Remember the recent rash of Bloggers dying because of blogging? (Shailesh covered the NY Times’ take here, reading this will help you understand the rest of this post) I call BS- it looks to me like the traditional news outlets are bored AND threatened. Hear me out:
This is not news, the media is bored. Anyone who sits at a computer all day is inactive and prone to weight gain and eye strain, just as they reported back in the 80s with the advent of the black/green screens popping up in offices worldwide. Yawn.
The traditional media is threatened, so in true dinosaur form, they say “oh, blogging is like really bad for your health n stuff.” Then, to prove they are threatened, they say “bloggers are fatties with crossed eyes” which sure sounds like a playground brawl to me!
Think about the source of who’s reporting that blogging is a direct threat to life, and you’ll realize it’s like FSBO.com saying “using a Realtor will decrease your chances of selling your home.” Someone’s gotta pay the bills, right?
Brad Coy
May 14, 2008 at 12:20 pm
I hear ya, although “think about the source” this way as well.
The New York Times has been more progressive than many if not all mainstream newspapers in the following ways:
1. They have incorporated blogs all throughout their site https://www.nytimes.com/ref/topnews/blog-index.html
2. They tore down their subscription pay wall in an effort to go with the new and keep information free.
3. Embracing blog technology and using WordPress.
4. On the front page they keep a tab of “Most popular blogged articles” were you can find links to bloggrunner.com and find who is linking in to subjects related.
They could do a much better job of providing outbound links but I suppose the theory is let’s create and echo chamber by linking to their own NYT sources of information. I don’t know if they are bored as much as busy keeping up with the new media because the certainly ARE threatened.
Ken Smith
May 14, 2008 at 12:43 pm
I would bet that someone with a serious blogging addiction (you know who you are) could be harming their health. Anything that causes you to sit in front of a computer all day and night can’t be good for you.
Joseph Ferrara.sellsius
May 14, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Watch for my new book “The Bloggers’ Diet: How to Blog and Not Bulge”
Ricardo Bueno
May 14, 2008 at 1:19 pm
I said it once and I’ll say it again, blogging allows you to be authoritative so that when you speak, people will listen! So they can say what they want, I still recommend blogging.
Joseph: You should give a discount to Agent Genius readers… 😀
Matthew Collinge
May 14, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Okay okay I am getting up from the computer, to get some food.
Bill Lublin
May 14, 2008 at 2:19 pm
Lani: I tried reading this but my eyes are failing and I couldn’t ean forward enough to get to the screen 😉
Bucking the Real Estate Trend
May 14, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Ha! Bloggers [Scoble] scooped the China earthquake before everyone on Twitter!
Blog on!
Barry Cunningham
May 14, 2008 at 5:13 pm
In light of me leaving Bloodhound to spend time on profit oriented activites I can truly understand there are times to step away from the keyboard.
Just wondered though as I read this about newspapers not keeping up with technology and as Lani said…responding “in true dinosaur form”..just wonder if the same applies to another industry that we all know?
Jonathan Dalton
May 14, 2008 at 6:00 pm
And what would that be, Barry?
Ines
May 14, 2008 at 7:55 pm
you mean to tell me that I have to scrap the bloging feeding tube idea?
Lani Anglin-Rosales
May 14, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Barry, that’s a great question- the “dinosaur” term refers to the ideology that whatever one is currently doing is the best method and that no future technology will better that method. There are many traditional media that are embracing blogging as an alternative media and many traditional media even have blogs. As for radio, that has evolved also- obviously you of all people know that radio can be enhanced or even exclusively created online. 🙂
If any business believes that they cannot adopt even a shred of technology (or modernity), there will be writing on the wall for them- we all have to adapt. I don’t believe in everyone being early adopters but I do believe that the early adopters (bloggers and the like) should be watched and let them/us learn the hard lessons while traditional businesses adopt the bits and pieces they like.
Like Benn has said before, the safest, smartest place is 1.5, not fully 1.0 or 2.0- find a balance or become extinct (traditional “dinosaur” mentality) or overextend yourself (social network junkies). Thanks for the question, it came at a perfect time- I’ve been mulling this over recently. 🙂
Barry Cunningham
May 14, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Lani…good one! I like your approach. Refreshing!
Ken Smith
May 15, 2008 at 9:40 am
If everyone did it then you wouldn’t be early adapters or on the cutting edge.
There are a few agents that feel the only way to market in this business in the future is via blogging and social networks. Over the next 10 years agents will still be able to have very successful businesses without blogging or using any other social networks.
We aren’t just dealing with agents that don’t want to change, we also have to realize many of our consumers don’t want to change. There is a large percentage of consumers that will still respond to traditional marketing.
One other factor is that
allmost blogs and social networks make it very hard to find what you are interested in. This causes many people to leave quickly and move onto another site that is more organized and allows the consumer to find what they really want to see, which in our business is listings with lots of pictures.Most consumers could care less about our ramblings. Sure a small percentage care, but the majority of personality types don’t.
Eric Blackwell
May 17, 2008 at 11:02 am
@Ken-
I’d agree with that…much of this has to do more with what the consumers actually want, while we often blame the less than tech savvy realtor. I’d also concur that it is an ease of use issue. How many clicks to find what I came here for?
Eric
Ken Smith
May 17, 2008 at 2:14 pm
That is something way to many agents and/or site designers forget about IMO.
Brad Coy
May 23, 2008 at 11:46 pm
“NYT embraces link journalism” https://is.gd/lab
Barry Cunningham
May 24, 2008 at 3:16 pm
Brad I saw that in the NYT…funny how the world of media everywhere is changing!
Brad Coy
May 24, 2008 at 3:47 pm
It is quite remarkable Barry. When you take a look around at all forms of media, the end-user is in much more control with more options, including being the media. With citizen journalism abound is it any wonder why you-tube, facebook, twitter et al has had such a presence in the presidential election coverage. I’ve all but kept my TV off for years now, never listen to terrestrial radio, and print gets about a solid 1/2 hr. of my time per week. IMO some mass media is adapting fast as other’s have already failed, they just don’t know it yet.
Robin
May 24, 2008 at 8:34 pm
Brad it’s a New World Order out there..real estate is but a small part of it.