Technology is changing our world. The internet in particular is a major contributor. Because of this year’s unprecedented election, politics have become popular and hip. A record number of people followed the primary election this year. This year’s election is expected to draw a record number of voters. (To all you new voters, watch out! You can expect your summons for jury duty in a year or two.)
Blogs are a major part of social networking. People who write blogs are usually people who have something to say. Because it is a hot topic right now, it is easy to find bloggers discussing politics. In my humble opinion, if you are in politics or business and you don’t have a blog, you are seriously missing the boat. Blogs are not just for the young. You can learn a lot from these bloggers.
A candidate who does not have a blog misses the opportunity to get candid feedback. The candidate should also have someone reading blogs written about them. This enables the candidate to get the word on the street. The candidate can take these words to heart and fix or tweak what could turn out to be a significant weak spot in their campaign.
Here is the required blog information:
· Title - BuffaloPundit
· URL - http://buffalopundit.wnymedia.net/blogs/archives/7031
· Name/Occupation: Alan Bedenko, Buffalo attorney
· Date of birth: September 2003
· Technorati ranking: is 107,824
The tone of this blog is pretty strong, although the author makes it clear that the blog is purely his opinion and that he is not afraid to speak his mind. He notes in his FAQ “you’ve got a big mouth” and “Nothing I write here or anywhere else under the BuffaloPundit handle is attributable to anyone except myself.” (Bedenko, 2003) I think however, that his comments are well thought out and do try and tackle both sides of the fence. Here is one of his direct comments about himself.
“The beauty of the way that I run my site is that I am completely unbeholden to anyone. I have no financial or political stake in the outcome of any election - local or otherwise. Although I am an unrepentant Democratic partisan, I have given Republicans credit when it’s due, I have supported Republican candidates, and I have criticized Democrats when I thought it necessary. Am I a loyal Democrat? I like to think so. But I don’t unthinkingly go along with candidates just because of the “D” at the end of their names.” (Bedenko, 2008)
He is quite self-assured. I do respect his writing although I don’t always agree.
I think I will probably lose a point on this blog because I don’t really have a solid argument about the effect of blogs on Buffalo. However, I can say that I was surprised that they were a bit difficult to find. Most of the blogs that I found were based on the election and came from a bigger fish (non-local.) I am not sure if I am just not that great at searching or if there just aren’t that many people who blog about politics in Buffalo. I have a good friend (yes, I have friends) who is fiercely passionate about policy and politics, has only one entry on her blog about politics and her support for Obama. Does that mean that Buffalonians are more “talkcentric” than “blogcentric”?
Citations:
1. Bedenko, September, 2003, http://buffalopundit.wnymedia.net/blogs/the-buffalo-pundit-faq-10)
2. Bedenko, October 24, 2008, http://buffalopundit.wnymedia.net/blogs/archives/date/2008/10
2 comments:
It is an interesting point that you have made about blogs in Buffalo. I felt the same way when trying to tackle this assignment. Am I not a good 'blog finder'? I was in a crunch for time and never ended up finishing my blog because I was getting so frustrated with only finding sites dealing with the presidential election. So, either we both still lack some good 'blog-hunting' skills, or maybe you are right about our area being more 'talkcentric.'
I can definitely say that I saw a lot more time and money invested in TV commercials for local New York candidates bashing their opponents than I did find information on the Web.
Another good point you made is about politicians in particular needing people to read blogs that are being written about them. It is almost like high school when there is gossip being talked behind your back, except blogging puts it out there and we now have the power to become a fly on the wall at the lunch table in the cafeteria!
p.s. just because you're a mom, it wasn't doubted that you had friends! haha
it happened to me too. i really had a hard time finding the right blog. i tried to find blogs in Buffalo but they were all used by other students so i felt hopless until i found one. I thought i was going to get a really bad grade but still i got full point ...
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