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
Entry Filed under: UncategorizedNo 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
Entry Filed under: UncategorizedI’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
Entry Filed under: Coolness,ScienceFor 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
Entry Filed under: Blogosphere,Politics,PollsOkay, let’s see if I can pull off a photoblogging post from my Treo…
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
Posts! Outside some sort of clinic or medical center.
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
Sign announcing the presence of said clinic/medical center thingy.
* WPG2 Plugin Not Validated *
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
Entry Filed under: Photoblogging,PittsburghIf 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
Entry Filed under: Puns,Rudy
M | T | W | T | F | S | S |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
« Feb | Apr » | |||||
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |||
5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 |
12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 |
19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 |
*