Mediashift

(interview with Mediashift) -

How long have you been blogging?

I have been blogging since January 2006, but I have been writing about blogs since fall of 2001.

What got your started blogging?

I had been covering the world of blogs in a column for the Online Journalism Review for a number of years. Before that, I wrote an email newsletter called Media Grok that included lots of links, commentary and summation of dot-com news during the first bubble years. It was a blog before there were blogs. So I had a good feel for what a blog was, and wanted to start writing a blog instead of just writing *about* blogs. You can read my thought process about starting a blog here: http://www.pbs.org/mediashift/2006/01/why-do-i-blog018.html

What is the focus of your blog, i.e. how does it set you apart from the other bloggers out there?

The focus of my blog is covering how technology is changing our media world, from newspapers to radio to TV, and the new forms of media such as blogs, podcasts, citizen journalism, social networks and wikis. What sets my blog apart from other blogs is that I am not publishing off-the-cuff commentary on other people's stories or blog posts. I take the time to do longer think pieces or reported stories -- I mix reporting, linking and commentary and opinion in each piece. And I have a group of fantastic correspondents who write in the same style.

What is it you hope a reader will come away with when they visit your blog?

There are two types of readers for my blog: Those who are inside the media industry and who are knowledgeable about what's going on in the industry; and those who are curious about blogs, podcasts, YouTube, Twitter, etc. and want to learn more. I hope I can attract enough of the former who can come on to the blog and share their knowledge to help educate the latter group. Hopefully both groups can learn something new -- and get to know each other in the community of the blog.

Do you like to be edgy in your posts and try and stir up some controversy? If no?What do you think about bloggers who have this kind of approach

I wouldn't say that I try to stir up controversy, but sometimes it comes to me. I had an NYU student writing for me, and she blogged and Twittered in her journalism class and upset her professor because she didn't ask permission beforehand. The professor ended up telling her she could never write about the class again without permission. It caused a huge ruckus and controversy in the media world. I don't know that I tried for that, but it just happened. I think that blogs like Gawker that are constantly pushing for page views are not serving their audience in the long run. They are looking for the most popular subjects and writing gossip about them without considering that the practice wears people out and hurts people's lives. And now the Gawker blogs are hitting very hard times.

If yes?Do you think it being edgy gives you a boost in subscribers?

Yes, it's true that controversial subjects do boost readership and subscribers, but I try to hit important subjects in an even-handed and fair way and hope that people appreciate that kind of approach more in the long run. My readership isn't massive, but it has built steadily each year and they are very loyal to the site.