Why news blogs don't get interaction - DUH!
In response to this "Study shows that newspaper blogs need to step up interaction with ...
It doesn't help when the blogs aren't attached to something people can find, such as the RSJ Web site. Blogging by nature is severely fragmented and people find them often by sheer luck or through intensive searches on Technorati.
The problem with political blogs is that they are matter of fact and there's not much room for debate and "query" blogs are often pointless because of the issue of political salience. People often don't comment on what they feel they don't know much about - or enough not to be chastized for being stupid.
If something happens at a town hall meeting you didn't attend, what is there to comment about? Especially since reporters generally neglect to preview topics and commenting then is still worthless because there's a feeling that your comment makes no difference (and they often don't in the current print-journalism model).
Lifestyle blogs receive so much more contribution because lifestyles are open to change and debate and behaviorial advice. People are helping each other, they are socially engaged - they are socially networked - which is basically impossible on most blogs anyway so it's novel.
Most news blogs are simply an extension of news or news opinion and often with a great deal of backstory involved. Again, salience is an issue.
Just think of the model of social interaction blogs are based on and the content in most of them. You don't have to be a journalist to figure that out. And anyway, just because people don't comment it doesn't mean they're not reading it.
Duh.
It doesn't help when the blogs aren't attached to something people can find, such as the RSJ Web site. Blogging by nature is severely fragmented and people find them often by sheer luck or through intensive searches on Technorati.
The problem with political blogs is that they are matter of fact and there's not much room for debate and "query" blogs are often pointless because of the issue of political salience. People often don't comment on what they feel they don't know much about - or enough not to be chastized for being stupid.
If something happens at a town hall meeting you didn't attend, what is there to comment about? Especially since reporters generally neglect to preview topics and commenting then is still worthless because there's a feeling that your comment makes no difference (and they often don't in the current print-journalism model).
Lifestyle blogs receive so much more contribution because lifestyles are open to change and debate and behaviorial advice. People are helping each other, they are socially engaged - they are socially networked - which is basically impossible on most blogs anyway so it's novel.
Most news blogs are simply an extension of news or news opinion and often with a great deal of backstory involved. Again, salience is an issue.
Just think of the model of social interaction blogs are based on and the content in most of them. You don't have to be a journalist to figure that out. And anyway, just because people don't comment it doesn't mean they're not reading it.
Duh.
1 Comment
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Comment by Rashi Tiwari on April 5, 2008 at 9:33pm - Personally, I feel its also dependent on the topic and the style of writing. Also one of the reason why some blogs get better response and some not is public involvement. For example people feel more involved and hence have more to say on lifestyle as they experience it everyday. On the other hand, politics; the people may not feel their voice heard and so don't bother to comment. Social blogs are more dependent on personal choice.
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