Discuss Article: Blogging, the Nihilist Impulse – Geert Lovink

On: September 5, 2006
About Anne Helmond
Anne Helmond is Assistant Professor of New Media and Digital Culture and Program Director of the MA New Media and Digital Culture at the University of Amsterdam. She is a member of the Digital Methods Initiative research collective where she focuses her research on the infrastructure of social media platforms and apps. Her research interests include digital methods, software studies, platform studies, app studies, infrastructure studies and web history.

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On page three, paragraph three Lovink states that ‘blogs were the actual catalysts that realized democratization’.

But wasn’t Usenet an early catalyst? Or is Usenet dismissed because it has never reached critical mass?

He also states on page three, paragraph four that ‘For business types there is no immediate money in it’. I am of opinion that this is no longer the case, en that there definitely is money to be made with/by companies:

* A phenomenon that is (unfortunately) currently is gaining in popularity is the “splog”, or spamlog. This is a way to make money with blogs. Also see “Spam + Blogs = Trouble” by Charles C. Mann in Wired Magazine.

* Another way in which companies could earn money with blogs is addressed by Bruce Sterling in a column in Wired Magazine called “Blogging for Dollars“, in which he wonders “If bloggers can profit from hyping Web 2.0 ventures, how long before they turn into payola machines?”

Comments are welcome, it is a blog after all :)

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