BOOKS | A world of blogs.

[2018: This just cracks me up. Some of my old content is just SO DATED. Not as dated as this piece, thankfully, but dated.]

Not into blogs? You should be.

Blogs are serious up-and-comers in the world of the readable. A recent study conducted by Ipsos Reid just revealed that more than half of American blog readers think “web logs” (that is, blogs) are a valid news source*.

From the Ipsos Reid press release: “The venue in which blogs are seen as most influential is public opinion: 68% of blog-readers believe that blogs influence public opinion. Even among those who don’t read blogs, three in ten (29%) believe blogs influence public opinion. Those who read blogs also feel they are having an influence on mainstream media. Nearly 6 in 10 (56%) blog-readers said they think that blogs have become at least somewhat influential to mainstream media like TV and Newspapers. Even one in four (25%) of those who don’t read blogs think they are at least somewhat influential on the mainstream media. When asked about the perceived influence on public policy, 54% of blog-readers feel blogs are having an influence. Again, one in four non-blog-readers also believe they influence public policy.”

In short? Blogs have become media power players.

And even if the news isn’t your thing, there’s probably a blog out there for you. Just remember to take everything you read with a grain of salt. (You already do that anyway, right?)

News and Political Blogs

Sites like Day Pop [defunct] or Bloogz [defunct]  allow you to search thousands of news sites and blogs from around the world, and their content is constantly being updated. You never have to wait for tomorrow’s paper or the next newscast. You don’t even have to wait for a particular website to update. Someone, somewhere, is almost always blogging about up to the minute news. Whether they really know what they’re talking about depends, but that’s the case with any news resource.

Personal Blogs

The best thing about blogs is also the worst thing about blogs – any idiot can get one. A good personal blog provides fun, voyeuristic drama, but not everyone deserves their very own episode of This is My Life. Check out Blogger, or DiaryLand and you’re sure to find a writer who piques your interest, but you may have to sift through a lot of crap first.

Celebrity Blogs

At Last There Is Nothing Left to Say

Just a few of the stars who’ve hopped on the blogging band wagon:

Britney Spears. In addition to blogging about her day to day life (I’m married. I’m not married, I’m married again, I’m preggers!), Brit-Brit uses her blog to talk back to the tabloids. It’s doubtful Star magazine is crying over the criticism.

Zach Braff [blog link defunct]. Braff uses his blog to muse about life and keep fans apprised of his doings. (He recently watched Rob and Amber get married while going stir crazy in Montreal.) He also uses his site to push publicity for all his recent projects. Marketing doesn’t get any cheaper.

Matthew Good [blog link defunct]. Vancouverite Matthew Good tends to use his blog as a political forum. He bashes Bush [Dubya], dishes about the UN, and tends to rant (a lot) when something pisses him off. Good’s postings were so prolific in the late ‘90’s, they were compiled and published as a book titled At Last There Is Nothing Left to Say, by Insomniac Press in 2001.

* More from the Ipsos Reid press release: “These are the findings of an Ipsos poll conducted from April 14th to April 24th via a representative online US sample of 2,537 American adults. For the total sample of 2,537 results are accurate 95% of the time with a +/- 1.95% margin of error. For the sample of 771 blog readers, results are accurate 95% of the time with a margin of error of +/- 3.50%.”

A version of “A world of blogs” published in my regular book column for Dose, May 30, 2005, below.

Published in Dose magazine, May 30, 2005.