Blogs top the British political online world…
If you want proof of just how badly political parties fare in comparison to blogs, check out this article in the Economist. The only British party that out-guns the bloggers is the BNP. Of the Bloggers, Guido is well out in front; whilst all top three right wing blog sites beat the rest of the mainstream party websites by some considerable distance. Why? Because they are engaging, entertaining, easier to read. And possibly because they have higher levels of trust. Take this throwaway in the comment zone on Balrog the other day: “LOL, since when as a Republican did the Sinn Féin website become your basis of authority.” It is generally true, though that the blogosphere generates high levels of trust that mainstream political sites.
Well, another reason could be the way each advertises the other, feeds on and off the other, picks fleas off the other …
Not for nothing do they share an advertising umbrella.
Then one might add that, at times, it is difficult to see a hair’s breadth between the views on Paul “Seaman” Staines‘s would-be scandal sheet and the BNP. Compared to the level of debate on constipatedehome, Sluggerdom is a haven of intellectual thought.
To adapt PT Barnum: “Nobody ever lost money by underestimating the intelligence of the cybersphere.”
Why? Because they are engaging, entertaining, easier to read. And possibly because they have higher levels of trust.
Guido-entertaining, yes…easier to read, yes…engaging, yes.
But “higher level of trust?”
He operates a very stringent censorship policy in his comments zone, which is, of course,100% his right.
But I’m not sure I can say that I really “trust” a blogger, particularly one who has based his own
reputation on taking on and exposing the hypocrisies of the political establishment, if he then limits feedback on his own work to a small group of sycophants and groupies.
This Ipsos Mori poll suggests that trust in bloggers was only second (in corporate terms) to journalism in November 06: http://url.ie/btw.
Mick
Blogs are open to a high level of scrutiny which other media outlets are not.
Blogs are more engaging than party sites because there is a public interaction which is not possible with party sites.
Anyone can access a blog and post their opinion.
In relation to trust, if a blog reports something which is false or misleading chances are the blogger will be pulled up on it in the comments section.
That sort of regulation isn’t possible with other forms of media.
“Blogs are more engaging than party sites because there is a public interaction which is not possible with party sites.”
Obviously parties want to be as accessible and engaging as possible. So for me its just that blogs are more successful in these respects. I’d put that down to a lack of timidity when approaching an individual as opposed to an institutionalised group. Which is a healthy thing.
For me the question is less one versus the other, but more in the vein of your example of contributing to transparent accessable local government. Not under the influence of Government and its parts, but effectively feeding them.
As regards Slugger, I’d suggest adding the option, alongside ‘Submit’, to submit to various groups (political parties, Assembly departments, NGO’s, trade unions…), along with the link for the thread. I imagine the readership among representatives would be high, and that this could be verified in your interest.
“…trust in bloggers was only second … to journalism”.
Damned with faint praise then?
Shall we all sing a rousing chorus of The Man from the Daily Mail?
“Obviously parties want to be as accessible and engaging as possible. ”
Not really obvious, the Lib Dems threw open the doors, a little too wide perhaps, they do it
the Tories can’t do engaging, I’ve no idea where the heck Labor is, is that a buy-in or something? I do know SF, well.. I defer to Squinter.