BlogHer - journalism - Comments

thankyou

kazari — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 22:14:53 -0500

For your sincerely awesome post.

Completely agree

Jill Miller Zimon — Sat, 26 Jan 2008 10:52:48 -0600

Here in Ohio, two major metro papers have tried to do blogs more the way you and I think of blogs, but each time, they've gotten hung up on their journalism paradigm of old. It's fascinating, though, to watch a profession so in flux - even if a bit painful.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

I heard someone say...

Denise — Sun, 20 Jan 2008 06:54:59 -0600

"A blog is just another type of publishing tool." - Meaning they could put anything they wanted on a "blog" and it would be a "blog". I begged to differ and got nowhere so I pretty much washed my hands of the conversation and unsubscribed from everything this "person" considers a blog.

What "that person" is doing isn't blogging. It's a traditional article published in blog format.

~Denise
BlogHer Community Manager

Flamingo House Happenings

Agreed

Jill Miller Zimon — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:12:29 -0600

Like Faux News, there will be faux blogs. I only hate the idea of people being suckered in but I do trust people to click away and keep looking. It just FEELS like there's a critical mass building that won't stand for the spin.

Thanks.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

Totally

Jill Miller Zimon — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:10:35 -0600

Do all those practices allow us to exclude them from being blogs? Maybe that's not even the point.

What I think upsets me is that, I think (and I'm thinking outloud here on the screen so I apologize if it's not a finished thought) that to use the word "blog" conveys to people that there's an openness in the communication, a dialogue, and yet - there really isn't in so many of the examples you cite, Faboo. And that really bugs me, because there are so many of us out here really opening our hearts and trying to open our minds, to examine ourselves by listening to others here. When corporations or whomever come along and say "oh look we have a blog and want to communicate with you too" but they don't value building trust the way we work on it, or let it happen or risk seeing it grow with people we never meet face to face, it just feels like a cheap ripoff of the concept - do you know what I mean? Or am I just being too harsh?

They can call it some kind of interactive something or other, but to call it a blog, I don't know - it's certainly nothing like BlogHer. :)

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

Fool's Paradise

Lovebabz — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 15:14:25 -0600

Jill and Fabooi,

I think this is so timely and so on point. I think you captured it in a nutshell. I do think there will be backlash for them in doing this. People are getting sophisticated in their blogging and in ther blogger universe. As I see itserious bloggers will not fall for the okey dokey. The amount of blogging that is going on epecially with the social action/political blogs will at some point slam these manufactured pseudo-news blogs...I hope.

It is just a matter of time before those types of blogs are kicked out of fool's paradise.

Love,
Babz
www.lovebabz.blogspot.com
wwww.lovebabz08.wordpress.com

They can't have it both ways

fabooj — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 14:41:16 -0600

I goad "blogs" like MSNBCs First Read or CNNs PoliticalTicker because I think their comment sections are a farce. They post something that is untrue or biased. I call them on it and my comments, that use to get posted immediately, are now "awaiting moderation". Between Jan. 3rd and today, I have 57 posts still awaiting moderation on First Read and 23 posts awaiting moderation at PoliticalTicker. Most of my posts have several posts that came after it, in one case 127 comments were "approved" while mine, 4 days later is still "awaiting moderation".

Meanwhile, watch how many "Obama is a Muslim" or other such blatant lies are approved. Look at how many sexist and racist comments are approved. Some of them by the same person, some of them even under the same blog entry.

And then there's the general lack of interaction by the authors. I can watch Chuck Todd spew his nonsense on TV, read a pointless blog entry on it and when I post to the blog, asking him directly why he said such-and-such, if the comment gets posted (which it usually doesn't), I will never get a response even in a separate blogpost.

They have their "rules" on spam, but read First Read's comment sections. You can tell when the Hillbots (I don't know if these are actual humans posting or bots) have been given their talking points because they post the same stuff in all of the blog entries, despite topic. 2, 3, sometimes 10 similar comments in a row and nothing is done. They seem unable to realize that comments sections set the tone of the blog more than the content. Look at Yahoo! and their "discussion boards". Show me one person who thought the people posting to those boards were sane. I should think that a news org. with a blog would only want informed comments and wouldn't provide a forum for lies and smears.

In those blogs by corporations, they really need to learn that community self-policing does work (as long as it doesn't fall into groupthink like birth club boards often do) it would be helpful to be able to moderate or even reply directly to a previous comment. Many conservative blogs, over-moderate their comments. If you don't post along party lines, your comment will not see daylight and usually you'll get preemptively banned from ever posting there again. This past year, as media corporations have bought these conservative blogs, we've seen comment sections disappear altogether (or like in the case of RedState or LGF where they put a moratorium on new registers). That worries me, because it seems these media-owned blogs are using that Name to see if people will still visit even if they can not express their opinions.

