Reason number 9: 'Global blogging action day'

A pretty scathing summary of the "Global blogging action day" from our friends over at Threadwatch, which accuses the organisers of thinking less passionately of the Iranian bloggers they claim to support than they are of their own "marketing". An equally good question is: what kind of "action" are they going to get up to? Are they going to put even ruder words in their internet diaries? Post more than twice in the same day? Get, you know, really, really angry and like, do stuff? It's enough to make you think maybe blogs are a good thing. What if these people weren't writing them, and directed their energies into getting up from their computers?

Reason number 8: The vast rightwing conspiracy

Iain Duncan Smith, perhaps the most unsuccessful Tory leader ever, believes British conservatives can imitate their American soulmates in order to, I quote, "put the fear of God into the metropolitan elites." Quite how an MP of many years standing who represents a constituency in the south-east and is no doubt on good terms with plenty of "elite" types himself (have you ever seen the Tory party?) can think of himself as an outsider is beyond me - but I guess politics is all in the illusions.

Note also the solipsism of the defeated politician, he believes that everyone who is not with him is against him. Even the British media (which can be quite conservative) deserves a challenge from his political bedfellows, according to non-Metropolitan, non-elite Mr Duncan Smith. Keen readers will also detect elements of reasons 3 and 5.

The blogosphere will become a force in Britain, and it could ignite many new forces of conservatism. The internet's automatic level playing field gives conservatives opportunities that mainstream media have often denied them.

It's like the Daily Mail never existed.

Reason number 7: Nihi sub sole novum

We knew this wasn't particularly revolutionary, but it was with a mixture of sadness and delight that we found this post over at Threadwatch, which eloquently sets out our own Reason number 1 and Reason number 2. Go that man, or rather "hat-tip".

Reason number 6: The phrase 'hat tip'

While this blog supports giving credit where credit's due, both Gutenberg and I have problems with the phrase "hat tip". This, of course, is form by which one blogger tips his hat to another for a good find. Our issue is it is the kind of folky-colloquial nonsense no one ever says. It is only one step away from "a tip of the proverbial", for goodness sake. In common with all other uses of the word "proverbial" (except where you are describing the nature of a proverb) it is almost always used in the joshy-matey register of one who seldom speaks to others, but wants to give the impression of being a raconteur on those rare occasions that they do. So don't put your social insecurities out on show - if you want to say 'thanks' say it.

Reason number 5: They're SO self-important

Try this from Rony Abovitz's post on his part in forcing the resignation of Eason Jordan from CNN:

The last few weeks have felt like an epic, widescreen, pitched battle, with the uncontrollable blog swarm Huns overrunning the decaying Rome which is the mainstream media. Having breached the gates, one of the Ceasers is toppled. Inside the temples, the great works, the Huns set about to pillage. The priests quake, shout. There is great confusion. The world is a new, different place. There is a frightening speed to which this occurred, and a revolutionary tone colors it all.

My role? I can not claim to have been on the sideline of the avalanche, having accidentally set it off with the toss of a snowball. I rode in the with the blogger Huns, pointing out weaknesses in the gates of Rome, breaching it with all of them.

Is there anymore to add?

Reason number 4: I don't care about your dog

There. I've said it. I like dogs in the flesh but I find them tedious to read about: as far as I am concerned, Lassie is the exception that proves the rule. I also do not want to see pictures of dogs dressed up "for the holidays". Puppy Dog Tales is the first piece of evidence in the case for the prosecution.

Reason number 3: They're so self-important

Chris Alden discusses what happens when bloggers' rights are infringed.
Now, if I work for a business and spend my weekends putting signs up around town discouraging people from using their services, or deliver regular speeches to that effect in a pub, or use any other means of publicly and indiscriminately communicating my distaste for my employers, I would expect to be disciplined at the least, and possibly sued for slander or libel. If I do this sort of thing on a blog (which is a saintly process no one would ever use to settle a score) then it would seem I can rely on a special privilege, under which it is my rights which are in danger, and not the rights of my employer to go about their lawful business without unaccountable attacks being made on their character.

Reason number 2: Formats are not in themselves interesting

Most people are familiar with the idea that you cannot believe everything you read in the newspapers. Just because what you are reading is black ink on white paper under a fancy masthead it does mean it is true.

So why are blogs interesting? Because someone is typing something on a computer and publishing it with plenty of links to people who do the same thing, that does not mean they are plugged into some sort of superior thought system. It does not make them very 'now'. When you factor in the lifting from and commentating on other blogs, it in fact makes them very 'then'.

It is this blogs contention that blogs are not inherently interesting. And that bloggers themselves are only as good as the last thing they wrote.

Reason number 1: It's just a content management system

It's a nice content management system. It's very simple, and very easy for laymen to use. But it's just a content management system, and at base it's not that different to just writing in html and using ftp to put the result on a webserver; for the purposes of this blog, for instance, we could easily have an html page, update it with a new paragraph every other day and re-upload it. (Don't ask why we don't. Or do, it'll give us an excuse for another rant.)

There are better content management systems, and there are simpler ways of publishing idle thoughts. So welcome it as a nice, user-friendly CMS, but don't call it a revolution.