Thursday, June 14, 2007 7:47 AM
This week I had a chance to hear James Gaskin speak on the topic Technology is Broken. During his speech, Mr. Gaskin, who is also a blogger, made a number of interesting comments, but I thought I would share just a couple of his thoughts related to weblogs. Note that I am paraphrasing his thoughts from my memory and the brief notes I took, not exact quotations. Also, keep in mind that Mr. Gaskin was speaking about the much larger blogosphere (including weblogs from all walks of life and business), not specifically the legal-oriented slice about which I normally write.
In any case, whether or not I agree with Mr. Gaskin's comments, I have long found value in listening to others' perspectives, if for no other reason than it forces me to think about something from a different vantage point. And for that same reason, I decided to pass along what I had heard.
Mr. Gaskin's two main thoughts on weblogs went something like this:
- 80% of weblogs offer little of value, being mainly tiny cliches of friends and acquaintances linking back and forth to each other's posts. However, the remaining 20% can be valuable resources, often providing a fresh source of information from a unique perspective or the chance to subscribe to writers who inform readers of material they otherwise might never discover.
- Weblogs have eliminated the barriers between writers and readers. Anyone who wants to write can start a weblog and gain an audience. There is no need to be hired by a newspaper or magazine as a columnist. Newspapers, magazines, etcetera no longer serve as filters which determine which topics get coverage.
What do you think?
If you would like to read and watch (he is a videoblogger as well) more from Mr. Gaskin, stop by his Technology is Broken blog or either of the links above. He is also pretty active on the web in general, so a quick Google search will likely catch you up with his commentary and opinions in short order.