“As a journalist, I find it quite strange that there’s not more criticism of the Bush administration in the American media,” said Jon Dennis, deputy news editor Guardian Unlimited. “It’s as though the whole U.S. is in shock (from Sept. 11). It’s hard for (the media) to be dispassionate about it. It seems as though they’re not thinking as clearly as they should be.” This is a far more charitable view than that held by political dissident Noam Chomsky, author of Manufacturing Consent (part of which is reprinted here), who has long believed that the U.S. media is manipulated and controlled by goverment and corporations “so naturally that media news people, frequently operating with complete integrity and goodwill, are able to convince themselves that they choose and interpret the news ‘objectively’ and on the basis of professional news values. Within the limits of the filter constraints they often are objective; the constraints are so powerful, and are built into the system in such a fundamental way, that alternative bases of news choices are hardly imaginable.”
But now, with so many international news sources available on the internet, whose news stories are automatically retrieved, categorized and presented in Google News, it soon may not matter if the U.S. media is controlled or not. Sure, the overseas news sources may still be corporate-controlled with their own agenda, but at least they offer different viewpoints, if not guaranteed objective ones. And let’s not forget the many completely independent news sources. Indymedia, for instance, is “a collection of independent media organizations and hundreds of journalists offering grassroots, non-corporate coverage. Indymedia is a democratic media outlet for the creation of radical, accurate, and passionate tellings of truth.”
Unlike much of the American press, said Jon Dennis, the Guardian site presents both pro- and anti-war positions and encourages its readers to debate the issues, through the site’s talk boards and interactive features like live interviews with various experts. The only debate in the U.S. media is on the Web, Dennis said. “Weblogs are doing all the work that the U.S. media did in the past,” he said. “That’s an interesting development.”
Indeed, weblogs (or “blogs”) are fast becoming the forum for public debate, just like “the Nets” predicted by Orson Scott Card in his 1985 Hugo award-winning novel Ender’s Game. Google, who boasts the web’s most popular search engine, created quite a stir recently when they purchased San Francisco startup Pyra Labs, which runs the biggest network of Weblogs. Pyra’s Blogger.com has more than 1 million members and 200,000 active blogs. In a recent Associated Press article (found here on CNN), Chris Cleveland of Dieselpoint, a Chicago maker of search software that recently worked with Blogger.com, says that the way bloggers link and influence each other’s thinking could lead to a collective thought process, “a kind of hive brain.” Cleveland believes blogs can turn the concept into reality with the help of Google’s sifting skills.
So will the myriad of international news sources and forums available on the internet raise awareness of opposing viewpoints, promote critical thinking, encourage the debate of political issues and make propaganda easy to detect? That would be nice.
I had never visited the “ABC” news site from Australia until I started using Google’s news site (was it 6 months ago)? And I had rarely looked at the Guardian until starting to for the same reason. So at least for me, Google is the reason for the switch.
On the Ender’s Game reference – the new blogs are really just an extension of Bulletin Board systems that have been around for a couple of decades now (they used to be dial-up) – and I think BBS’s are closer to what Card had envisioned. Although it seems only now that some of these boards and blogs are actually becoming somewhat influential. However, my feeling from looking through some is they tend to be very self-reinforcing: liberals get disgusted with a right-wing blogger and leave, so all the comments are of the ditto-head variety. The only way to get around that seems to be to have a very large site (like slashdot, or attached to a major news organization somehow) where the variety is enough to keep most people interested.
Yes, I also use Google News extensively and tend to think that a significant portion of the increased overseas traffic is due to it. Sci-Fi Today also received a fair amount of increased traffic whenever one of our stories figures prominently in Google News.
As for BBS’s, yes blogs are an extension of them. But Card’s depiction of the Nets was that they were online forums that had taken over mainstream media outlets as the most common news source. Debate was constant and people who posted regularly, were articulate and had something meaningful to say gradually increased their reputation, which caused more and more readers to pay attention to their words. This rating system is akin to the “karma” that Slashdot employs or the “mojo” that kuro5hin and Sci-Fi Today employ.
I agree that a useful forum needs to have a lot of users with differing viewpoints. At the time that I started Sci-Fi Today, I also had another idea to eventually start a World Forum site with sections and subsections corresponding to location (continent, country, state/province, city), which would report any kind of news around the world, with the hopes of increasing dialog between people of different cultures, allowing them to better understand each other. Translation could be provided algorithmically or via volunteers. I may still do it, if I can find the time, but as I’ve learned with SFT, simply building a forum does not make people use it.
