Martin Bright wants to know about "Classic" blog posts
At the "Commentariat vs Bloggertariat" event last night that I have already blogged about, Martin Bright of the Spectator said that he has not yet come across what he would describe as a "classic" blog post.
I disagree with him and have a few in mind that I intend to forward to him. However I thought it might be a nice idea for others to nominate what they consider to be classic blog posts. I think he is talking about posts that can compare with the best newspaper columns but feel free to nominate blog posts in the comments below that you think are particularly special for whatever reason perhaps explaining why you think so.
I will pass on the information to Martin.
Posts
13 comments:
I'd like to nominate this sweary rant that I chose to share with the world.
My nomination is this completely non-political post. It's my personal favorite and still gives me a golden otherworldly glow when I think about it... but I do like Julian's too.
At the moment this one from Costigan Quist http://himmelgartencafe.blogspot.com/2009/06/we-want-democracy-and-we-want-it-for.html strikes me as a classic.
Funny you should that El because that is one of the posts I was going to nominate myself! I think that's as good as any comment piece you would see.
Do you mean classic in the sense of "looks like a newspaper opinion piece" or classic in the sense of "shows what blogging is for"? Because if it's the latter, I'd like to nominate this piece by my friend Stacey - http://staceyuk.dreamwidth.org/630372.html - sure, it's not a classic in terms of "wow, give this girl a contract for the Times!", but it IS a classic blog post - it succinctly disseminates information gleaned from another blog, and spreads it virally in furtherance of a cause.
I don't think the blogosphere NEEDS to ape the dead tree press to be successful; I think it's successful because it doesn't, and it reaches people who don't read newspapers, and is taking away readership from newspapers, and that scares the shit out of them because it means they don't control how we access information as much as they used to.
I suspect Martin did mean "looks like a newspaper opinion piece" but we don't have to play by his rules.
Oranjepan's submission above for example is short, punchy and very funny as well as informative.
I can certainly see what you mean about blogs not necessarily needing to be the same as or to try and ape comment pieces and your friend's blogpost ticks all the boxes you state for what it needed to do.
The MSM are still struggling to come to terms with the beast that is the blogosphere but hopefully this exercise will contribute to them understanding a bit more!
Agree with Jennie. As someone who writes blog posts and newspaper op-eds [/gloat] the two are, and should be, completely different. Op-eds require more structre, formula, for a start.
One shouldn't nominate oneself but..
Its an old one, but my favourite.
Best to get Marlon Brando's Godfather mumbly voice in your head before reading.
Gordon Brown asks for a favour
I'd nominate a couple, and I'd repeat the same the point that it depends on context, and that blogs are simply a flexible way of managing a website with which the owner can do many different things.
I'd highlight those things that printed newspapers are no good at.
Nose tweaking. My David Aaronovich simulator from last year:
http://www.mattwardman.com/blog/2008/07/29/how-to-make-our-newspapers-profitable-again-david-aaronovitch-simulator/
Focused campaigning. I'd also include this one, which is a campaigning analysis post on a particular story. It is one of which I am proudest, and part of a series that have let us "front page" the Northern Echo twice in the last year.
http://spckssg.wordpress.com/2008/12/01/durham-cathedral-shop-finances-and-questionable-saint-stephen-the-great-payments/
Live blog. Nosemonkey's 7/7 Live Blog
(classic "just happened to be in a position to report")
http://www.jcm.org.uk/blog/?p=617
Information collation. And there was a "bye bye Blair" post listing 60 or 70 abuses of power that I can't find :-)
One more - Narrative.
There was a classic post after the Elections in 2007 or 2008 of photos taken during a blogger's journey on foot to cast a vote, who happened to live on a Scottish Island.
Again I can't find it, but it's stuck.
I agree with Bill Quango MP. You shouldn't nominate yourself, but ...
The Financial Times: a vision
You won't find anything like this in the dead tree press, but it is about the dead tree press, strangely enough.
I'm quite fond of the revealing fake charities posts on Devil's Kitchen.
I'll continue the trend of nominating oneself with this post:
http://www.toryoutcast.com/2009/06/cant-keep-up.html
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