I don’t think any single source can be fully authoritative, and so the popularity of political blogs is exciting, IMO, because it reflects what I hope will be a resurgence in public engagement in political debate and discourse.

But this comment also reminds me of several incidents lately uncovered by blogs about the mainstream media: ABC’s suppression of pro-Obama poll information, CBS’s editing of a John McCain interview, and Fox’s alteration of photos of NYT journalists.

::Nodnods:: I think there’s also an overlap with academia. Bloggers who extend the same care in research to blog articles as academic papers can and have garnered authority by dint of research on subjects, even if it’s not yet widely accepted by the establishment. Good research and well-written, thoughtful analysis will out with consistency, so in effect it’s not necessarily the fact that a blog is a blog or that a blogger is a blogger, but that the blog and the blogger deliver a consistent level of work that establishes its own reputation.

And I followed several of the media links as they happened, and that’s where the value of the political blogs come in as citizen journalism, opposition discourse, and watchdog functions that suffer neglect in the profit-driven media industry.

ITA that moral objection is not the only reason some readers won’t read about rape, especially in Romance. But I know from experience that it is one reason, and I know this because I have been criticized directly for not standing up against rape in Romance. Once, on AAR, no less, I was likened to a member of the KKK for not rejecting Gaffney’s To Have and To Hold. I have argued with readers who believe that any author who uses rape in Romance is anti-feminist, even anti-women. That it’s irresponsible for authors to use rape in the genre.

Ah, I see. For whatever reason, that didn’t even occur to me this morning. I sort of thought you were just lumping “Gah, I can’t read this because it will destabilize me for days/weeks” into “I will not read this because it offends my delicate moral sensibilities.” There is overlap there, and I try hard not to criticize the latter (…most of the time), but I guess the coffee just hadn’t kicked in yet when I read this this morning.

FWIW, while I certainly think there are *some* uses of rape in romance that can be indefensible, I do not presume to judge how it’s been used in the majority of novels, especially since I cannot read them, and will not.

ETA: It rather annoys me that I read “morality” and immediately made the mental leap to “conservative ‘family values’ types.” Which is unfair to pretty much everyone and is, I think, why I misread the comment to which I was replying.

I read political blogs and to be honest, the journalism I’ve seen on blogs has become more ethical and substantive than the stuff I read in the paper or see on the boob toob.

I don’t think any single source can be fully authoritative, and so the popularity of political blogs is exciting, IMO, because it reflects what I hope will be a resurgence in public engagement in political debate and discourse.

But this comment also reminds me of several incidents lately uncovered by blogs about the mainstream media: ABC’s suppression of pro-Obama poll information, CBS’s editing of a John McCain interview, and Fox’s alteration of photos of NYT journalists.

I go to blogs for information. But I’m going to base what I expect on the blog and how much I trust the author/poster. On blogs like this here one, I expect to be truthful and accurate information (to the best of any human’s ability) and good reading advice. It’s not impossible for DA to be wrong, but if it’s something posted as fact and it’s incorrect, I’d like to know about it. Now, anything written with “my opinion” around it is not subject to that because you’ve said you’re basing it on your worldview.

I may go to a blog who’s author I don’t trust as far as I can spit (not very far), but knowing full well that I’m only there for entertainment value and to take everything with a shaker of salt.

So maybe what I expect out of bloggers is correct representation. Don’t pretend to be an industry professional if you’ve not worked in the industry. If you’re writing reviews based on your opinion, thanks for letting me know. If you’re just a high schooler with too much time, I’m okay with that. Just own up to what you wrote and accept that some people might disagree and others might prove you wrong.

From a personal point of view, I expect nothing from other blogs, until I become more familiar with them. With familiarity, comes the great, or not-so-great expectations.

If I surf onto a new-to-me blog, and find lots of posts featuring kittens and recipes, then I surf out, and never go back. On the other hand, if I find posts about things that interest me, and I like the ‘voice’ of the blogger, then I’ll visit regularly. For me, it’s as simple as that.

Audience Expectations

I think certain blogs are sub-consciously held to a much higher standard than others. For example, a post entitled Fucktard of The Week, on KKB, wouldn’t be considered to be out of the ordinary, but if that same title appeared on here, or the SB’s blog, there would probably be more than a few eyebrows raised. That’s because, by design or not, those standards have been set by the individual bloggers themselves.

If I surfed in and found lots of pictures of naked men plastered all over the place, I’d assume that the Ja(y)nes had been abducted, merely because as far as I’m aware, that’s never been their thing.

Me, I’m not comfortable with high expectations, my blogging is an enjoyable hobby, and the day I start to worry about what people expect of me, is the day I take up chess again.

Accountability

I think there’s a recognised double standard at work, when it comes to reader blogs vs ‘professional’ blogs. If you’re an author who wants to sell your work to the public, then, although you may consider your blog to be your private place, the reality is, you don’t have the same freedom as Jane Reader does, in terms of what you can say. OK, that’s slightly wrong, of course you have the freedom, but there are greater repercussions for you as an author, if you decide to let it all hang out.
Slightly unfair perhaps, but that’s the way the world works. Just ask Britney Spears.

The Persona Behind The Blog

I think Robin makes an interesting point about bloggers sometimes being performers.

I personally think that anytime, you put people in front of an audience, be it on a stage, or a public blog, there’s always going to be a certain level of playing to the crowd. I think it’s a natural compulsion, that all of us have to some degree.

What I have more of a problem with, is marrying the notion of bloggers as performers, with the idea that perhaps we don’t always mean what we post. The Pollyanna in me, rejects that idea totally. I’ve been accused more than once of ramping up the drama in an effort to obtain more hits, but I can honestly say, I’ve never once posted anything, controversial or not, that I didn’t believe, and I think the same can be said for the majority of bloggers in Romanceland.

KKB is considered a snarky blog, and that’s something I’ve created I guess, due to the overall tone of the site, and although in real life, I can be as sarcastic as the next person, that’s not the sum total of who I am. It’s just a tiny part actually, but I’m aware that people will, judge me by the words on my blog. And that’s ok by me, because afterall, they have little else to judge me by.

Now is a romance book blog the equivalent of a political commentary blog? On many occasions, it’s just as much of a blood sport it seems. ;) And I’m inclined to say that blogging on the more dedicated side is more like online, citizen journalism than putting out your Very Secret Diary for everyone to read (although there are a zillion blogs who are more like the latter than the former, my own included). But no matter what the original intent, blogs that feature news content (like DA and SBTB) as a regular part of their discourse have attracted enough attention to be considered sources by other outlets. It is ultimately up to the blogs’ owners as to whether they want to hold themselves to any sort of ethical standard, but their choices will determine whether or not their credibility as news sources and/or “expert commentary” will remain consistent in the eyes of their peers. That probably includes some sort of disclosure of ad purchasers or employment or payment for any entities in the industry.

As to my personal preference with respect to reviews on sites, the only things I ask is that the reviewer have actually read the story in question, and to disclose as to whether or not they either work in the publishing industry, or are an author or aspiring author. I’d like to know up front if the person writing the review has any industry connections that may affect their review.

So I’ll have to think about that some more, i.e, do bloggers have a right to be wrong?

I think I’m viewing this in the same way Nora does.

The right to be wrong…well, we’re all human, that means we’re all going to make mistakes at some point. When it happens, whether it’s a factual thing or a misunderstanding, I would hope to see it addressed, I’d hope that inaccurate information was corrected.

That’s an easy “Sorry, wrong info! I apologize!” Versus intentionally lying about information what should be solid.

However, proof of intent may be another thing.