On the subject of people using forums, I think that there will be a gradual increase of use of such forums. At present people tend to stick to their own areas of interest that attract like-minded fellow posters. And many people only use the internet for specific, often professional, purposes – if at all. As developments in technology make it possible to do even more ‘cool’ stuff online, and as more day to day operations are carried out over the internet, people will find that logging-on each day has become as much of a habit as looking outside to see what the weather is doing. As the web worms its way into our lives in this way it is likely to become a natural sharing ground for ideas, opinions and arguments. In other words, if you’re feeling discouraged at the slow build-up of interest in this site – don’t be. Follow the example of King C Gillette, whose company sold 50 razor blade kits in 1902 compared with 12,000,000 blades in 1904. SFT and other sites that bring people from very different backgrounds to a meeting of minds are of as much use to mankind as razor blades.
Alternative media in all forms have always been utilized by grassroots organizations to rally movements and inform their citizens. Radio has been a particularly strong media source in the developing world where dissenting opinions are broadcast by those under oppressive and dictatorial governments.
If mainstream sources do not inform us thoroughly and accurately, radio and especially the net will continue to grow and become the main media sources allowing more critical thinking by populations armed with the free flow of information.
Didn’t mean to sound discouraged, I’m very pleased with how SFT is continuing to gain both readers and posters. I was just musing aloud about whether a site as grandiose in scope and intention as a World Forum would catch on or not. I honestly think the world could use such a forum, so that people from different countries and religions (i.e. not the politicians) can understand each other’s viewpoints. And also so that news can be reported by anyone “from the trenches” and reach a world audience. I’m very, very tempted to set this up. And soon.
I’ve actually been thinking about this a lot in reference to SciFiToday. This site was started out as a scoop site and I think the expectation was for it to become a community, like K5 or slashdot, only science oriented. Great plan. Well, it IS a community of sorts, we’ve got Drog and Machi, apsmith and AlanVonFan, Zero and bunyip and the sweet Sweetwind and me and a few others coming together pretty regularly now, and that’s a Good Thing. But…
We’ve got 178 registered members and the SFT “core group” is a tenth of that, maybe. In March we gotten some stories picked up by other blogs and Google news and our hits went over 1000 on three stories and over 500 on three more. This traffic generated effectively zero new members and zero comments. The couple of times we’ve done “rerun” stories over on K5 to lead people here to SFT, the stories have generated LOTS of comments – over on K5.
The recent China “Death on Wheels” story has been picked up by several blogs and will probably break 500 before it loses its legs, and it IS generating comments – elsewhere, not on SFT. The “PYL Scandal” story is the same way and is the hottest SFT story for March at 1500+ hits with scattered commentary elsewhere.
Now the thing is, the China and PYL stories have legitmate sci-fi / tech angles angles but are really “human interest” stories, not “hard science”. This leads me to two conclusions. One, it is a rare bird indeed that wants to read about, let alone discuss, hard science and the implications of such. Secondly, people are NOT viewing SFT as a community site. They are viewing it as a NEWS site. This is not necessarily a BAD thing – but it is a thing with implications different from the original expectations several months ago when the site took off for its maiden voyage.
If SFT is viewed as a NEWS site, there are two choices. We either work on bending the will of the masses (ha) to our vision to form a conversing science community, or we accept the identity imposed on us by forces greater than ourselves and roll with it. If we do the latter, and accept our (pleasant) fate as an exaulted, trusted news outlet, then there are things SFT needs to place more focus on, the same as any newspaper – increasing circulation / hits.
Truth is, SFT is unique. We aren’t a true community site like /. or K5, although the core for such is there and that may grow – slowly. We aren’t really a news organization like CNN or Drudge or even New Scientist or BBC Tech – this is a hobby for us, not our professional job. In that sense SFT is a blog and nothing more.
Now where do we stand among blogs? Well, there’s already a science blog out there that puts out more stories per day than SFT, and accepts comments, too (and isn’t getting any). SFT is different from them in that ScienceBlog basically just reprints press releases and articles with none of the synthesis / commentary / “links-links-links” that is becoming a SFT hallmark. There’s also the Kiwi SciTechDaily that is all links and no story/commentary like SFT. OK, we are in evolution mode with “our kind of beak” out there on the Galapogos… now what?
There’s a lot about blogs that I don’t understand at all and that others understand only dimly at this point. Laurabelle argues that blogs are to be written primarily for the enjoyment of the writer and it doesn’t / shouldn’t matter what the hits are on them. I’ve got too much of a type A personality and desire to “make a difference” to really fit in THAT mold. If I had to peg MY motivation for writing for SFT, it would be to broaden science awareness among everybody, which I think is a CRUCIAL goal for society and one that dependes solely on quality of stories and hits.
I’m always open to comments on how I can improve the quality of my stories / writing, and certainly we’re ALL open to more good stories being submitted by new contributors (the longer I do this the more my fixations become apparent in my selection of story topics – perhaps NOT a good thing for SFT!!!). So if we’re doing all we can in the story department (and I think we are), lets talk about the hits department.
