A Silent Blogging Majority?

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
This past week, “Vox” was released: it is new software for blogs designed to draw an even greater number of people to the medium. Now instead of the author’s thoughts being catapulted into cyberspace for anyone to see, a greater number of security features are offered for the more cautious (or self-conscious) author. Vox allows the author to control access to each post, in addition to determining who may read or add comments. The idea is to bridge the divide between the blog and other forms of communication like instant messaging or emails, where there are intended recipients of the message. The hope is to generate some sense of security for bloggers who are concerned that their thoughts on an issue may not be suitable for a larger audience. While privacy concerns for authors in the United States are certainly understandable, in other nations it can become an issue of much greater import. Over the past few months, China has created a...
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Remnants from Rumsfeld: The War of Ideas

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
a.k.a. “Bush and Rumsfeld and Iraq and Troops and “Terror! or Insurgen!” and “Mess” In what was dubbed a “referendum on Iraq,” voters in the midterm elections were characterized in mainstream media as casting votes not necessarily for a particular candidate, but against the war in Iraq. And while in some cases such a blanket statement is inaccurate, the very fact that it is was mentioned with such recurring frequency suggests it played a materially significant role. The GOP was battered with barbs from both the right and the left in the weeks leading up to the election. The generic charge was that they were “out of touch” with reality. One of the chief targets of criticism was the recently-retired Donald Rumsfeld. In what may be viewed as an appropriate parting gift, The BBC reported the Department of Defense established a new program at the Pentagon to “boost its ability to counter ‘inaccurate’ news stories and exploit new media.” The program is designed...
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The Daily Blog

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
As a longtime viewer of both shows, it is both surprising and easy to understand why The Daily Show and The Colbert Report have garnered such a large and loyal following. They utilize a methodology that is familiar to bloggers: filtering through a number of “news stories” and providing a provocative caption for the action. The back-to-back shows have become “must see TV” for many viewers that are dissatisfied with mainstream sources of information, again a common reason that people flock to blogs for insight. The current issue of The Rolling Stone features Stewart and Colbert on the cover, bearing the title “America’s Anchors.” The interview itself demonstrates the utter ease with which the duo uncovers the humor of any situation, from the moment that Maureen Dowd set the recorder down: “’I had one like that in 1973,’ Colbert notes. ‘I thought it was a chaise,’ Stewart says. ‘I was going to lie down on it. I suppose there are two...
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Zombietime, Blogs, and the Anti-War Movement

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
UPDATED As of this writing in winter 2006, there is a paradox in American politics. On the one hand, we are fighting an unpopular war in Iraq--at least as measured by public opinion polls. (See below for more on this complex question.) On the other hand, there is no visible large-scale anti-war movement in the traditional sense. Many explanations are possible for such a seeming contradiction. Practically speaking, the lack of a draft relieves most young people of a sense of personal connection to the struggle in Iraq. But the Internet in general and blogs in particular have provided an outlet for activism and for creating organizational links between people distant from each other in space but sympathetic in politics, so that one could make a case that there is simply no longer a need to take to the streets. Perhaps the “whole world” is marching and watching via blogs, YouTube, Facebook and MySpace? But there is another side to the...
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Perils of Interactivity, Cont. (Obama MySpace)

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
I just finished my final draft of Blogwars: The New Political Battleground (Oxford University Press). As I have said, writing a book on blogs is like reporting NASCAR with stone tablets--so much happens so fast. One topic of current interest is the nature of interactivity: what are its benefits and drawbacks for politicians? Of course, in the bloglands, you can’t pack the rooms with your supporters, shut out hecklers, and enforce message discipline. For example, candidate Barack Obama pioneered the use of MySpace as a campaign tool, but look at what happens when you open up the gates of interactivity to anyone, from kooks to your sworn enemies to supporters who embarrass you by their support. Among the July 2007 commenters on the Obama MySpace site, one “Namaste” from the hip-hop music producers at StreetLabStudio signed on to say, "Fallin' thru ta show ya some luv and say wassup!! Have an Excellent, Blessed Day!! 'lid.....never follow." Fair enough, but does the...
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Polblogging Updates — October 2007