"I am so perfect so divine so ethereal so surreal. I cannot be comprehended except by my permission. I mean...I...can fly like a bird in the sky." Ego Trippin' by Nikki Giovanni
Visit me at faboo mama

Thanks Faboo Mama

Jill Miller Zimon — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 17:32:57 -0600

Sometimes I feel like I live in an alternate reality, so it's nice to get a check with others once in a while!

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery? eh :)

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

Nice re: the credit!

Jill Miller Zimon — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:45:52 -0600

Yes, I have seen "seen on the blogs" or something like that. But we've also had instances in Ohio where articles seem to go out of their way to not name the blogger or blog. That bums me out. Still, it's true - giving blogs the nod is a step in the right direction.

Thanks.

Jill
Writes Like She Talks

I'm not surprised. In fact,

fabooj — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:27:24 -0600

I'm not surprised. In fact, I'm convinced that Joel Stein cyberstalks my comments and blog posts. It's very strange in a two year period, topics or even direct sentences that I've said a few days previous makes it's way into Stein's pointless columns. I'm blanking on a subject, but he wrote an article back in October that seemed to lifted word for word directly from discussions at BooMan Tribune and DailyKos.

See, Colbert was right. They are stenographers. :)

Not a surprise at all

myrnatheminx — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 15:55:52 -0600

I see it day in and day out. Sometimes they even give bloggers credit.

Read Karoli and danah boyd on Lori Drew's actions

lizditz — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:44:44 -0600

This morning, BlogHer Karoli (Life in Odd Time Signatures) has a heartfelt post, drawing on her own family's destruction, on Lori Drew's character. She also recommends that we read danah boyd's post on Overprotective parenting and bullying

Deceiving children is problematic to begin with, but doing so by tapping into their emotional weaknesses is outright deadly. At a gut level, Lori knew that she could capture Megan's attention by creating a male character that showed interest. In other words, Lori knew how to manipulate Megan's attention and emotions. She capitalized on that knowledge, self-justifying it as responsible parenting. She knew how to have the "perfect" relationship with Megan, to gain her trust. This is knowledge that adults have because we've had our mistakes and learned how to negotiate social interactions. The reason that Megan's relationships were so fraught was probably not because she was evil but because she and her peers were struggling with how to appropriately interact with one another. It's clear from Megan's reaction to Josh that she was fully capable of positive interactions in a social context not strife with miscommunication and the confusion of school status. If she were truly as messed up as Lori assumed her to be, she would not be capable of this.

The take-away message: if you are a parent, look in the mirror. Are you doing too much for your child?

Liz Ditz
I Speak of Dreams
More Joy in Your Family
lizditz@gmail.com

This is how i feel

Chijammah — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 19:41:36 -0600

First of all, i feel sad... just sad.

It goes beyond my understanding that these kind of persons even exist. I mean... how can you get so far in life and be able to do that? Do you have no heart? How can anyone do this and still be able to act like nothing happend.

second,

Its hard to have an opinion because you simply dont know who you are talking about, but ill give it a try.

i dont think it was a bad thing letting Megan have a my space account, even though she was a fragile person. When closely monitored it can even be a safer place to socialize. Simply because you dont have direct contact with your connections. Its easier to say no and its easier to neglect mean people. Also , as mentioned before, myspace was a positive factor in Megan's life. She found someone who she could talk to and share her feelings with...someone who was really nice to her.

The parents of Megan do NOT share ANY blame. How can you protect your child from such evil. Thats what it is, pure evil. Who in their right mind would ever spend so much time in destroying a 13 year old girl life?

I dont think we should judge the victims, we should judge the offenders of our morals and our dignity. They might not have violated the law, but they violated the dreams and feelings of a young child. I could not imagine a bigger crime then that.

We cant do anything to the people who have done this and we shouldnt. Let them be and lets hope that everyone knows what they are like now. Life will deal with them.
We should however think of ways to prevent this from happening ever again. But then; Why did this happen again?

I guess im lucky i dont know........

Public Shaming

shelleyp — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 15:44:01 -0600

I read those words and it makes my skin crawl. I live near the community where this has occurred, and the neighborhood has been picketed, the home vandalized, laws passed without thought.

We'll have to disagree Nordette. I wrote my thoughts on all this public shaming in my own space.

Sad

Jennb01 — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 11:35:32 -0600

I think everyone in the media and public should not lose sight of the fact that a 13 year old girl will not have the opportunity to grow up and liver her life. We will never know what kind of contribution this girl would have made to our world.

It is sad that the internet has the ability to exploit our deepest fears and feelings. We should all treat it with more respect and responsibility, especially where our children are concerned.

This family's tragedy is a learning experience for us all. Unfortunately!

Jenn

Jennb's Blog