Digitella left Tek’s office, clutching her backpack and thinking about their conversation. She wasn’t sure it was so easy to let the blog/ journalism debate go, but for now she had to. She did believe that there were more important issues to look at – but what?
“How much are you going to worship me?” Mo said, tapping Digitella on the shoulder. Shoving her wide-rimmed glasses up her nose, Mo handed Digitella a printed piece of paper. Digitella read it and laughed. “Wow, my dear, you are fabulous! How do you find this stuff?”
“Just call me Moogle!” she giggled, skipping down the corridor.
Digitella found a shady spot on one of the campus lawns and eagerly pulled her laptop out from her backpack:
“We are all under the impression that citizen journalists don’t make much money – especially online citizen journalists. Unless you sell your content to news sites like Reporter.co.za or Ohmynews (whose pay won’t even cover the cost of your dial-up connection) you probably won’t make any money. Blogs, especially, are notoriously non-profitable.
But, wait … there have been hushed whispers and stirrings in the SA advertising world. It seems that advertisers have finally cottoned on to the fact that online media is popular and that more and more people are going online (people with money to spend that is).
I just read an article that said in the past two months aggregator site Amatomu has registered 350 000 outbound clicks to SA blogs – impressive. But, that wasn’t what caught my eye. Apparently, the company is planning to establish an advertising network that will share revenues with top blogs. Maher says that Amatomu wants to bring advertising to the blogosphere … Hmmm. Do I smell more trouble for traditional media?
An article I recently read says that Google currently has SA’s biggest market share in terms of online advertising. Its easy-to-use advertising model lets small-fry advertisers who can’t afford to place ads in big media advertise via Google on small websites and blogs. Google coughs up money every time a person clicks on an ad they are carrying. This lets bloggers make a few rands off their sites and with hundreds of thousands of registered blogs in SA, the amount of revenue generated could be HUGE. This could mean bad news for traditional media.
The bulk of traditional media’s money comes from advertising and if advertisers are going to take their money online, newspapers and magazines are in for a rough ride. This is just one more reason for traditional media organisations to tap into online media – and fast. In my opinion, if newspapers do not want to lose their advertising they need to create a website (even if it is a tad archaic), just to get their foot in the door and to hold on for dear life to their very life source. We can’t ignore the digital age any more – money is power and the power is slowly shifting.
Wake up.”
Digitella posted the entry and found herself humming the lyrics from an old song … “It’s all about the money. It’s all about the dum dum da da dad um. It’s all about the money.” Indeed it is …
Due to Cricket - Citizen Media: the Days of OUR Online Lives will not be posted for the next few weeks.
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Showing posts with label blog. Show all posts
Tuesday, 05 June 2007
Episode 3 - The one where Digitella ends the blogger debate
The next morning Digitella got an sms from Tek to meet him in the newspaper office at lunch time. She anxiously hung around campus, wondering what his verdict would be – and when lunch time came, Digitella knocked lightly on the office door and walked in. Tek was sitting at one of the computers against the far wall and waved her over.
“Good blog,” he said, “A little wordy, but you got your point across. Well done.” Digitella smiled with relief. “Thanks. I’m still not sure its journalism though.”
Tek leant back, confidently in his chair, “Well, it might interest you to know that on Monday President Mbeki referred to bloggers as citizen journalists in a speech at the WAN Conference. Apparently he said something along the lines of “everyone owns a printing press”.”
“That doesn’t make them journalists,” Digitella replied defiantly.
“Look, if you don’t think that blogging is citizen journalism, why don’t you tell me what you think is citizen journalism – on the Web,” he said, smugly crossing his arms.
Digitella thought for a minute. “Well, when mainstream news sites like the Mail and Guardian draw on citizens for content, that would be journalism. Another possibility could be when independent news sites like Ohmynews get their content exclusively from users.”
“I still don’t see why news blogging is not journalism – its reporting and commenting on current events.”
“I just don’t like labeling it journalism,” Digitella said through clenched teeth.
“Why?” Digitella knew he was just trying to frustrate her.
It worked.
“Its just so limiting!” she cried, angrily tossing her backpack onto the desk. “There are so many possibilities for blogging that if you cage it in this western idea of what journalism is, you will lose its potentiality.” She started pacing, “I mean it provides a space for a multitude of fresh voices that highlight issues that affect citizens that mainstream media don’t pick up. It allows readers to comment on the news and become writers themselves. It also provides a space for debate, and, most of all, blogs are creative spaces to experiment.” She fell, exasperatedly into a chair.
