Posted by M. Wright | Filed in: Uncategorized
This book review by Evangelical Outpost’s Joe Carter might not interest anybody but me (just so you know). Carter uses the framework of the last good book I read, The Tipping Point (highly recommend), to introduce one of the next books I hope to read, Blog.
Thinking back on the past year, I’m amazed at how influenced my purchases (including Christmas gifts) have been by the Internet. Nearly every significant purchase I’ve made (book I’ve read, movie I’ve watched, etc) recently can be traced back to something I read online, researched online, heard online, or at least wrote about myself. That’s despite the fact that most of my purchases are still made the old-fashioned way.
I’m a little disappointed that Carter beat me to the punch on this one, because I also thought of the Blogosphere as a perfect illustration of The Tipping Point in effect, even though I think Malcolm Gladwell wrote the book a couple years before the Internet took off.
Which brings me to my next thought, that fishkite is never going to be like Instapundit, or some of the other blogs that pump out timely information during the day, when news is first reported. That job is reserved for people who can blog during the day, at work, or whatever. I think the perfect set-up is for this type of blogger to write from home, in his or her pajamas of course, about stuff that is happening, as it happens, a couple timezones downstream.
The second type of blogger is the one that labors and spins, eventually squeezing out a retrospective gem, and/or adding a shade of localization to the topic. This is the blogger that writes later, in detail, about things that happened in the local timezone, while everyone was at work. Or about things that happened days, weeks or months ago. My local hero in this category is Mike Hollihan of Half-bakered. His latest post is a masterpiece — well written, well researched, and, well, old news. But not old to me! And certainly not expired news, as it was Instalanched upon arrival (IUA).
Fishkite has existed in the neither-lands between these two categories, and will probably continue to live in that realm. That’s okay. Fishkite is happy with itself as is (although I’m looking for a new editor, if you know what I mean).
But if I had to pick, I’d wish that in this new year I could do half as much with my cable internet connection as Hollihan does with his dial-up.
My other wish for the new year is for both Half-Bakered and Rodent Regatta to come back, full steam.
And if I had three wishes — it would be for everybody else to join the blogosphere, too.
And if I had four wishes, this season, the fourth would of course be for all the children of the world to join hands and sing together in the spirit of harmony and peace.
And if I had five wishes… well, I think you know where this is going.
December 29th, 2004 at 2:52 pm
Well, you’re too kind by half! I’m almost certainly coming back soon, just not sure how.
The Instalanche happened because I emailed Glenn. No one else seems to have covered it much; it’s important to bloggers. I was pretty sure I had the story nailed, links and all, and had put in some local color to boot, so I thought it might be the kind of thing he’d like. Turns out I was right.
You’re right about niches, too. I have got mine: biggish fish in a small pond. No one else seems to do media crit of Memphis media and local politics. (Jackson Baker has the local politics, though.) Why not is beyond me. It’s a ripe topic. But there you are and here I am. I need to get back in and reclaim before someone else swipes it from me. ;-)
Seriously, I know my main niche and stick with it. I throw in the fun links and science stuff because it’s another interest of mine I’d like to share. I throw in the links to other bloggers just to share some love. I avoid national politics generally, for two main reasons. First, I can’t get there early or first, like some. Second, I don’t have the fund of knowledge nor the critical thinking skills and writing skills to “compete” with a lot of the other folks out there who propound later. I don’t have anything unique to add, so I leave it to others. On Memphis, I can be unique, so I stay there.
I’m very much in awe of your ability to do those detailed, link-rich, securely nailed down posts of yours. The kind you read and go, “OK then. That’s that.” The final and authoritative word. Doesn’t matter if they are a few days behind “the curve,” in blog terms, because they are well worth it. That’s one of your niches, as the post before this proves.
Anyway, thanks and keep an eye on things. I’m coming back.
December 30th, 2004 at 11:45 am
Seems you left out several categories, including bloggers that come up with lots of posts but never types them, only occasionally putting a post (usually to apologize for long periods of silence) out there, and they’re usually not even about news items.
The Blogger Currently Known As Phil Harwell