8 Comments

Take a look at the leftward reaction to your venture, including putting very coarse language into Hindrocket’s mouth. Unless you read very carefully, you think it’s a quote.

What about faxes?

Are there any legal considerations for organizing this “media group,” and putting a “seal of approval” on the group? What if there’s a bad apple in the bunch, out to slander a political candidate at the eleventh hour, or manipulate a stock price for a day–a Dan Rather wannabe hiding in the weeds somewhere?

Roger,

I rarely do this, but given your particular topic here tonight / today – I thought you’d get a kick out of this. I mentioned BNN in a previous comment as regards the initiative you are starting – well, tonight bloggers beat the MSM in breaking news on the Internet.

Certainly I don’t dismiss the networks by any means, but I did find it a delightful thing to see a group of bloggers sitting on top of all of the MSM when it came to getting the news on Jennifer Wilbanks last night. Regards, Dan

“Bloggers Earn Top Spot In Breaking News On TYhe Internet” can be found at following url.

http://www.riehlworldview.com/carnivorous_conservative/2005/04/bloggers_earn_t.html

Hi Roger

You’ve probably seen this site, but in case you haven’t, the Korean OhMyNews may be of interest as a successful example of how readers can contribute news stories.

http://english.ohmynews.com/english/eng_section.asp?article_class=8

Blogs will eventually attract serious advertising money . Ford Motor Company, Sony, Microsoft, and the rest of the major corporations are simply waiting for one of their group to take the plunge. Who will have the courage to do so? Blogs that deal with political and cultural matters are deemed ìcontroversial.î Advertisers are concerned that a blog may cause them more harm than good with the buying public. But this fearful attitude is exaggerated and ultimately senseless. These advertisers already place ads on TV programs such as ìDesperate Housewives.î How can the blogs of Roger L. Simon or Istapundit be considered a riskier investment?

“How can the blogs of Roger L. Simon or Istapundit be considered a riskier investment?”

Because an individual blogger can close up shop and walk away in a heartbeat if he or she desires. Or their site could be hacked and the advertiser embarassed potentially more easily than a site currently part of a larger operation. Many bloggers don’t even control their own security.

There are issues, but I’m not sure they matter given that the dollars involved for a Ford or a GM would be minor. Eventually they’ll be there, but it’s such a small part of a market they already reach in many other ways, it isn’t really that important today. If an aggregated blog starts to become a clear leader in daily Intrnet readrship, the dollars would flow to it. But by then, many of the concerns expressed above will also have been dealth with. It will require a professional operation to run as it expands – back office-wise, as well as editorially.

Dan,

In March I had a stroke. A minor, transient ischemic event right out of the blue. I’m pretty much recovered.

They checked my leg veins. Clear. They checked my carotids. Clear. They checked my heart. Clear. Healthy as a matter of fact. Yet, I had a stroke.

Point? Feces occur. Things can happen right out of the blue, as they did with me. You really can’t prepare, but you can recover. Some clod acts like an ass and gives you a bad rep? Toss ‘em, disown ‘em, and make good on the damage he did. No ‘blue wall of silence’ here.

My audience is small, that I shall admit, but I will not treat them like garbage. I may not always do the best I can, but I will be honest. All I ask is other do the same for me, and for anybody else who comes to read their work.

Bad things will happen, but refusing to ever try because of that is the wrong thing to do. Bad things happen, you correct the error and by that correction you do more for your standing and reputation than you ever could by standing pat.