The Best of Blogs

Time Magazine and The Best of Blogs

In an article written today by Andrea Orr at Tech Confidential Blog, she muses on a rant by Michael Kinsey in the Time Magazine piece he wrote entitled "Do Newspapers Have A Future". He began the fear mongering about blogs in his statement:

It seems hopeless. How can the newspaper industry survive the Internet? On the one hand, newspapers are expected to supply their content free on the Web. On the other hand, their most profitable advertising—classifieds—is being lost to sites like Craigslist. And display advertising is close behind. Meanwhile, there is the blog terror: people are getting their understanding of the world from random lunatics riffing in their underwear, rather than professional journalists with standards and passports.

I wasn’t sure I would keep reading this nonsense then Andrea Orr made this statement which of course, caught my attention:

Really, Michael. Haven’t you heard that blogs – at least many of them – have crossed the threshold to respectability? Maybe a pimply adolescent can’t write intelligently about the war in Iraq from his parent’s house in New Jersey, but many Web publishers can and do write with authority and insight about issues to which they are close, which don’t get sufficient coverage in the mainstream media. Are we supposed to be annoyed that they try to make their content entertaining as well as informative?

How does she back up her point that there is some really talented bloggers that should be noticed for their efforts? She refers her readers to us:

One By One Media, which sponsors the Best of Blogs awards recognizes the sharp writing and informative content of specialized blogs covering the arts, health, education and humor. Other groups are also starting to host award programs that would seem to recognize blogs as a legitimate new publishing format.

I really feel that our awards are being looked at by the MSM and the blogosphere as a fantastic source to find the best of the best in blogging. This year will be no different. We are starting a little earlier this year on our third annual BoB Awards so we can make things more seamless from nominations to voting to tally to the final awards.

Andrea has a finishing bit of wisdom:

It’s worth adding that if newspapers continue to look disdainfully at the blog writers with whom they compete as a form of lesser amateur, they are also missing the boat.

Andrea if you would allow me to add to that phrase, not only will they "miss the boat", but the game they are playing are against people that are hungry and want to not be the elite in the world or reporting and journalism. If they don’t begin to embrace blogs, they may miss the boat and drown in the harbor.