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Rush Lim-Blogger
By Matt Margolis | August 7, 2003
I never thought much about the whole “blogging” thing when I first learned about it. However, as time passed, and as I ultimately got involved in it, I see its potential.
I came across as story yesterday titled, “Bloggers won’t match Limbaugh” and became intrigued. An interesting article comparing the impact of Rush Limbaugh and the potential of internet bloggers.
The article concluded, based on various criteria he found to be relevant, that bloggers don’t have nearly as much power as someone like Rush in the world of politics.
Perhaps, he is right. There’s thousands and thousands of political bloggers, and one Rush Limbaugh. People surf the internet at their discretion, Rush is on at a set time of the day 5 days a week. You can listen to Rush in your car, or go about your business and listen to Rush at the same time. You really can’t do many things simultaneously while reading blogs.
I don’t think the author of this piece has a real justification for his opinion. Comparing bloggers to Rush Limbaugh is like comparing a drama miniseries to a sitcom. They’re different forms of media, which attract different demographics, and require different types of devotion to maintain their readership or listenership.
Rush is also in a position where he had to earn his way to his fame and prestige. Just about anyone (and it seems like almost everyone) out there can have their own blog. It’s not highly exclusive or selective position you have to earn your way up to achieving. I have seen some pretty lousy blogs out there. There’s no filtering process to weed out the idiots who don’t know left from right and can’t make an intelligible argument for their life.
There are some of us, who take time and effort into making their blog something worth returning to. Something people choose to visit and post comments on. Unlike the assumption made by the author of that piece, I do research on the topics I discuss. I, and other bloggers out there may not have a staff of researchers doing the work for us, but nevertheless, we don’t necessarily have less resources available to us as Rush Limbaugh has. We may not have equal manpower contributing to it, but that doesn’t make our content less valid.
By comparison, many bloggers’ preparations for their stream-of-consciousness commentaries seem limited to reading the ruminations of other bloggers and scanning Internet news. Because some bloggers, even prominent ones, spend so much time writing throughout the entire day, they don’t research their own ideas well enough to be persuasive.
Perhaps, generally speaking, he is right. However, that is not the rule. I have found on my blog especially that the content that results from research, views, and opinions that I post on here often entices others to do their own research to either support my own statements with alternative evidence to back it up, or to try and counter it with something else.
Is this not a good thing? The one thing that blogs have that Rush or other talk radio personalities don’t have is regular collective debate. You go through any blog, you see comments made by plenty of people. Comments made in response to others, and back again… It becomes a group dialogue. Talk radio is most often one-on-one. Granted, the rate of conversation can be quick on radio, than on the Internet, but when I’m driving and listening to the radio, I can’t always “get into the conversation” occurring on the air. On a blog, I can jump right in. I can throw my two cents in. I don’t have to call repeatedly until I miraculously make it through, and then talk a call screener in the hopes that I may get the opportunity to go on the air before the segment ends.
So there’s nothing wrong with either form of media. Both stand to make their own valid contributions to the political battlefield.
Topics: Thoughts |
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August 8th, 2003 at 10:05 pm
If the Bloggers had no impact, they wouldn’t write an article comparing them to Rush.
August 8th, 2003 at 11:27 pm
Matt,
Remember:
You and Rush are pretty much on the same team
August 9th, 2003 at 4:27 am
It’s like comparing apples to oranges. Rush Limbaugh has already established a niche for himself, while the Blogosphere is only in the early stages of its evolution.
August 11th, 2003 at 2:11 am
It’s entirely different. Blogs can be good for focusing on different things. If you turn on Rush Limbaugh, you listen to what he puts on. If you’re reading blogs, you can choose. If you want to hear amusing stories about someone’s day, read Lileks. If you want anger and rage, read Emperor Misha I. If you want humor, read Frank J. If you want sporadic updates about social conservative issues, read me :).
August 16th, 2003 at 5:30 pm
Ms Heather, remember, I’m not criticizing Rush Limbaugh. I’m criticizing the author’s attempt at comparing bloggers to Rush Limbaugh.
August 19th, 2004 at 12:58 pm
Blogs good. Rush good. I’m good. Any questions?