Blogs gain popularity
Sarah Nielson
Issue date: 5/23/07 Section: News
With the increasing popularity of online web logs (also known as blogs), more people are using them as a main news source and considering all contents credible.
"If I was a serious journalist, I would probably never use a blog as my source. Blogs are usually just opinions, and if I were writing a hard news story I would never quote a blog. However, if I were writing a soft news story or a feature story, I would consider using a blog. I don't think blogs should be considered credible because anybody can write one," said SLCC journalism student Danielle Lail. "Although some credible people write blogs I don't think the blog itself should be quoted. If a journalist wants a quote from the blogger I would suggest they talk to them personally not use the writer's blog as a source. A direct quote from the blogger would be ok to use as a news source."
Utah Real Estate blogger Brad Jensen said, "Although I get most of my current events news from the web, I don't look to personal blogs for news coverage. I know there are blogs that provide news feeds, but I prefer to go to news sites to get the most up-to-the-minute coverage. However, I do look to my blog feeds for opinion and thoughts on current events. I have more of a personal connection to the bloggers I visit, and therefore, don't really seek raw news coverage there."
According to blog search engine Technorati, they are now tracking over 70 million web logs, and are seeing about 120,000 new web logs being created worldwide each day. That's about 1.4 blogs created every second of every day.
David Sifry, founder and CEO of Technorati said, "We are entering an era where many new publishers and many new voices exist on the Web, and which provides all of us with extraordinary insight into how people are interpreting and reacting to their world, all in real time."
Some processors are using blogs as a resource for students. The SLCC Writing Center has a Word of the Day blog, which can be found at http://slcc-word.blogspot.com/.
Clint Gardener, SLCC Writing Center director said, "I do use some blogs for news, but they are generally ones that I have grown to trust over time. I like some local Utah blogs for news in that they give you insight into things that our small local media doesn't. However, I don't just hunt out blogs for news, as they can be quite misleading at times. Ultimately it all depends on the writer of the blog and how much expertise they have. The blogosphere, nevertheless, tends to be a radically biased medium, however, so I still take most of what I read with about a cup of salt."
"If I was a serious journalist, I would probably never use a blog as my source. Blogs are usually just opinions, and if I were writing a hard news story I would never quote a blog. However, if I were writing a soft news story or a feature story, I would consider using a blog. I don't think blogs should be considered credible because anybody can write one," said SLCC journalism student Danielle Lail. "Although some credible people write blogs I don't think the blog itself should be quoted. If a journalist wants a quote from the blogger I would suggest they talk to them personally not use the writer's blog as a source. A direct quote from the blogger would be ok to use as a news source."
Utah Real Estate blogger Brad Jensen said, "Although I get most of my current events news from the web, I don't look to personal blogs for news coverage. I know there are blogs that provide news feeds, but I prefer to go to news sites to get the most up-to-the-minute coverage. However, I do look to my blog feeds for opinion and thoughts on current events. I have more of a personal connection to the bloggers I visit, and therefore, don't really seek raw news coverage there."
According to blog search engine Technorati, they are now tracking over 70 million web logs, and are seeing about 120,000 new web logs being created worldwide each day. That's about 1.4 blogs created every second of every day.
David Sifry, founder and CEO of Technorati said, "We are entering an era where many new publishers and many new voices exist on the Web, and which provides all of us with extraordinary insight into how people are interpreting and reacting to their world, all in real time."
Some processors are using blogs as a resource for students. The SLCC Writing Center has a Word of the Day blog, which can be found at http://slcc-word.blogspot.com/.
Clint Gardener, SLCC Writing Center director said, "I do use some blogs for news, but they are generally ones that I have grown to trust over time. I like some local Utah blogs for news in that they give you insight into things that our small local media doesn't. However, I don't just hunt out blogs for news, as they can be quite misleading at times. Ultimately it all depends on the writer of the blog and how much expertise they have. The blogosphere, nevertheless, tends to be a radically biased medium, however, so I still take most of what I read with about a cup of salt."
Be the first to comment on this story