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Greencastle, Indiana ~ Sunday, September 7, 2008
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Blog purpose and etiquette
Posted Wednesday, April 30, 2008, at 9:33 AM<< Previous | Read comments | Respond | Email link | Next >>
Some blog readers on this site appear to have the notion that blogs are meant for news and further reporting in journalistic blindness...the purpose of a blog is to have an opinion, show personality, throw grammar and spelling "rules" into a breezy spring morning and comment on irony that can't be done in the report itself due to our need to remain as impartial as humanly possible (which is often hard given that we are human so we tend to take some side no matter the circumstance)...
Please bear in mind that I do not come to your house or work and critique you in your performance and offer us the same courtesy. Sometimes we don't hear something properly, jump to conclusions and whatever else people tend to do on a daily basis. Just because we are in a public venue does not mean we make no mistakes. Something to keep in mind also when watching E!, reading the National Enquirer or when thinking about who to vote for. For the majority of you, this does not apply; in fact it only applies to a select few. So I applaud those of you who take time to understand and empathize. For those select few I can offer only this bit of advice in my best Dr. Phil voice… If you don't like it, don't read it. But since you must read it before you know if you like it (ahem), after reading it go find something you enjoy doing rather than wasting your time telling others how they are wrong...
Hypocritical? Yes, but I'm the writer... Comments Showing most recent comments first [Show in chronological order instead] |
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"Don't tell me my business, devil woman! Call the fire department, this one's out of control!"
greengirl44, "Don't put it out with your boots, Ted!"
Maybe you will like my idea of a "Jump to Conclusions Mat." You see, its this mat that you put on the floor and it has different conclusions written on it that you could jump to! =)
Bondsman, you have a very valid point in regards to electronic evolution and disintegrating attention spans. However, I must put into question the responsibility aspect of someone's ability and aptitude of jumping to conclusions. This practice is nothing new in our society, and as much as it is done, you would think that obesity rates would be far lower than they are. But since jumping to conclusions is neither good for heart health or reality, I can see it as nothing more than gossip which is solely upon the listener to decide their belief or disbelief. I appreciate your candor though. And I assure you, if the Banner's upper echelon disapproves of a blog entry, it is discussed democratically and removed.
No, I didn't miss the point, I'm just looking at the whole picture. In this evolving world more people are getting their "info" from electronic sources and their whole perception of the world is based on 60 second segments of the 6 oclock news or text alerts if one has them turned on on their i phones and such. In such an atmosphere the "blog", no matter how trivial, could be misconstrued as a source of "news" or perhaps some sort of editorial commentary. Seeing how the "blog" is encouraged by and made possible by the Banner would lend credence to the idea that the Banner stands behind what ever
the "blog" writer is disseminating. Do you run your "blog" entries by the editor before putting them online? Being a reporter carries a lot of responsibilty. I don't really remember seeing anything in the small print to the effect that the opinions expressed in the blog are solely those of the blogger and not the Banner. But hey I'm all for Free Speech, think the Banner would let me put a blog up under their marquee?
Exactly Kevin....Blogs are a free-for-all. Thats why they are not included in the actual paper version. News articles are located under the "news" tab.
bondsman, you've missed the whole point, blogs are intended to be for "whatever floats my boat" I am paid for reporting which is what you read in the paper (or online if you're feeling fancy). Blogs however are the avenue we are afforded in a free-speech laden society. As for the glass, I've been looking for that glass ever since I heard of it, I've come to the conclusion the glass is neither half full nor half empty; it doesn't exist at all. What philosophy does that pin me into...literalism?
well I suppose it all depends on if the glass is half full or half empty. Is the Banner paying you for unbiased, in depth, hard hitting reporting that keeps the populace informed, or are they paying you to whimsically write whatever floats your boat and what you think might be entertaining to what readership the Banner has left. It seems like reporting parallels politics in a fashion. Elected officials appear to think that they know what is best for the sheeple and writers appear to think they know what the people want to read. The big question is what do the people want? Or should that be a consideration to a politician or a news reporter?
You hit it right on the head Mr. Crafton, but some people think this should be a perfect world and that is what they expect....perfection.
I somewhat agree with you but I also believe that you are in a public forum so when you put your opinion out there, it will spark discussion which may or may not be favorable to you. I personally enjoy reading your blog but I also kinda like arguing with you in real life. I get your point though. It is ok to debate, just not to the extent that people get mean and hateful.
After all spirited debate is part of the american fiber and even finds its way into our presidential elections now and again. What better way to find out who the candidate friends are or what they are doing for Labor day as opposed to any issue of real substinance.