rekkidblogga

Machiavellian Me

Yesterday at work, I sat in on the most basic "How To Blog" course that's ever likely been taught to humans. Well, I say they were humans but many of the people there were newspaper reporters or columnists so others might quibble with my terminology. Look, here's the point: There are some seriously unschooled folks walking around the streets who literally don't have an inkling of a clue about what the Internet is or why blogs exist or what THEY are or why they're going to continue changing the way the public reads newspapers.

I'm good, man; I work for my paper's online group. We're the future and these pompous relics of print days past are the dinosaurs who don't want to adapt. Every word out of their mouths, every question posed to our instructor reeked with spite and negativity. "Why CAN'T I just delete my blogs when I want to?" "Well, if people don't stay on topic, why CAN'T I just delete their comments?" "What if I DON'T LIKE what people write back in the comments? Why CAN'T I choose what is posted?"

This is journalism's dirty little secret. It's fine and dandy to criticize the powers that be for their opinions or actions but don't you DARE venture to tell a writer or columnist that maybe, just maybe, you don't view them as The Light and The Way. Online newspaper blogs force those folks to the harsh realization that we, as readers, don't always worship at the vaunted pillar that the Fourth Estate blindly believes it's so worthy of and we're plenty capable of finding our news from a nearly endless stream of other sources - and all at the click of a mouse, the touch of fingers to a keypad.

As the harrumphing from 50-something opinion bleaters used to seeing only a few select - and edited - Letters To The Editor make the Op/Ed page became more and more prounounced, I couldn't help smiling as their egos took a well-deserved shot to the jugular. I own those fools online daily and it's a fabulous feeling, wielding so much power.

posted by rekkidbraka @ 9:37 PM