After reading Steve Rubel’s commentary on a new study that suggests less than 5% of bloggers act like real journalists, I asked myself “who’s actually defining bloggers?”
Rubel’s comments include…
What I glean from this study is that the majority of bloggers generally amplify news through pointers and commentary to information others might not see. They’re not conducting real thorough reporting.
It’s clear that the term “blogger” has two distinct meanings.
a) Blogger = a news ‘journalist’ that uses an informal reporting style and offers personal commentary.
b) Blogger = anyone that publishes thoughts and commentary to a web site, on a regular basis, using a tool such as Blogger or Typepad.
Is it time to separate the two entities? As it stands, I’m seeing too many critiques of how “bloggers” conduct themselves and post content. It’s as if we’re assuming that every blogger is some kind of pseudo-journalist that should be held to a certain standard of work and ethics. That is simply not the case, many bloggers are simply average-joes who like to share their thoughts, express their feelings and sometimes discuss news stories that interest them.
Is it time for a new term that defines those bloggers that are wannabe journalist/analysts/columnists?
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Andy Beal is an internet marketing consultant and considered one of the world’s most respected and interactive search engine marketing experts. Andy has worked with many Fortune 1000 companies such as Motorola, CitiFinancial, Lowes, Alaska Air, DeWALT, NBC and Experian.
You can read his internet marketing blog at Marketing Pilgrim and reach him at andy.beal@gmail.com.
