As far as validating what we do goes, consider what blogs are and what has happened here in the last 24 hours or so. Blogs are conversation tools. They are meant to facilitate conversations, they are built for that purpose. We have comments, trackbacks, links and more and these elements all enable us to spread the word and keep the conversation going. That is exactly what happened here. The response to Bullard’s article has been phenomenal. The story has been discussed over and over again in the local blogosphere and while most people have focussed on the negative aspects of the article (ok, it was all negative) and not on what it has done for the community. It has united the bloggers and has validated blogging as a frikkin’ fast grapevine. Amatomu has tracked around 35 blog posts about this story (give or take, some of the Bullard mentions are from his shooting) in the last 12 hours or so. Man that is impressive and such a fantastic reaffirmation of the power of blogging. I would love to know what the stats are for traffic to the page compared to any other column. Colin?
So don’t forget the important thing here. Blogging works. Blogging can have a tremendous influence because it depends on a community of people who have an easy platform to help them share their views. Think of this whole incident as a proof of concept in a long line of similar proofs. Bloggers have brought down companies for shoddy work and journalists for misleading the public. Blogs may be written by people who wouldn’t be hired as journalists if they applied but they are an expression of the voices of the many and as the saying goes, in the land of the blind the man with one eye is king …
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What do you think?