Kendra Rae’s Ramblings

How individuals are supposed to gain credibility and distinguish themselves from the masses in the blogosphere has been a question I have personally battled with throughout the quarter. Fortunately, chapter seven of “Dispatches from Blogistan” has finally provided some form of an answer to my burning question.

“Better tools for filtering and gauging reputation are coming onboard every day,” Stefanac explained. “Individual bloggers are getting more proficient at presenting their cases in a manner that inspires confidence and action.”

By utilizing new technology and presenting arguments that are well formulated and balanced, bloggers are beginning to set themselves apart in their personal communities and the entire blogosphere.

Chapter seven also addressed another blogging issue I have expressed concerns about, the relationship between blogging and traditional journalism. In an interview with Jamais Cascio, an Internet activism veteran, Stefanac once again calmed my fears about traditional journalism surviving in the cyber world by stating.

“The only journalists (by which I mean the writers of traditional news media) who should be nervous about the rise of citizen media are those journalists whose work can’t stand scrutiny,” Cascio stated. “Good journalists should be ecstatic about this development, and not just because of the fact-checking aspect.”

Fortunately I feel that I was taught to accept and enjoy receiving criticism from an early age. I feel that any feed back I receive as a journalists, whether I choose to act on it or not, is beneficial because it allows me to further critique my skills.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading chapter seven because I thought it spoke directly to some of the questions I have been attempting to answer all quarter.

How should privacy be defined in the blogosphere? How will privacy be regulated, especially in instances where the lawsuits are involved?

How can bloggers ensure that they balance citing their sources by hyperlinking and copyright infringement? Are there regulations against this or will there be any in the future?