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- Interesting article and comments. A couple of things to consider: 1. Open Office 3.0 for the Mac or Google Docs 2. The faster startup (boot and hibernating) and lack of crashing OS can really...
- I really like the approach you've taken into prove the price specifications, cause at the end of the day, it is a yesterdays fact, that Mac is more expensive than PC, nevertheless you have...
- I didn't know you were a fanboy. When did that happen?
- You can create PDFs with a little program called PDF Converter 5 Pro from Buy.com for $99. Throw in a copy of OpenOffice software and the Dell is cheaper than the Apple. I don't buy it.
- Totally agree that many companies should not consider the Apple solution. That said, most 'no' answers are based on the pricepoint of hardware and in many cases, the TCO is actually cheaper...
2 years ago
I think that since there can two purposes and goals of a blog, reader expectation is an issue. Does the reader expect a well-researched news story or an entertaining editorial?
2 years ago
I'm still up in the air on what Om meant but what he said was not what I said. And he did not clarify, to my dismay. I know he made it clear about journalists not requiring degrees, but that was just a side point.
It seemed to me (and I'm hoping Om steps in and defends himself), he was indicating that the two (bloggers and journalists) were in fact mutually exclusive. That if you wanted to be a journalist, you could not be a blogger (but you could use a blogging platform which further obfuscated the lines of delineation between the two sides).
If I were him, I would have said something along the lines of this:
There's far too much opinion in blogging to be a credible journalistic approach. Journalism requires a high degree of research, fact checking and compelling writing and while there are noted bloggers who do write in this way, most bloggers do not write at such a level and thus cannot be called journalists.
That is a suitably neutral and a highly valid point, but that's not what he said.
Aaron
2 years ago
This is precisely what many journalists are missing in today's mainstream media. Do you think Fox News really checks facts? And that's just one (good) example.
The reason bloggers have become "journalists" is that the journalists became lazy, didn't verify facts, didn't investigate and let their profession open to competition.
A good journalist is a good journalist whether or not the journalism is done for your newspaper or your blog. It is a title that is earned, not granted.
Good post - thanks...
Scot
2 years ago
Aaron, I think that Om had a good point although I agree he could have put it more clearly. If I were in his shoes (living on the cusp between pro-blogging and traditional journalism), I might be a tad oblique as well. You gotta give the guy a break for that reason -- it's not like Katie Couric even knows what a blog is.
Having reported the news myself back in the day, one thing that Om said that rang true to me is that real reporters, you know, do actual reporting -- they pick up the phone and talk to sources. There are "walls" that prevent sources from talking to bloggers, but guess what? These same walls exist for "real" reporters too. Part of the craft of reporting is to figure out how to break down those walls, and you can do it if you figure out how to build relationships, identify a source's self-interest, etc. People don't become good reporters because they work for the New York Times; they work for the New York Times because they (usually) are good reporters.
2 years ago
I'm sorry, though, Jeffery. I don't think there has to be an obliqueness there. I think that fine line is one that is defined by the person. Perhaps I'm wrong. That's why there is conversation, but that's my opinion.
2 years ago
Great article, wish I coulda sat next to you at the Conf.
Not surprisingly I also agree with you about the "obliqueness".
One on the verge of "pro-blogger-dom" doesn't and shouldn't be so obscure with his wording simply because he might lose his gig.
His usual matter-of factness is what landed him or her into that position and one shouldn't compromise because of it. Otherwise you are no better than any MSM journalist who compromises their story because they don't want to lose their 9-5 gig.
Blogging is all about saying what hasn't been said because some organization is obstructing the news or interpreting what should be news to the average Joe.
Plain and simple. Good work A
2 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
But he also knows that certain cutting edge bloggers are blending the lines between old and new media. How can you look at someone like "conflict journalist" Kevin Sites and not be impressed? The man is blogging and risking his life to bring real and new info to people from the world's scariest hotspots. That's a lot tougher than taking potshots at someone in a comments section.
Aaron is entitled to his opinion that GigaOm was a blowhard. There's a lot of "big name" bloggers right now who just aren't that entertaining as conference speakers, I'm sure. Hell, a lot of them have really lousy blogs too.
2 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
The fact of the matter is .. that only those bloggers with the most traffic and readership numbers should be called the TRUE journalists of this world ....
[/sarcasm off]
[rant on]
Honestly .. I was curious to know what Wordcamp was all about .. I was quite aware that it was happening and where it was happening and pretty much either know or can find out who was there ... including the people who went drinking with other bloggers, trying to getting laid, taking pictures of chicks, and other aspects of a good convention holiday trip ... but - I have yet to read anything about what really happened out there on the West Coast - at Wordcamp itself.
You'd think with my 1048 RSS feeds that I'm following in my Bloglines that I would find SOMETHING about what happened .. about blogging - about Wordcamp .. but I don't think so.
Was it about Wordpress? was it about blogging?
I sure wish there were reporters there .. Maybe someone can find time to summarize the facts and explain it to me (to quote Denzel Washington character) .. Like I was a two-year old.
Before this Wordcamp, I personally thought it was some type of grass roots blogging convetions, like those early Star Trek conventions (from a handful auditorium to wide membership and shows around the world), that gets bloggers out behind the computer and meeting face to face to discuss the future of blogging .. Well, maybe that's true .. the elite bloggers will getting together and making the rest seem less elite and in years to come we will pay to shake hands with the elite bloggers and get their autographs and picture head shots or something.
[/rant off]
Besides this one terribly wrong statement that Om Malik said .. how was the rest of his presentation? How long did he present? Did he have slides? Visual presentations? Is this a summary of Wordcamp?
2 years ago
2 years ago
As for the Technorati links .. well, I guess I am guilty and do hide under a rock .. because I refuse to use technorati anymore - since they called me a spammer and banned all of my blogs in March 2006. If it wasn't for content thieves hacking my RSS feed but giving me source credit, nothing I do would show up in their site. Yes I'm very bitter about it. I pretty much rely on google search and Bloglines now.
What you did was a great effort for trying to describe what was going on down there .. I guess my expectations were quite different from what I was reading (by everybody as a whole, not just you). I might have to drive down there one year and see for myself - if my wife will let me.
2 years ago
What was the quality level of the show, Aaron?
2 years ago
Lessee. Greg Narain, Prince Campbell (chartreuse), Neil Patel, Dave Krug, Mark Jaiquith, Andy Skelton, Matt Mullenweg, Ryan Boren, Niall Kennedy, Scott Beale, Podz, Jeffrey McManus, Loren Feldman, and Lauren <del datetime="2006-08-09T19:48:33+00:00">Hoernline</del> Hoernlein to name just some... So yeah, great networking opportunity. Some people I'll go on to call friends, I'm sure.
2 years ago
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2 years ago
That's a shame for a blogger - but just plain unconvincing for a journalist.
2 years ago
I for one am certainly no journalist. But if I don't take care when stating things outside the scope of opinion, I know someone will certainly catch it.
So even if I wasn't naturally anal, the blogosphere is a pretty powerful fact checker in itself.
On the other hand, I see things slip by as fact on blogs all the time. For example, I've given up trying to correct people's inaccurate recitations of law in too many contexts to count. I feel like I should correct this stuff, but it's exhausting and certainly not a productive use of my time.
Credibility is important; in fact, more and more it's really all we have. Degrees don't guarantee accuracy, neither do institutions.