Comments on: Bloggers Are New, But Are They Media?

By: Preaching To The Choir | cyberbuzz

Preaching To The Choir | cyberbuzz — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 17:18:47 +0000

[...] ago I noticed this trend amongst bloggers in Vancouver. They were banding together in a herd to increase traffic and page rank in the hopes of getting [...]

By: Heather

Heather — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 03:19:04 +0000

Interesting post. I’m always flattered when I’m invited to something as a blogger and at the same time, when I arrive and someone asks me if I’m ‘media’ I feel awkward and self conscious when I say yes. Because I don’t think of myself as such – I don’t get a pay cheque from what I do. It’s a hobby. A fun hobby, with perks, but it’s still a hobby.

Looking at it from another angle – many bloggers have little value in their audience but are merely beneficial to engage from an SEO standpoint. Get enough bloggers to write about you (even if nobody reads it) and suddenly your page is in the top 10 Google SERPS. SEO is something that most traditional media people just don’t think about…

By: Are Bloggers Just Cheerleaders? | cyberbuzz

Are Bloggers Just Cheerleaders? | cyberbuzz — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 19:15:40 +0000

[...] is no mistaking that bloggers aren’t journalists. They don’t work in big towers surrounded by editors and researchers and producers. Usually, [...]

By: buzz

buzz — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 05:07:21 +0000

Thanks Kevin.

My initial idea from the post came from comments I had heard about those being accredited for some of the events around Vancouver last weekend. Many were “hobbyists” as opposed to the professionally qualified examples you give.

It’s these hobbyists that are clouding the picture and definition of who should be accredited.

That’s another reason I don’t like the term “blogger.” It’s almost demeaning. Are you a journalist? Are you an editor? Are you a contributor? Sure, those are old media words, but “blogger” seems to have been ripped down a pegs in pecking order. I’d prefer to see journalists and professionals getting preference over hobbyists.

Right now, the hobbyists seem to have the upper hand.

By: Kevin Grandia

Kevin Grandia — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 21:14:48 +0000

Very well put Buzz. As a full time blogger for more than three years now I would suggest that there is a certain amount of the “blogging for self” crowd. However, I want to share one example of how bloggers are stepping in where media is falling short. I sent one of my writers, a former editor at the Vancouver Sun, to a UN climate conference in Poznan, Poland. Turns out he was the only media outlet from Canada. As such he was given full media credentials by the UN – the first blogger to get such a thing. We were the only outlet reporting on Canada’s actions (or inactions) at the conference.

As far as “reach versus niche” as we see newsrooms dropping beat reporters (i.e. Canwest Newswire dropping their enviro beat reporter), niche bloggers become more valuable because they are following the minutiae of a specific issue. When dealing with government policy for instance this attention to minor details is a huge asset to the public who do not have the time to go into such in-depth analysis.

On your question of how you identify which bloggers are to be accredited, it is quite simple for a tech-savvy media relations person to figure out who’s who in the zoo. You can look at quick reference points like number of link backs, Google pagerank and the background of the blogger.

This is great article Buzz and I am glad that there is attention being paid to this issue. More and more of these questions will arise as we see blog become more mainstream.

By: Cassie Gill

Cassie Gill — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 07:19:07 +0000

Buzz – this is great! I am writing a university paper on this very topic right now, and quoting you as a source! I hope the profs don’t mind – I will argue that you are an important pillar in Vancouver culture/media LOL!

I think some bloggers can be considered media, but many of them are simply taking it too far. If you can turn it into a profitable business in which you are marketing the product as more than a blog (in that you have contests, sponsorship, social networking etc.) then I think you can go the media route. Readership is a big one, too.

By: Barbara Doduk

Barbara Doduk — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 16:02:39 +0000

Brilliant question. I don’t think bloggers are media. Unless as you pointed out, they are the cream of the crop, which means “serious” about their craft. I think a good lot of these “blogger reporters” are merely cashing in on the ability to get free access or free loot in return for their consumer opinion. That is all they offer, consumer opinion.