Saturday, July 12, 2008

Newspapers Can't Do That!

It seems that Blogging Tories has run into a glitch, the agitator hasn't been updated for over a day. It's frustrating because I go there first to see what's been happening. So, one day without any updates, and I found that people were going back to some of my old posts and adding comments. It's like they were forced to go back and consider an issue. So, why are blogs winning?

I think blogs are winning because they give everyone a fair opportunity to respond to a post. My most successful posts are not ones quoting from a newspaper story, they are the ones that comment on an issue that touches all of us in our everyday lives. Newspapers can't do that. Blogs can focus on one issue and hammer their point home. Newspapers can't do that.

Blogs are free to read, and free to comment on. You don't need to email an editor, and then hope they publish your point of view. With a blog your comment can be published instantaneously. Blogs have no overhead, they pay no one wages, they have no capital investments like buildings, to worry about.

Blogs are winning because they allow the average Canadian a voice. Anyone with a computer can have a blog. Newspapers can't do that.

Blogs are not going to disappear anytime soon, they serve a purpose that newspapers can't, they give a voice to everyday Canadians about everyday issues. Newspapers can't do that.

6 comments:

Kristin Beaumont-Politics and Other Things said...

Blog on Hunter :-) !

Raphael Alexander said...

Agreed. I prefer blogs to media as well. The articles in the news always end up with hundreds of comments anyway, thus overwhelming any kind of possible debate.

Anonymous said...

The Blogging Tories "agitator" not working?

They must have left it running on the spin cycle too long!

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!

hunter said...

Oh, give it a rest anon, the only thing you can spell is "HAHAHA", now that takes intelligence.

Seems you like my blog though, spelling errors and all, so my point with this post has been proven, blogs are more fun than regular boring newspapers.

Anonymous said...

Of course they're more fun! Though you do have to admit, saying "agitator" instead of "aggregator" was the perfect setup for a spin cycle joke. But your point is well taken.

Ever watch those videos of old TV shows when it was all live? A lot of funny bloopers. Blogs have some of that flavour. More real. I especially like the firsthand accounts that appear from time to time.

I think blogs may be helping to raise peoples' critical thinking ability in general. You probably find your own "BS detector" works better and is more finely tuned that it ever was in the past. I know I find that. My only problem is maintaining restraint in real life when someone tries some argument gambit that is old hat to bloggers. I almost called someone "disingenuous" once! I don't think I have ever actually heard that word spoken, only read it in blog flames.


Funniest is when the papers try to do articles about the online world. They try to make it sound scary, lest they encourage even more people to go there.

I think they're a bit like the town criers when the first presses were rolling.

And it's "Hahahahahahahahahahaha", not "HAHAHA", I'll have you know...

hunter said...

Good one anon, had me laughing! Guess we shouldn't take ourselves so seriously.