One of my favorite online magazines, Slate, is running an interesting article entitled ‘Blog Overkill,’
which makes some great points about the state of blogging and the
danger of “fetishizing a new technology,” as the author, Jack Shafer,
puts it. (Yes, the irony of blogging about an article on blog overkill did occur to me, but there are some interesting points.)
Shafer,
while attending Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government conference on
“Blogging, Journalism, and Credibility” noticed a growing sentiment of
some bloggers who view themselves the “destroyers of the mainstream
media.” If this were true (which I don’t think it is), wouldn’t it be
extremely alarming? The Society of
Professional Journalists, in their mission statement, identifies a free
press “the cornerstone of our nation and our liberty.” While
I think bloggers can definitely play a part in this, they admittedly
don’t give the (mostly) accurate and comprehensive information provided
by the mainstream press.
Phil Schiller, Apple's VP of Marketing, apparently is wild about the new podcasting craze. This straight from the Wizards of Technology's podcast
of their encounter with Schiller at this month's Macworld Expo in San
Francisco. How's this for enthusiasm regarding the new medium:
It’s a fun way to get more programming on your iPod. I love it.
Playlist's Michael Gowan picked up on Schiller's comment and offers a great tutorial on how to join the podcast listener buzz.