From what I gather, a blog getting hits is all about getting other blogs to link to it. Linked blogs bring viewers to the target blog, in this case, SFT. If we were successful in doing this, SFT would rise in the Daypop “Top Blog” listings, and this would be A Good Thing, right? There’s over 13,000 blogs monitored by Daypop. The Blogging Ecosystem study monitors 25,000+ and does some really neat statistics. BlogStreet monitors 100,000+ blogs. Blogdex is in many ways the ultimate blog search site and can bring up all kinds of interesting things worth of consideration in this realm.
Where am I going with this in my usual rambling way? Well, I think SFT (ie, Drog and rickyjames) should accumulate email addresses of blogs that would be interested in linking to sci/scifi stories and start a daily newsletter to them with links to the three or four daily SFT story headlines – quality spam with every letter having “unsubscribe” instructions. Hey, they’re always looking for something to put in THEIR blog, lets put SFT in the driver’s seat in giving it to them by becoming the first “AP” or “UPI” for sci/scifi stories to blogs rather than traditional newspapers. In a few weeks SFT may possibly have even more crediblity in this area than it does now; Drog knows what I’m talking about and why perhaps the timing for a possible headline newsletter is ripe. Such a newsletter would complement the RSS feed SFT already puts out by giving it higher visibility to people who cvould link to it in their own blogs. This would build the SFT “brand” quickly and get us up there with /. and K5 on the Daypop list. Is this a desirable goal or am I crazy as usual?
Better go write some stories. Saturday Mar 22 was my birthday (don’t ask – ah, what the heck, I’m 47) so my wonderful family wisked me off to activities that kept me away from the keyboard yesterday.
The Internet Topic Exchange
Hey, my birthday was Friday the 21st! (What the heck, while we’re sharing — I’m 38. Go me! :->) Can it be that SFT is currently populated with stubborn, headstrong Aries folks who are breaking ground on a new kind of blog. Nothing really radical, but (to quote) “our kind of beak.” Nothing quite like it anywhere else. I think the community will build, and that one of the unique aspects will be the science fiction tie in, although there are not currently many solely SF stories posted. But there are the interviews with SF authors (hey! isn’t there one tomorrow?!), and the SF materials advertised on the sidebars. Not to mention some kick-butt original stories that have appeared.
You stubborn fellow ramette, you. Hope you had a good one. Maybe you can derive some comfort from one of my personal philosophical nuggets – you’re only as old as the level of the cartoons you watch on Cartoon Network. I’ll just bet you watch a lot of appropriate ones for the young and young at heart. Best wishes, girl.
I hope you both had a fine day. Mine’s on the 27th, (31 if anybody is nosey) so perhaps fate is stacking the deck with sheep just a little. I think the site will most likely prosper, the world is full of cranky – I mean eccentric – individuals who will find SFT has much to offer them, and they to it of course. I like the site a lot as it is but would like to see a widening pool of names appearing and adding to the diversity of the community by sharing different interests and opinions. Rickyjames, I’d say you’re doing a pretty good job of keeping your fixations reined in; a difficult task considering your level of contribution. You are probably right to say that this could set a stamp on the site but so far I’d say it falls well within the bracket of setting a good example – well written, well researched, varied and with tongue occasionally in cheek. As a friend of mine would say, “Cool bananas!” (hey, we’ve all got one friend who’s quite annoying really). Must go and pretend to have actual opinions on curtains now as the last lot have been cat-atrophied. See you at the next meeting of the astrological ovine society.
Way back in the late 1970’s a new magazine was advertized named “Nova.” It promised to be both a leading science magazine and a leading science-fiction magazine. By the time the first issue hit the stands it had changed its name to “Omni” (I guess the Nova TV science documentary series had gotten the name first) but the first few issues lived up to their promise, with great cutting-edge science articles, new SF by the likes of Asimov and art by the likes of H. R. Giger. Unfortunately, it went downhill pretty fast. Apparently in attempts to broaden its demographic it began leaning more to UFO-chasing, Kirlian-aura-photographing articles and I lost interest.
Anyway, I was thinking about what I like about SFT and it struck me that it’s the same thing that initially appealed to me about Omni. I wouldn’t have to choose between subscribing to Scientific American or Analog, I could have both in one volume. (Important to a young person with not much money.) With SFT, I don’t have to choose between hitting a science website and an SF website: I get both kinds of stories, with synergy between them. (Important to an older person with not much time!) Anyway, that’s how I perceive SFT.
And since we’re all sharing, I’ll be 32 in July.
A newsletter is a very interesting idea, Ricky. Let me think about this a few days. I still believe that SFT could be a real honest-to-God community as well as a great science/sci-fi news site. Perhaps we just haven’t hit upon the magic formula yet…
…when’s your birthday and how old are you?
I’m not used to looking for comments that have been modded up, I midded your previous bithday wishes. So when’s your actual Bday, Drog?
July 10.
I can see I’ve got to check the comments on older stories more closely than I’ve been doing ;) <grin>
Pleased to see you making the connection between Ender’s Game and Indymedia. That’s pretty much what was going through my mind when I set up ender.indymedia.org ;-)