Boston's Best

The Boston Phoenix is hosting a vote to determine Boston's Best Blog. Check out the nominees:

Universal Hub
Blue Mass Group
Allston-Brighton Community Blog
Jon Keller
Dan Kennedy

There's also a space for write-in votes. Be sure to vote for the Blog on Blogs!

Are Blogs Political?

Yes, I know that blogs can be used for political purposes.  Some blogs even proclaim an allegiance to a particular political party.  (See, listing of political blogs).  But the questions I wish to pose are slightly different.  That is, 1) is there something about the nature of blogging that is inherently political?  And 2) If so, are they inherently Democratic?  Republican?  Etc....?

My first inclination is that the answer to this question is, "No."  I have always thought that the blog is exactly the type of communication that is free from the political, and commercial, pressures of mainstream media.  It is an outlet that allows anyone to create, read, and participate in, a conversation regardless of political affiliation.  My second inclination is, that if the answer to the first question is "yes," then the answer to the second question would be that they are inherently liberal (loosely, "Democratic").  

A Harris poll may indicate that both of my inclinations are incorrect.  It suggests that the respective answers may be, "yes," and, "Republican." 

The poll states that 25% of Democrats state that they are likely to find value in the information that they read in blogs, compared with 41% of Republicans.  Furthermore, only 21% of Democrats state that the information in blogs is likely to be accurate, compared to 37% of Republicans.

Figures such as these, I admit, do not necessarily prove the answers are, "yes" and, "Republican."  They do, however, give us a starting point from which we can begin to debate, ponder, probe, argue, and discuss.  Would statistics such as these hold true with regard to traditional media?  Are republicans generally more trusting of media or is there a (web) difference between blogging and traditional forms of media?

"Terrorists Evolve. Threats Evolve. Security Must Stay Ahead. You Play A Part."

I decided to type "Blog" into a Google News search to see what came up and the first thing that did was an article from the Mercury News on how the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is now accepting complaints via their blog. (See http://www.mercurynews.com/travel/ci_8521994 for the original article).

The blog, entitled Evolution of Security, lets the TSA share information on security and safety with the general public and lets the public respond to the articles or with any complaints they might have. What I found the most interesting was the Delete-O-Meter located prominently on the right hand side which tracked the number of user comments that had been deleted (125 when I was on the blog). In the explanation of this feature, the TSA notes that it wants to be transparent - and then goes on to explain what will get a comment deleted.

We talked in class about how transparency leads to greater acceptance on the Web. It seems that the TSA has embraced this philosophy (I can imagine a poster, being angry at finding his comment deleted for no stated reason, spamming the TSA wall and railing against them in other forums....). I posted a while back that the link to the YouTube video below my post seemed to be broken. A classmate of mine pointed out that the video is once again accessible. I thought about changing my post to reflect this.... I may go back and strike through it, but other than that, I don't feel a need to edit it out. All of this goes back to the issue of transparency on the Web. Because it is so easy to change things, people may feel a blog that is constantly edited loses some of the informality that makes a blog great.

It seems to me that the TSA has recognized the need to keep their blog informal if it wants it to be relevant. However, it also recognized the need for moderation of the content. The solution - a Delete-O-Meter!

Blogs Serve as News Source

While Armenia has refused to publish news from media outlets which do not emanate from the government, they have failed to block blogs. So many individuals both inside and outside of Armenia are using blogs to report the news and provide links to different articles and other perspectives on world events. Blogs really do provide an opportunity for more open information, particularly in countries where there is limited freedom of press.

http://www.profy.com/2008/03/09/armenian-blogs-supply-news/

Cartoon About Blogs

This was published in the New Yorker - I thought it was very appropriate....

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/blogspotting/archives/2005/09/post_5.html

Blogs Help Depression

To me, it has always seemed intuitive that writing a blog can be therapeutic, and a diary of sorts. I guess now that science is starting to officially recognize the benefits of blogging, parents and teachers may begin to encourage these benefits, instead of insisting that blogging is a waste of time.

http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2008/s2181010.htm

Ethics on Blogs

With the MPRE looming, I can't help but pause a minute to think about the ethical implications of blogging. The question unavoidably overlaps with questions of identity and speech on the Web, but at its heart, it's a question of human interaction. There's a saying: if you don't have anything nice to say, say it on a blog. Ok, so maybe I just made that up, but it seems apropos. Blogs can serve as legitimate and beneficial forums for critical commentary - imagine what Sinclair Lewis could have done with a blog - but they can undoubtedly go too far as well. Take the story of advertising executive Paul Tilley, for example. Tilley committed suicide just days after coming under fire on an anonymous industry blog. The harshest criticism was apparently in the comments, which adds an extra layer of complexity. Even if we were to restrict the content on blogs, would we then also restrict the comments? It's a pretty dangerous path to go down. Friends and family claim Tilley's suicide and the blog coverage are unrelated, but many disagree. One commentator in the Times offered this chilling indictment: "Are there ethics in blogs? Should people have the right to publicly and anonymously criticize and attack the private lives of private people simply for entertainment?" It seems safe to say that the tone of the question assumes a certain answer. Nonetheless, it's important for those of us who believe blogs are beneficial to social welfare to remember that they can have harmful consequences.