Tek was quiet for a minute and then, he slowly swiveled his chair until he was facing her. “Do you have any idea how much time and energy you have wasted fighting this journalism/ blogging debate?”
Digitella turned to look at him, “What?”
“You know what Rosen said? He said that this debate is over. The question now isn’t whether bloggers are journalists – I mean, from our little debate we can see that blogging is sometimes journalism. What we need to do now is focus on the reality – power in the media is shifting and changing. When 9/ 11 happened – people turned to bloggers as a means of understanding what was going on. That is the reality and that is what you need to focus your pent-up aggression on.”
Digitella, sat back and sighed, “I don’t have pent-up aggression.”
Tek laughed, “Oh yes you do! Look, while its all good and well to ask questions like these, don’t get too bent out of shape over it because you are never going to reach a conclusion. There is so much else to question about citizen journalism on the Web.”
“I look forward to your next entry – and no more blogging vs. journalism. Your users are expecting more from you.”
Tune in later tonight for a special Exam week episode of Citizen Media: The Days of OUR Online Lives.
“Good blog,” he said, “A little wordy, but you got your point across. Well done.” Digitella smiled with relief. “Thanks. I’m still not sure its journalism though.”
Tek leant back, confidently in his chair, “Well, it might interest you to know that on Monday President Mbeki referred to bloggers as citizen journalists in a speech at the WAN Conference. Apparently he said something along the lines of “everyone owns a printing press”.”
“That doesn’t make them journalists,” Digitella replied defiantly.
“Look, if you don’t think that blogging is citizen journalism, why don’t you tell me what you think is citizen journalism – on the Web,” he said, smugly crossing his arms.
Digitella thought for a minute. “Well, when mainstream news sites like the Mail and Guardian draw on citizens for content, that would be journalism. Another possibility could be when independent news sites like Ohmynews get their content exclusively from users.”
“I still don’t see why news blogging is not journalism – its reporting and commenting on current events.”
“I just don’t like labeling it journalism,” Digitella said through clenched teeth.
“Why?” Digitella knew he was just trying to frustrate her.
It worked.
“Its just so limiting!” she cried, angrily tossing her backpack onto the desk. “There are so many possibilities for blogging that if you cage it in this western idea of what journalism is, you will lose its potentiality.” She started pacing, “I mean it provides a space for a multitude of fresh voices that highlight issues that affect citizens that mainstream media don’t pick up. It allows readers to comment on the news and become writers themselves. It also provides a space for debate, and, most of all, blogs are creative spaces to experiment.” She fell, exasperatedly into a chair.
Tek was quiet for a minute and then, he slowly swiveled his chair until he was facing her. “Do you have any idea how much time and energy you have wasted fighting this journalism/ blogging debate?”
Digitella turned to look at him, “What?”
“You know what Rosen said? He said that this debate is over. The question now isn’t whether bloggers are journalists – I mean, from our little debate we can see that blogging is sometimes journalism. What we need to do now is focus on the reality – power in the media is shifting and changing. When 9/ 11 happened – people turned to bloggers as a means of understanding what was going on. That is the reality and that is what you need to focus your pent-up aggression on.”
Digitella, sat back and sighed, “I don’t have pent-up aggression.”
Tek laughed, “Oh yes you do! Look, while its all good and well to ask questions like these, don’t get too bent out of shape over it because you are never going to reach a conclusion. There is so much else to question about citizen journalism on the Web.”
“I look forward to your next entry – and no more blogging vs. journalism. Your users are expecting more from you.”
Tune in later tonight for a special Exam week episode of Citizen Media: The Days of OUR Online Lives.
Tuesday, 29 May 2007
Episode 2 - The one where Digitella talks ethics
That evening as Digitella sits in front of her laptop, a blank blog post on her laptop screen, she wonders why she chose to study citizen media. Her debate earlier that day with Tek about blogging and journalism (that has not been resolved) proved to Digitella that citizen media is a vast abyss of information and unresolved arguments. Now, she has to post her first blog entry as a news blogger and she has no idea what her first topic should be.
