Hard News: In other news, the sky is falling
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I think there are some blogs where 95% of the content is venom. But probably more like 1% of actual blogs. Most blogs are about the author of the blog, and comments are by their friends and family.
So slagging off bloggers is what you pay extra for in the Herald non-online version, huh? Oh, and Codders, of course.
Interesting choice that they give away all the real news for free, and all the tripe you pay for. I wonder if they're just trying to up their Google ranking.
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PS: A journalist friend is coming back from the UK for his first NZ holiday in years, and is wondering about Wi-Fi coverage during his trip, and particularly in Christchurch and elsewhere in the South Island. Any advice for him?
Turn back at the airport? (Or am I being too cynical?)
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i believe the best description for our favourite anti-blogger hack is:
"hatchet in a calfskin glove"
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I'm not sure that the Herald actually reads their own articles. A lot of them seem full of inaccuracies.
On the Wifi Note..NZ is pretty dire for free Wifi but grab KisMAC if they are on a Mac and just scan for networks as you drive around. You are bound to find some Cafe network or Telecom hotspot which you can get on to for a fee.
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... a Pajamas Media columnist ...
Sounds like a pants media columnist.
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I think the blog world is fantastic, as it allows you to voice an opinion on boards that promote opposite ends of the political spectrum. I can post a message on the right side of the fence, for example post a comment on the incredibly delicious and acid tongued Ann Coulters blog, and then jump back over to the left and post a comment here. Again the Herald spurt meaningless rhetoric without balance or common sense…maybe from a media outlet that feels threatened by the blogosphere? Who knows …who cares. I have been blamed for being the mystery author of the cyfswatch blog on many messages boards around the Internet traps, however I am not guilty your honour. However on that subject I do not hide behind anonymity and do genuinely feel for parents, who perceive they are victims of injustice. It is easy to for big government to file such people in the nutter’s cupboard without listening to their cries for help. It is little wonder many parents/grandparents react badly to having a fundamental part of their social order violated, and dignity obliterated by a uncaring bureaucratic inertia that has a well known trail of incompetence. I am thankful to the power and influence of the Internet.
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Kiwiblog? worthwhile read? I'm not so sure. I've actually made the rare gesture of removing kiwiblog from my RSS feed.
DPF is an interesting and informative writer when he wants to be, but the majority of what he does is akin to loudly reading newspaper articles out loud. He just links to stories from APN/ Fairfax/ Scoop and then offers a talkback style misreading of them, practically begging shitheads like Fred and Redbaiter (real or not) to come along and get their wail on.
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Poor old Herald? It's priceless:
"These bloggers, operating under their own misguided belief of self-freedom rarely research any offerings..."
While at the Herald, we offer- not spit- the well-researched and venomless opinion that:
"most bloggers - and we're talking 95 per cent - are fly by night, gutless wonders who prefer to spit venom under inarticulate pseudonyms …"
If it was available on-line, that'd be pretty close to "cyber-bullying" ...
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I guess by "most bloggers" they mean "most political bloggers", which is a conflation that the print media seems to make quite a lot, since they don't think anything else is worth writing about. As you say, "most" bloggers write about their cats, or their holidays, or TV shows, or sports, or technology... In fact, there is at least as much variety of content among blogs as there is among newspaper columns, and at least as many professional and talented people writing them as there are working for newspapers.
By equating "blogger" with "opinionated political blogger", they're making the same mistake as assuming that newspapers consist of nothing but op-ed columns. Just think: if the print media consisted of nothing but columns by Karl du Fresne, Garth George, Rosemary McLeod, Frank Haden, Michael Laws ... shudder!
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Nais,
WIFI - well not promising anything but your mate could check out:
http://www.telecom.co.nz/content/0,8748,204173-1066,00.html OR http://www.cafenet.co.nz/zones/
SI has always been hit and miss for me. Funniest site of the ski season - my sis desperately hanging out the upper storey window of our rented house in Wanaka with her new Telecom datacard in her laptop trying to get coverage to download an urgent client email, and freezing her butt off, whilst I merrily sat in front of the fire getting email on my Vodafone Blackaberry with no bother. Ah, the joys of telecomms and doing business in NZ.
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The HoS sez:
gutless wonders who prefer to spit venom under inarticulate pseudonyms
Using a pseudonym doesn't necessarily mean someone wants to be anonymous or has something to hide.
Just looking at the blogs I visit daily, many of them are authored by people using a nom de blog, but I can think, "OK, that's Chris, that's Wendy, that's Sam," etc.
Yeah, there are people who hide behind pseudonyms and dish out awful abuse, but often the use of a pseudonym can be as simple as someone wanting to create an online persona that they can proudly write from.
