This post over at NewDonkey.com on the rise of blogging is worth a read.
In case you're interested in the sites NewDonkey refers to, I read Talking Points Memo religiously, rarely look at Wonkette and occassionally read DailyKos. NewDonkey is a recent addition to US political blogs, but it provides some insightful analysis from the left.
My take on blogging and the use of blogs is that they are entirely complimentary to the main stream media. They couldn't exist without it. I'm not a subscriber to the theory that blogging will change the world or wrapped up in some identity as a 'blogger'. For me, it's simply a very effective way to distribute information through efficient personal publishing tools like MovableType, TypePad, Blogger or LiveJournal for example.
If the content sucks then no-one's going to read it. The blogging format and the associated tools put the focus on the content and not web design, that's what is appealing to me.
Maybe more importantly, blogging gives people who might not have the ability to publish their ideas a platform. As NewDonkey's post points out, how people use this varies greatly.
But Tim Hodgson is right in last Friday's Mid Ocean Editorial. Bermudians are retreating from community involvement and are becoming immersed in their computer screens. I'd like to hope that technology is a means of enhancing communication, spurring people to become more involved with each other - face to face.
We shouldn't replace personal contact and community involvement for the anonymity of discussion boards and email, regardless of its convenience.
Posted by Christian S. Dunleavy