boingboing and instapundit are great examples.
what I think this says about the medium is that bloggers have a different feature than magazines or newspapers: you read it because you already have pre-selected the niche of that blog or because somebody linked to a particular article.
and you are willing to forgive bad grammar and stuff because you are not paying for it.
at the same time, you also want the writer to cut to the fluff and get to the point, because you are already an advanced reader.
I noticed this when I was trying to write a post on my main blog, philosophistry.com, and I tried crafting it like Slate.
but then I went back to a more casual style which emphasized maximizing the amount of information transferred.
because the people reading my mag have tons of other sources of news and information.
I have to cut to the chase and move on.
okay
heres' what I think the distinction is.
you should always present your information as an insider?
well, that's not a hard and fast rule.
but I think blogging is largely about unique personality and consistent flavoring.
dah, the problem with my blog is that it's so inconsistent.
the successful bloggers are there with you at a constant rate, delivering posts similar to their other posts.
mine is not really a blog as much as it is a backup for my brainstorms.
(Note again: I'm referring to http://www.philosophistry.com/) not my mindsay)
so yeah, hmm
I think the summary understanding is that my blog at philosophistry.com is just a backup brain for me, nothing I expect readers to go at consistently because I post at odd frequencies
but this blog, the mindsay one, on the other hand, has a solid consistent message.
however, the material is so "out-there" and I don't ask for an engaging dialog with those that post, unlike say, hot abercrombie chick, http://www.amandadoerty.blogspot.com/
She has done well as a philosophy-blogger, but primarily because her site is a conversation with readers.
even my mindsay is not a conversation, I run my shit like I'm stalin or FOXnews, i.e. "I report, now shutup!"
but thing is, I don't care...
so in other words, there is something intrinsically about my personality that is making it hard for me to suceed as a blogger.
