Feb
15
Posted on 02-15-2008 at 01:30pm
Mainstream Media Blogging
Filed Under (Internet) by Newscoma on 02-15-2008

A Nashvillian, who doesn’t have a blog that I can find, was named reader of the day on Pop Candy this morning. Her name is Bryn C.

It got me wondering about the different kinds of way we communicate. Many newspapers are utilizing online media in different ways by, of course, including their own mini-blogs. The Tennessean does this as well. 

Obviously, it allows people to get published on a mainstream media entity. But it also gives more ownership to readers. And I can’t help but think it’s perplexing for traditional media addressing the concerns of how new media actually operates with citizen participation.

I guess my question is are you a part of an online media community that hosts your blog? Pop Candy, which I think is extremely innovative and fun, spotlights their readers pretty regularly which is extremely clever. In watching media, it’s interesting to see how all of this is going to play out when mixing traditional media and the organic nature of some online communities such as Nashville is Talking, MCB, Volunteer Voters, No Silence Here, Tennessee Free, TennViews or KnoxvilleTalks (granted Volunteer Voters, Knoxville Talks and Nashville is Talking are owned and operated by television stations but have one primary author/administrator. And there are many more communities but these are just a few.)

On another note, I wonder if new media has anything to do with this?

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Comments

Jim Voorhies on 15 February, 2008 at 1:43 pm #

Absolutely. I take full responsibility for the decimation about to happen at the NY Times newstroom. My posts have elevated the national discourse sooooo much….

hmmmm. I’m not sure what this stuff is, but it’s certainly getting deep where I am. ;)


Newscoma on 15 February, 2008 at 1:45 pm #

I knew it was you, Jim! The New York Times called and I said “Get Jim!” :)


Christian on 15 February, 2008 at 4:32 pm #

One of the features on the new NIT is this very thing - the ability of registered users to have their own blog and moderate their own subscription-based groups. Some people just don’t want a blog, like Bryn C. They use tools provided to an existing community to enhance their connections with other members. There are tens of thousands of those people while there are a few hundred local bloggers.

Blogs have been instrumental in creating online communities around the voice and personality of the author(s), but there are a lot of limitations for a community that relies soley on that model. We witnessed one example when Brittney left NIT. We also witnessed it here on MCB around the time Kat left. You cannot sustain personality driven online communities without predictable disruptions.

With blogs, you also have a finite number of authors and typically one way for readers to respond via comments. It is difficult for diverse community values to self aggregate with only one shared space in blog comments which also leads to a fracturing community.

The new NIT won’t magically heal old wounds, but hopefully will put the community in the driver’s seat in the very way you mention here. It’s clunky, ugly and very geeky, but we’ll fix it up along the way :)