of negative in the commentary. I really quite Liam Fay’s TV column, I’ve rarely watched anything he’s critiqued but he has the fine ability to make me quite happy to have to missed it.

By: Brianf

Brianf — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 19:41:33 +0000

I would comment on all this but I’ve never met John Waters.

By: Grandad

Grandad — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:16:35 +0000

Conan – That is weird enough to be true, but I haven’t heard it before. Like yourself, I doubt it. Maybe we should ask Kathy?

By: Conan Drumm

Conan Drumm — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:55:49 +0000

By: tt

tt — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 16:21:11 +0000

I think “Stirring a hornets’ nest” sums it up. And yes; it was the reactions to the John Waters thing the other week followed by this that got me thinking this way.

By: Grandad

Grandad — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 14:46:01 +0000

Hi Sharon. I agree completely, though I wouldn’t say I was an authority on what I write. To me, the blog award was a huge ego boost. There are a lot of awards out there, but to me, that is the best of them all. I can retire happy now.

My publisher should be pleased though. He can now advertise the book as being written by the multi-award winning …….!