Suddenly, Digitella’s digsmate Mo flings open the bedroom door and tosses a newspaper onto Digitella’s lap. “You have to read this,” she says breathlessly pulling up a chair.
Digitella’s eyes widen as she scans the headline Male Hooker names top clients
Male Hooker names Top clients. “I don’t believe it,” she says.
“Yeah, I thought it might make a good first entry,” Mo smiles, before leaving the room.
Digitella scans the article and then, fingers poised begins her blog entry:
“Blogging and journalism. The debate has been going on since the development of blogs at the end of the last century. An article I have just read raises big issues in the blog/ journalism debate:
1. the credibility of blogs as a source of news
2. the lack of accountability of bloggers when what is written crosses the boundaries of legality.
In the article, a former male sex worker has posted a personal blog claiming that a number of prominent South Africans paid him for sex. He named 11 of them so far and the information has spread like wild fire among SA news media organisations. The Sunday Times, IOL and Media24 are just a few traditional news companies who have run news articles about this.
The journalist who wrote this article is unable to establish the credibility and truthfulness of the sex worker (if in fact he/she is even a sex worker) because the blogger in question is anonymous. The journalist left a comment on the blog and was contacted by someone called Skye who “claimed” to be the blogger – does the journalist know this for a fact? No. Is the journalist able to find out? Not likely.
I then ask the question: how can you run an article when you are unsure of the blogger’s motives, and truthfulness? The only information the journalist has is the blog post (which may just be a work of fiction – an identity constructed, a fantasy lived out in cyberspace) and the men who are all flat-out denying it. It seems to me the article shouldn’t be about the blogger’s allegations, so much as it should be about what bloggers can and cannot get away with posting.
A lawyer has said that both the publisher and blogger can be sued for defamation – but the website has covered its behind by denying any responsibility in what bloggers publish on their site. And, without an identity, it is unlikely this blogger is going to be sued. How then do we make bloggers accountable?
Good ole Patricia De Lille has recently called for tighter control over Internet bloggers (I can already hear the chants of “freedom of speech” “freedom of expression”) – but, she does have a point. If we are to consider blogging as a form of journalism, shouldn’t it be held to the same legal and ethical standards as traditional journalism?
The question is: with nearly 60% of bloggers blogging anonymously and blogger sites denying responsibility how do you hold users accountable for what they say?”
Digitella sighs heavily as she posts the entry … wondering to herself what the response to the entry will be. She switched off her computer thinking that the battle is only just beginning …
Tune in next week to find out how Digitella’s entry is received.
Suddenly, Digitella’s digsmate Mo flings open the bedroom door and tosses a newspaper onto Digitella’s lap. “You have to read this,” she says breathlessly pulling up a chair.
Digitella’s eyes widen as she scans the headline Male Hooker names top clients
Male Hooker names Top clients. “I don’t believe it,” she says.
“Yeah, I thought it might make a good first entry,” Mo smiles, before leaving the room.
Digitella scans the article and then, fingers poised begins her blog entry:
“Blogging and journalism. The debate has been going on since the development of blogs at the end of the last century. An article I have just read raises big issues in the blog/ journalism debate:
1. the credibility of blogs as a source of news
2. the lack of accountability of bloggers when what is written crosses the boundaries of legality.
In the article, a former male sex worker has posted a personal blog claiming that a number of prominent South Africans paid him for sex. He named 11 of them so far and the information has spread like wild fire among SA news media organisations. The Sunday Times, IOL and Media24 are just a few traditional news companies who have run news articles about this.
The journalist who wrote this article is unable to establish the credibility and truthfulness of the sex worker (if in fact he/she is even a sex worker) because the blogger in question is anonymous. The journalist left a comment on the blog and was contacted by someone called Skye who “claimed” to be the blogger – does the journalist know this for a fact? No. Is the journalist able to find out? Not likely.
I then ask the question: how can you run an article when you are unsure of the blogger’s motives, and truthfulness? The only information the journalist has is the blog post (which may just be a work of fiction – an identity constructed, a fantasy lived out in cyberspace) and the men who are all flat-out denying it. It seems to me the article shouldn’t be about the blogger’s allegations, so much as it should be about what bloggers can and cannot get away with posting.
A lawyer has said that both the publisher and blogger can be sued for defamation – but the website has covered its behind by denying any responsibility in what bloggers publish on their site. And, without an identity, it is unlikely this blogger is going to be sued. How then do we make bloggers accountable?
