We are Bloggers: Fear Us!

More than once this past week I've heard people in the mainstream media remark that they don't like or don't trust or don't extend any credibility to BLOGGERS. This is EXACTLY what we want to hear! This demonstrates the power of free speech at work, and at it's best: even in mainland China, the BLOG has broken through barriers in a way no one would have believed possible as recently as 2000.

There are a handful of bloggers who set the scene: Hugh Hewitt and Matt Drudge (whose "Drudge Report" is really a newsblog) were pioneers of the political/newsblog... at the same time the "personal journal" or "diary-style" weblog was taking off... when the folks at Blogger/Blogspot shone the spotlight on Wendy Cheng's XiaXue, the "pop blog" with its always-controversial pop-star author was born... Over in China, Muzi Mei was paving the way for a small but daring band of female sex-bloggers, pioneering a genre that would be adopted later on by writers like Stephanie Klein and Izzy (SarongPartyGirl)... back in the USA political columnist Michelle Malkin began packaging her musings in blog form, helping to set the tone and the stage for political thinkers of every affiliation to emerge as bloggers... BLOGGING = People Power!

Bloggers are DEDICATED... I know Wendy Cheng takes her blogging very seriously and has worked very hard to keep it interesting. Her Photoshop skills are amazing. I had no idea that you could do some of the things she's done. (It's no secret that Wendy and Michelle Malkin are my two favorite bloggers, and I can't help it if they're both women and both Asian. blame God.)

Here it is CHRISTMAS EVE and MICHELLE MALKIN (keep in mind she has a family) pounds out a superb post "THE NEW YORK TIMES STRIKES AGAIN" all about the newspaper continuing to show its disregard for America's security. Attagirl, Michelle!

Some blog for money by placing a lot of ads on their blogs... others look for or are offered product endorsements, which is fine. If you can make a little money while blogging, that's great! Mainstream Media has been blogging a little... WNBC Channel 4 here in New York runs as newsblog as does MSNBC as does CBS (Public Eye). Any adverts you see on Capital Region People have been there since the early days of CRP's blogspot incarnation, which goes back to November of 2004. I haven't even bothered checking to see if any of them made any money, because I don't really care at this time. I admit I added them in because "everybody else" seemed to have them on their sites. I cut most of them loose but left a few on that I thought would genuinely interest blogders. (In case you don't know "blogders" is short for blog reades, a term attributed to Wendy Cheng.)

Now that somebody tightened their arms around the moniker "Pajamas Media," you may be wondering how to promote yourself and your blog. Maybe you want to be the next Stephanie Klein or XiaXue or Hugh Hewitt. You CAN do it...

"HOW TO BLOG LIKE A ROCK STAR"

Attention all unpaid writers with websites!

Bloggers have lost jobs, friends, and even spouses over things they revealed in their journals. Bloggers have to make the conscious decision from the start that what they write today may come back to haunt them tomorrow, and be OK with that choice. That’s the warning from one of the best veteran bloggers. They share their tips and experiences. _click_Here_!

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