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
Some new works on blogging and politics: The latest cover design of my forthcoming book, BLOGWARS (Oxford University Press). Two recent research articles on blogging: David D. Perlmutter & Mary Schoen. "If I Break A Rule, What Do I Do, Fire Myself? Ethics Codes of Independent Blogs," 22(1) 2007: 37-48, Journal of Mass Media Ethics. Svetlana V. Kulikova and David D. Perlmutter. "Blogging Down the Dictator? The Kyrgyz Revolution and 'Samizdat' Websites." International Communication Gazette, 69(1) 2007: 29-50. Also one older one for reference: David D. Perlmutter & Misti McDaniel. "The Ascent of Blogging." Nieman Reports, 59(3) Fall 2005: 60-64. -------------- Next: A 2006 Survey of Political Bloggers. Details follow.... Dr. Dhavan Shah (dshah@wisc.edu) Dr. David D. Perlmutter (ddp@ku.edu) Collected survey data in Dec. 2006 from: (a) cross-section of the top political bloggers (b) thousands of blog visitors to these websites 66 bloggers from 58 blogs participated Sampled from top 150 political blogs 3,909 readers from 40 blogs responded to reader survey. 73.8% Male, 26.2% Female 43.1% Dem., 30.7% Rep., 14.2% Libertarian, 1.7% Green Mean age = 46; Median income...
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BlogWorld & New Media Expo 2007 Presentations

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
This week I am presenting at the BlogWorld & New Media Expo, 2007 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas. I will moderate two panels. Created by blogger Rick Calvert, BW will be the first business expo to showcase blogging as well as the other interactive "new" media. The array of talents and sponsors is impressive. The first panel , on Thursday, Nov. 8 will focus on "The Power of Political Blogosphere." The scheduled panelists include: Hugh Hewitt, Pam Spaulding, Dave Nalle, Taylor Marsh, and Brad Friedman. On Friday, Nov. 9, I will moderate "Political Blogs Vs. The Political Press" featuring John Hinderaker, Brad Freidman Mary Katharine Ham, and Taylor Marsh. Here are the current drafts of my presentations. Originally posted November 6, 2007 at PolicyByBlog ...
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Should Book Authors Blog?

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
I begin my new Oxford University Press book BLOGWARS by claiming, only half facetiously, that there are good reasons not to write a book on political blogs and the rise of interactive social media's role in campaigns, elections, and public affairs and policy-making. My analogy is that d escribing political blogging in a book that took three years to research and write and another year to publish is like reporting a NASCAR race with stone tablets. I think I captured the origins of politicking via social media like blogs (and now YouTube, Facebook, MySpace, etc.) through October 2007, and so far my predictions of the 2008 race have been pretty good. New stuff is happening so fast, though, that it's hard to keep up. But that is the point: A blogger's work is never done, nor, I hope, is that of a student of blogs. Bloggers cannot coast or rest on their laurels; their readers will abandon them or, worse, ask...
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Hillary Clinton’s critical choice

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
Last week an op-ed of mine was published in the CSM. Unofortunately mauch of what I wrote has come to pass. David D. Perlmutter, "Hillary Clinton's critical choice: Attacking Obama could push youth away from politics." Christian Science Monitor, January 15, 2008, p. 9. Sen. Hillary Clinton will soon make a decision about the direction of her campaign in the South Carolina Democratic primary on Jan. 26. Her options are either to play nice and perhaps lose, or to go on the attack and win. In a tight race against Sen. Barack Obama, Senator Clinton may choose the latter. Her recent remarks about the words and actions of civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr. were probably a trial balloon to gauge the impact of going negative. But in so doing, she could alienate several major Democratic constituencies – African-Americans and youth – perhaps for a generation to come. There is no limit to the politics of destruction possible in South Carolina. George...
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Dole Institute of Politics to host panel discussion on military blogs

by David Perlmutter Comment Closed
Update! The progam video is now available. Dole Institute to host panel discussion on military blogs LAWRENCE — As a follow-up to a successful program in early 2007 on political Weblogs, the Dole Institute of Politics in Lawrence, KS, will host a panel discussion about another dynamic and growing community on the Internet: military blogs (also known as “milblogs”). Blogs from the front lines in Iraq and Afghanistan have allowed readers at home to connect with soldiers, contractors and civilians who are serving their countries, and they have forced the Pentagon to rush headlong into this 21st century medium. Milblogs began to appear shortly after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. They saw a dramatic increase in usage following the 2003 invasion of Iraq. According to Joshua Patterson, a KU graduate student studying journalism, Milblogging.com had indexed more than 1,800 military blogs in more than 30 countries as of Dec. 1, 2007. “Milblogs and soldier blogs are often gripping and graphic firsthand accounts...
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