Good ole Patricia De Lille has recently called for tighter control over Internet bloggers (I can already hear the chants of “freedom of speech” “freedom of expression”) – but, she does have a point. If we are to consider blogging as a form of journalism, shouldn’t it be held to the same legal and ethical standards as traditional journalism?
The question is: with nearly 60% of bloggers blogging anonymously and blogger sites denying responsibility how do you hold users accountable for what they say?”
Digitella sighs heavily as she posts the entry … wondering to herself what the response to the entry will be. She switched off her computer thinking that the battle is only just beginning …
Tune in next week to find out how Digitella’s entry is received.
Wednesday, 21 February 2007
What is a blog?
I have just finished my assignment on what is blogging for Brad and I thought I would post it here for all you interested readers. It just gives you all out there in the depths of cyberspace some idea of the work I am doing:
The rise of digital media in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has led to the emergence of a phenomenon whose popularity has grown from mere dozens in 1999 to millions by 2005 (Jensen 2003). The word is on every Internet user’s lips – blogs.
A web log, or blog, may be understood as a user-generated web-based publication where entries are made in an informal journal or diary format (wikipedia 2007). Blogs function in a number of ways, but primarily operate as a platform for users to comment and record their thoughts regarding a specific issue, and publish them over the Internet. Over the years, however, blogging has grown from a mere online record of a person’s thoughts to a “credible means of news dissemination and discussion” (wikipedia 2007). Bloggers have become media producers, but how does the journalism they produce compare and differ to conventional print and broadcast journalism?
In a democratic society, the media generally function to provide citizens with the information they need to make informed decisions about their society and a blog, as a platform for media production, functions in this way. However, blogs go beyond this function and differ greatly from conventional journalistic practices.
Arguably the leading difference between conventional journalism and blogging is that conventional journalism does not promote citizen participation, and has come under much criticism for its fortress-like media practices (Rosen 1999). Conventional journalism does not provide media consumers with the opportunity to comment on and discuss news issues. Blogging, however, promotes the participation of citizens in the media. One could argue that blogs are an example of citizen’s journalism whereby citizens are called upon to play an "active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information" (wikipedia 2007). Through its highly interactive nature, blogs give agency to individuals, motivating them to debate, discuss and question news issues. Conventional journalism, I would argue, promotes passivity on the part of its audience, while blogging promotes action.
Blogs also differ from conventional journalism in that they are produced by users for other users. The majority of bloggers are not qualified journalists and are producing news as citizens (Jensen 2003). Blogging is essentially a conversation between citizens and, as a result, is solution-oriented (Marlow 2004). Conventional news reports concentrate on publishing information on news issues, without necessarily thinking about the solutions. By stimulating commentary and debate, blogs do not only discuss the problem, but also potential solutions.
Another difference between blogs and conventional journalism is that, unlike conventional journalism, blogs are not obliged to adhere to ethical codes of conduct. While print journalists have to answer to the Press Ombudsmans Code and broadcast journalists are held accountable to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA), blog users are so vast and numerous that there is no current means by which to regulate the information they publish. This has negative consequences in that it allows bloggers to fabricate facts and, as a result, the credibility of information posted on blogs is questionable.
Conventional journalism primarily utilises one medium by which to communicate news to citizens, be it print, radio or television. Blogs, however, support the use of multimedia, providing a user with a number of ways to consume news from a single platform. This serves to enhance the quality of information that users can access and provides them with a more holistic view of the news. Blogs also have special tools, such as feed readers, that allow users to access information that is only of interest to them. Instead of reading through an entire newspaper or listening to an entire news broadcast, bloggers can utilise feed readers to link to issues that are most interesting to them (Marlow 2004).
Blogs, while sharing a similar function to conventional journalism in democratic societies, differ greatly in a number of ways. As the popularity of blogging continues to rise, there may be a shift away from conventional, fortress-like journalistic practices to a more citizen-oriented approach to news coverage.
