Multi Medium

Change O’ Plans

No What’s Wrong With America post this week, I have opted to beat up on Gonzo instead.

March 13th, 2007 at 06:13pm Posted by Eli

Woohoo!

I’m almost as smart as an 8-year-old!

(I got all of them except #5)

1 comment March 13th, 2007 at 11:48am Posted by Eli

Not There Yet

For all the excitement about the blogosphere as an alternative media poised to shove print and broadcast into well-deserved oblivion, it is worth remembering that we still have a long ways to go (some of us more than others):

[M]ore than half of the adults surveyed [in a recent NYT/CBS poll about blogs], 58 percent, said they never visited political blogs. Of those who do, 24 percent said they visit them rarely and 14 percent occasionally. Only 4 percent said it was a frequent occurrence.

So that’s 4% of the population who are regular blogreaders, and 18% who read them more than once in a blue moon. That’s actually a bit more than I expected, but I still don’t think that’s enough to be a threat to the traditional media, or a large enough voting bloc to swing a major election (that last is admittedly arguable, but ask yourself how many out of that 18% aren’t well-informed political junkies who would be voting the same way even if there were no blogs).

I believe the major holdup is the medium: blogs cannot be passively consumed like television and radio. You can’t just turn on the TV and let them wash over you; you have to actively seek them out and navigate through them. In addition to that, there’s stil the relative newness of the technology – blogs are still very much on the fringes of mainstream popular culture.

What the best political blogs do have going for them is compelling content: passion, great writing, deep analysis, interactivity (if they have comments), and a wealth of information that is nowhere to be found in the mainstream media.

If you’re inclined to spend a lot of time on the internets and don’t mind a bit of fumbling around, it’s not hard to get hooked if you find one of the good ones. It’s those ifs that are tricky.

Some additional poll numbers worth noting:

? 57% of poll respondents under 30 read political blogs, and only 24% of respondents 65 and older, which reflects the cultural transition to a new technology and medium.

? Exactly 50% of male read political blogs, but only 34% of female ones. Why is this?

? Almost half of all liberal and moderate respondents read political blogs, but only 35% of conservative ones. Is this because conservatives already have traditional media that caters to their beliefs (Fox News, hate radio), or is it more of a cultural or generational difference?

7 comments March 13th, 2007 at 11:31am Posted by Eli

Treoakland Photoblogging

Okay, let’s see if I can pull off a photoblogging post from my Treo…

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Posts! Outside some sort of clinic or medical center.

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Sign announcing the presence of said clinic/medical center thingy.

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They have an elevator. (Color vs. B&W was a tough call on this one – the sky was a lovely blue, and the column and trim were a complementary shade of crimsonish.

Qapla’!

5 comments March 13th, 2007 at 10:41am Posted by Eli

Question

If Republicans think Rudy is the closest thing to Dubya among their presidential candidates, does that make him the Big Apple Decider?

5 comments March 13th, 2007 at 07:47am Posted by Eli