Many TV station blogs aren’t
In today’s NewsBlues, (Subscription required) my friend Mike James writes of a blogging war of words between two meteorologists in Lexington, Kentucky. WLEX-18-NBC’s Bill Meck said some nasty things about WKYT’s radar “putting lives at risk,” and WKYT-27-CBS’s Chris Bailey responded by saying he wouldn’t stoop to Meck’s level. The story is pretty funny and fairly typical of the unbridled passion found in certain strident meteorologist camps, but that’s not why I’m writing about it.
This battle is taking place inside the stations’ WorldNow Websites on pages defined as “blogs.” They are not blogs, and I wish these stations — and many others that do likewise — could see the foolishness of creating journals buried inside the walls of their one-size-fits-all Websites. TV stations who do this fool themselves into thinking they’re into the new media world when all they’re really doing is producing columns in a closed environment. It is shortsighted and self-destructive, because it refuses to recognize reality.
A blog without comments and permanent entry links is an imposter. Moreover, it belies an ignorance about the citizens media phenomenon that is visible for all to see. Blogging is about a conversation, not a lecture, a column or a commentary. Call it a journal page. Call it a column. Call it whatever you wish, but don’t call it a blog.
In world where marketers can control the message, journals inside WorldNow (or other) platforms give stations the opportunity to tout their presence in the blogosphere. (”Hey look, we’re blogging!”) This may work with those unfamiliar with blogs and blogging, but it’s a turn-off to those who make up the bulk of citizens media. It’s an attempt by traditional media forms to assimilate blogs, and it won’t work. In fact, I believe it’ll backfire.
UPDATE: If you want to see a real blog within a media Website, look at John Robinson’s Editor’s Log from the Greensboro News & Record.
This entry was posted on Thursday, February 24th, 2005 at 9:30 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.
February 24th, 2005 at 10:26 pm
You wrote: ‘A blog without comments and permanent entry links is an imposter… Blogging is about a conversation, not a lecture, a column or a commentary. Call it a journal page. Call it a column. Call it whatever you wish, but don’t call it a blog.’
I wrote: You must be joking. If the right to call yourself a blogger is defined by blind adherence to pointless formalism, then it’s a hollow, elite title. I wouldn’t want to be a blogger under this regime.
February 24th, 2005 at 11:20 pm
Oh come on, Andrew. You’ve missed the point entirely.
February 25th, 2005 at 8:27 am
How true, Holly. Let me add that I suspect being a blogger is a bit like being an alcoholic. Only you can say you are one. In that sense, I guess my statement is a bit judgmental. However, even A.A. contains some basic concepts and ideas to help people with that determination. This is what I’m trying to say.
Grand narrative? I don’t think so.
February 25th, 2005 at 9:19 am
Terry, I think you were right on the money with your statement about blogging. Andrew seemed to be reacting to a *perceived* grand narrative of blogging and calling it into question. That’s what I was responding to. I’ve seen some of these TV station blogs that aren’t. I saw an abortive attempt at one in my hometown a few months ago. It was cut-and-paste weather warnings. Blog, my backside.
Keep fighting the good fight.
February 25th, 2005 at 12:34 pm
And here Postmodernism breaks down as the grand narrative of blogging is debated in comments. PoMos are suspicious of grand narratives, but a true PoMo cannot reject all grand narratives, for such a position is itself a grand narrative…..what’s that pain in my neck? Oh yeah, my head is spinning….