Works Cited
2007.“Citizen’s Journalism”. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
2007.“Blogging”. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogging
Jensen, M. 2003. “Emerging Alternatives: A Brief History of Weblogs”. Columbia Journalism Review , no 5. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cjr.org/issues/2003/5/blog-jensen.asp?printerfriendly=yes
Marlow, C. 2004. “Audience, structure and authority in the weblog community”. MIT Media Laboratory. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~cameron/cv/pubs/04-01.pdf
Rosen, J. 1999. “The Action of the Idea: Public Journalism in Built Form”. T. Glasser (ed). The Idea of Public Journalism. New York : Guilford Press.
The rise of digital media in the late 20th and early 21st centuries has led to the emergence of a phenomenon whose popularity has grown from mere dozens in 1999 to millions by 2005 (Jensen 2003). The word is on every Internet user’s lips – blogs.
A web log, or blog, may be understood as a user-generated web-based publication where entries are made in an informal journal or diary format (wikipedia 2007). Blogs function in a number of ways, but primarily operate as a platform for users to comment and record their thoughts regarding a specific issue, and publish them over the Internet. Over the years, however, blogging has grown from a mere online record of a person’s thoughts to a “credible means of news dissemination and discussion” (wikipedia 2007). Bloggers have become media producers, but how does the journalism they produce compare and differ to conventional print and broadcast journalism?
In a democratic society, the media generally function to provide citizens with the information they need to make informed decisions about their society and a blog, as a platform for media production, functions in this way. However, blogs go beyond this function and differ greatly from conventional journalistic practices.
Arguably the leading difference between conventional journalism and blogging is that conventional journalism does not promote citizen participation, and has come under much criticism for its fortress-like media practices (Rosen 1999). Conventional journalism does not provide media consumers with the opportunity to comment on and discuss news issues. Blogging, however, promotes the participation of citizens in the media. One could argue that blogs are an example of citizen’s journalism whereby citizens are called upon to play an "active role in the process of collecting, reporting, analyzing and disseminating news and information" (wikipedia 2007). Through its highly interactive nature, blogs give agency to individuals, motivating them to debate, discuss and question news issues. Conventional journalism, I would argue, promotes passivity on the part of its audience, while blogging promotes action.
Blogs also differ from conventional journalism in that they are produced by users for other users. The majority of bloggers are not qualified journalists and are producing news as citizens (Jensen 2003). Blogging is essentially a conversation between citizens and, as a result, is solution-oriented (Marlow 2004). Conventional news reports concentrate on publishing information on news issues, without necessarily thinking about the solutions. By stimulating commentary and debate, blogs do not only discuss the problem, but also potential solutions.
Another difference between blogs and conventional journalism is that, unlike conventional journalism, blogs are not obliged to adhere to ethical codes of conduct. While print journalists have to answer to the Press Ombudsmans Code and broadcast journalists are held accountable to the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa (BCCSA), blog users are so vast and numerous that there is no current means by which to regulate the information they publish. This has negative consequences in that it allows bloggers to fabricate facts and, as a result, the credibility of information posted on blogs is questionable.
Conventional journalism primarily utilises one medium by which to communicate news to citizens, be it print, radio or television. Blogs, however, support the use of multimedia, providing a user with a number of ways to consume news from a single platform. This serves to enhance the quality of information that users can access and provides them with a more holistic view of the news. Blogs also have special tools, such as feed readers, that allow users to access information that is only of interest to them. Instead of reading through an entire newspaper or listening to an entire news broadcast, bloggers can utilise feed readers to link to issues that are most interesting to them (Marlow 2004).
Blogs, while sharing a similar function to conventional journalism in democratic societies, differ greatly in a number of ways. As the popularity of blogging continues to rise, there may be a shift away from conventional, fortress-like journalistic practices to a more citizen-oriented approach to news coverage.
Works Cited
2007.“Citizen’s Journalism”. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizen_journalism
2007.“Blogging”. Wikipedia. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blogging
Jensen, M. 2003. “Emerging Alternatives: A Brief History of Weblogs”. Columbia Journalism Review , no 5. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://www.cjr.org/issues/2003/5/blog-jensen.asp?printerfriendly=yes
Marlow, C. 2004. “Audience, structure and authority in the weblog community”. MIT Media Laboratory. Retrieved February 20, 2007 from the World Wide Web: http://alumni.media.mit.edu/~cameron/cv/pubs/04-01.pdf
Rosen, J. 1999. “The Action of the Idea: Public Journalism in Built Form”. T. Glasser (ed). The Idea of Public Journalism. New York : Guilford Press.
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