There’s an interesting map application at Presidential Watch ‘08 depicting the relationship between websites and their role in shaping Presidential campaign. A screenshot of the map is shown below. The map allows you to click on an individual website and see a visual representation of its links. The map is divided into left and right halves, with the MSM depicted in between. As you would expect, sites on one side of the political divide are mostly quoted by sites on the same side. But, a number of websites have “crossover” authority. For example, the Volokh Conspiracy has fans on the Left.
It’s these “crossover” sites which provide the vector for moving ideas from one side of the divide to the other. As long as these “crossover” sites exist, then the blogosphere will never completely break up into tribes.
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14 Comments
1. dan:Glad to have you back, Wretchard. I wonder – I’ve gone through the looking glass a little bit since I read fallbackbelmont: have you considered Anatoliy Golistyn, from a nonconspiratorial vantage point? I think it’s compelling. I wonder if, following the Angleton/Church Commission debacle, this can be considered a serious topic. I certainly hope so. In any case, welcome back.
Jun 24, 2008 - 5:05 am 2. Stones Cry Out - If they keep silent… » Things Heard: e23v2:[...] A mapping of political blogs. [...]
Jun 24, 2008 - 6:00 am 3. Pseudo-Polymath » Blog Archive » Tuesday Highlights:[...] A mapping of political blogs. [...]
Jun 24, 2008 - 6:19 am 4. doc disgruntled:The funny thing is the MSM in the middle. Shouldn’t they be a band running through the middle of the left side?
Jun 24, 2008 - 6:52 am 5. Preston:DocD
Been reading and loving Belmont club since your commentary on the first assault of Fallujah, so I’m disappointed with myself that the first comment I deign to make is of a technical nature, and that comment is —-
The only way I can see the map is to expand my browser across two screens, is there a way to add a scroll bar to your posted images or better yet shrink the size of the two sidebars on the right side ?
Also I find the new font harder to read than the old one.
With less time to spend on the internet than ever this site is still my most important read.
Jun 24, 2008 - 9:13 am 6. Al_Batross:Congratulations on a successful relocation.
Jun 24, 2008 - 12:18 pm 7. wretchard:(I think I found the old format easier on my limited attention-span, but I am working on getting used to the new one).
The only way I can see the map is to expand my browser across two screens, is there a way to add a scroll bar to your posted images or better yet shrink the size of the two sidebars on the right side?
I’ll size my graphics smaller in the future. It’s all I can do for now.
Jun 24, 2008 - 3:04 pm 8. brough:on the plus side, great to finally meet you; but this layout sucks, profoundly — way too much noise. Can’t you beg and steal a stripped-down page? This is way too tabloid and cross-sell for yr blog, imho.
I blame formerspook for being presumptuous enough to adopt the trademark blogspot harbour layout!
feedburner’s feed is ok, sorts the full-width graphic issues, don’t think it carries comments though:
http://feeds.feedburner.com/pjm/richardfernandez
also, ‘PRIZES’ are good, but where’s the graphic to buy a history and history in the making bumper sticker?
(btw any Belmont readers know wth happened with the long-dark Kent’s Imperative? Or did that move here too?)
Jun 24, 2008 - 4:28 pm 9. howdog:Wretchard,
Congrats on the move to PJM. I have read your thoughts voraciously for several years. It could not have happened to someone more deserving. To bastardize a tag line from Sean Hannity, “You’re a great Australian”.
Howdog
Jun 24, 2008 - 7:48 pm 10. 3Case:W,
However you’d like to format it, and whatever time it takes to get facile with it’s tools, the new site works for me. Everyone seems a bit quiet so far, but that will change, which leads me to wonder…does that esteemed PJM bunch over there on the edge know about your scurvy crew?
Jun 24, 2008 - 7:55 pm 11. fred:wretchard,
Regardless of how you alter or arrange your page, someone is bound to find that the changes some like others have a problem with. You cannot and will not please everyone. There are positives and negatives to every change, regardless.
For my part, since I wear bifocals, I tend to favor the print size you have now. It’s not too big and not too small. Just right. I am not distracted by the other items on the page. At the old site you had some of those too. I didn’t mind them and sometimes it’s nice to know who your sponsors are. If they are selling something I may be interested in, I may just give them my business.
I think most of us today are used to web pages that have these elements. Change is inevitable and people can adapt. The most important thing is that the site works for you and makes financial sense for you. If there are few complaints, then you are ahead of the game.
Jun 24, 2008 - 8:18 pm 12. NahnCee:I’m not thrilled about the new site, but that might just be the getting-used-to-it factor. I *hate* that there are no updates or e-mail notifications about new comments, but I’m not pissed off enough yet about that to take my football and stomp off into the night.
Some of the more annoying trolls seem to have poof disappeared and if that’s because of a new filtering system, then the site has already earned a kudo or three on technicalities.
I’m remembering, though, why I quit reading comments on LGF.
Now that’s off my chest, I’d like to pull a Doug and throw something into the pot that’s off-topic simply because I have seen no follow-up or commentary about it since I first read the blurb on Monday. If the following story is true, then do we not care?
BAGHDAD – A disgruntled local official opened fire Monday on U.S. soldiers attending a municipal council meeting southeast of Baghdad, killing two of them and wounding four other Americans, U.S. and Iraqi officials said.
The assailant died in a hail of gunfire after the attack, which occurred in the town of Madain, also known as Salman Pak, about 15 miles south of Baghdad in an area with a history of Sunni-Shiite tension.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080623/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq
Jun 24, 2008 - 9:30 pm 13. bobal:I agree with Nahncee. This is not so good. And, who wants to get slapped with advertising right in the face.
As one who has gotten much pleasure and info reading your blog all this time, I hope you can change the format around a bit.
Does it suck? Alas, almost, and, I say that as a friend.
Jun 24, 2008 - 10:09 pm 14. Richard Fernandez:I’m sorry that the format isn’t to the liking of everyone. Blogger took some getting used to as well but eventually became familiar.
Jun 25, 2008 - 4:07 amSorry, comments for this entry are closed at this time.