Blogs and the Media

Politicians are finally getting around to realizing that blogs are not just providing news but making it:

WASHINGTON – Beltway politicos, famously slow to adopt technology, are wooing blogs - all but Trent Lott.

"Bloggers claim I was their first pelt, and I believe that. I'll never read a blog," says the former Senate majority leader, who forfeited that title after bloggers Joshua Micah Marshall and Glenn Reynolds picked up a racially charged remark, drawing the attention of mainstream media (MSM) and his Senate colleagues.

...From former CBS anchor Dan Rather, stung by blog exposure over his use of forged documents, to the negative buzz about Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers, political blogs aren't just reacting to the news: they're making it.

That's why politicians are eager to co-opt them - or, at least, engage them.

Last week, House Republicans convened the first ever "Capitol Hill Blog Row." In a small committee room in the Capitol, a dozen bloggers, selected by an informal poll of GOP staff, were provided soft drinks, a high-speed Net connection, and access to top Republican figures for half a day. Issues discussed ranged from how to cut government spending to the future of the GOP.

I've recently started a blog as a place to vent for the locals in my town. I choose not to link to it as I want to keep it an in-town site, dealing with in-town issues.

I've hosted two candidate interviews for a hotly contested Council seat. The site has averaged 90 hits over the last several days, but more importantly, 190 page views. People who follow politics seem to be refreshing at a steady rate.

The comments are also starting to take off.