The blogosphere is, like all communities, full of self-congratulation about how great and important we are. Bjørn Stærk takes issue with the missionary zeal of bloggers. I think he's right, but I also don't care. I like blogs, I love blogging, and I think the blogosphere is great, full of blustering, error and nonsense as it is. It allows people who like to write to find an audience, maybe even beyond their closest friends. It allows people who like to read to extend their choices way beyond traditional media.
Bloggers I have learned to trust provide a filter to the gigabytes of information produced every day, so I can focus on what interests me. Even if 99% of all blogs are crap (which I don't think), the remaining 1% are fun, informative and thought-provoking. And my 1% is probably not yours.
Blogs will not take over the world. But it allows me to read the thoughts and experiences of people around the world, who didn't have to justify their words to some editorial board. In dictatorships, blogs make a big difference. Here in Norway, where freedom of speech is high but the media politically very narrow and dominated, let's face it, by total airheads, blogs have been an outlet for the only really alternative voices. Document.no, for example, is everything our newspapers aren't.
Obviously, the massive success of blogs, MSM scalps and all, has prompted some bloggers to make plans to take over the world. I am referring, of course, to Pajamas Media, or whatever they really want to call themselves. I was one of a gazillion bloggers who promoted the idea, signed up, and I shut up (very unlike me, I admit) as doubts started to rise. After all, the people behind Pajamas are bloggers and writers I love to read.
Normally, when you start up a business, you have a great idea (you hope), but struggle with advertising it to investors and customers. Pajamas Media is the opposite. They already have big megaphones, but not a friggin clue what the business idea is supposed to be.
Just after I signed up, I was told they had suffered a mail-server crash, so could I please resend everything. My first warning Pajamas' skills were not up to their hype.
It also annoyed the heck out of me that all emails were anonymous from "Pajamas Media Staff", which to me runs counter to the whole spirit of blogging.
In May, Mr Pajamas Media Staff requested data on visitor statistics and all sorts of info on my blog. I responded the same day.
On July 22, I received this email:
Pajamas Media is about to make formal offers of membership which will include payments to you. In order to compute that payment, we must know the Average Daily Visitor Statistics for your blog.
Although we have asked before, we have not yet received these statistics from you. If we do not receive them by July 26, 2005, we'll have to remove you from our lists. Please include how you estimated your statistics (Sitemeter, etc.).
I resent my information, with a rather terse reply that I had indeed sent them precisely that statistics, more than two months earlier. Had Pajamas suffered another mail-server crash, or were they just totally lacking in basic organizational skills? (No, I didn't write that.)
I received some other "insider update" emails, including one telling me that tiny unimportant blogs like mine are not going to be part of their grand plan to make loads of money on the net. No, they didn't put it exactly like that; the prose was much duller, but the message was the same.
Yes, like Ann Althouse, I have been astonished that a business consisting of so many brilliant writers produces the dullest, most uninspired promotional material known to man.
Now Pajama Media is planning a great launch party, on November 16th in New York City. The email telling me this was, to their credit, for the first time signed by a human being.
Keynote speaker for the launch of the new media empire will be Judith Miller.
Yes, that Judith Miller.
"Journalism redefined" my ass.
I am, like Bjørn, signing up with Dennis the Peasant's LINGERE Media instead.
LINGERE Media to bring together large numbers of half-assed bloggers in a half-assed venture in a half-assed attempt at creating a half-assed new media. This will be done in a half-assed manner, without funding, advertising, a business plan or a clue. We will have a nice unveiling party at the Westerville “Denny’s” on November 16, though.
Dennis has more serious criticisms of Pajamas Media, too.
The new media revolution crashing and burning will, quite ironically, be blogged.
Update: I forgot to mention that I, despite being found unworthy of Pajama's pipedream, was sent an official invitation to the grand opening ceremony in New York. As if I'd jump on a plane from Norway to listen to Judith Miller...
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Like many of us feared, the riots in Paris suburbs have inspired 