A journalist friend is coming back from the UK for his first NZ holiday in years, and is wondering about Wi-Fi coverage during his trip
I went around the lower North Island last year and discovered well priced Wi-Fi in two of the crappiest motels I stayed in. I was impressed! I assume it will be similar in the South Island.
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The question that must be answered is "who wrote this crap?" It doesn't even make sense: how can a pseudonym be inarticulate? What is a belief of self-freedom? I wouldn't read a blogger who wrote so badly.
Meanwhile, DPF links to the latest in the Herald's series of interviews with the new intake of National MPs. This time it's Chester Borrows. Any pretence of impartiality by the Herald seems to have been abandoned.
Ho hum.
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The question that must be answered is "who wrote this crap?" It doesn't even make sense: how can a pseudonym be inarticulate? What is a belief of self-freedom? I wouldn't read a blogger who wrote so badly.
I was trying to be all measured and reasonable and shit, to confound the insane blogger stereotype, but you're right, the writing is appalling.
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Yes well the Ho'S pinched about a third of their staff from the sunday news so the quality of 'journalism' shouldn't be a surprise.
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Kiwiblog? worthwhile read? I'm not so sure.
I find it worthwhile in the following circumstance: whenever DPF and Russell agree on something, then it must be the absolute truth.
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It certainly is funny to blurt some figure of 95% that you just made up and in the next paragraph complain that others "rarely research any offerings."
I think pseudonyms are eminently sensible for bloggers, especially ones like me that tend to run off at the mouth. When future potential employers google my name I'd prefer them to find nice professional-looking stuff, not pages of internet blather. Then there's the comfort of knowing the nutjob you just ridiculed won't be phoning at 3am to give you an earful. Of course, one alternative would be to take a measured and polite approach under one's own name, as on Public Address, but let's face it, some of us simply lack discipline.
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re Wi-Fi....... thanks for the public appeal Russell, and the responses, people
I might just bring and Mac and try my luck ha ha ha!
PUBLIC LIBRARIES offer it in Scotland........should I try them too?
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nah......Telecom prepaid vouches in Starbucks etc....SORTED.
Thank you NAIS!
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also free wireless hotspots at many caltex filling stations throughout country, free to xtra customers and I'm sure you'll come across one of those on your travels.
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my airport card picks it up no probs
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Hello, I missed that article in the Herald on Sunday yesterday. Can anyone please tell me the name of the particular reporter? No personal vendettas planned, I promise... ;-)
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Journalists I read rarely label anything with "most". As parochial as the Herald is, it obviously is referring to NZ political blogs. That is a big filter, and a big mistake.
Worldwide, many bloggers are making a measurable difference in the style,quality and quantity of media we consume.
That has got to be a good thing.
Apparently no one worth anything in Washington DC finishes their coffee in the morning without checking out Huffington Post, and she is treated like royalty. All that in less than a couple of years. It will bring about real change in that country sooner hopefully, rather than later.
Apparently we have reached our first billion online, and the next few billion wiill be vastly different. I find it heartening in the age of delusional leaders like Bush and Co. to be able to access content around the globe, be it political,social, economic or creative.
From last weeks New Scientist:
http://www.globalvoicesonline.org/ -
I find it worthwhile in the following circumstance: whenever DPF and Russell agree on something, then it must be the absolute truth.
We have occasionally been known to agree on ordering another bottle of wine in the course of a lunch. So that must be the absolute truth too. I feel so ... vindicated.
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jb,
WiFi...
Pretty dire.
Ranges from $10 an hour with Telecom to $2 an hour at motels.
Or - if you're lucky and can get them - CafeNet charges $20 for 70MB.Keep an eye out for open hotspots - Orcon has a couple in Nelson and Richmond
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I know you don't want to have anything to do with them but they are lying about you RB.
Cyfswatch responds
"The Publicaddress website is a poor example of "intelligent debate" - the site does not allow people to post comments or provide feedback!"So I got out my virtuapen (which is reputed to be mightier than a sword) and smote them thus,
This is an out and out lie. had you done even the barest of research you would know that once registering, (they do encourage you to use your real name, maybe thats the bit you're unhappy with)
that anyone with a valid email address can post comments to this site in fact every blog post has a link to the discussion forums and a reply function to correspond with the author.
Next time you feel your knee about to jerk, check your facts first. You wouldn't want to cheapen the people who have genuine grievances with cyf through your lassez faire attitude to the truth?You would do well to follow your own advice;
in the absence of any research with, or interviews of the disaffected parties regarding the cases, or the issues at hand is secondary abuse, and just a wee bit assumptive.
If you don't know what you are talking about which it seems is the case when referring to the publicaddress weblog it's probably best to engage brain. Or are you one of those people who opens their mouth to change feet?
Also thanks for the technical upgrade on the last pdf linky thing. One last thing whens the next great blend and can I pre register now?
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