Capitolwire (sorry, subscription) ran an article on Pennsylvania political bloggers and their impact on local politics. The reporter, Alison Knezevich, spoke with a number of Philly bloggers.
Quotes:
- "I don't think the power (of the Internet) has come even close to reaching its potential," said Dan Urevick-Ackelsberg, who started the blog Young Philly Politics.
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- AC Missias decided to create A Smoke-Filled Room, a blog about local Philadelphia politics, in January as "an exercise in self-education."
"I decided in the wake of the last national election that it was tragic how little I knew about the local scene, by comparison – I had lived in Philly for eight years and still didn't understand how city government worked in theory, let alone in practice," Missias said in an e-mail with Capitolwire.
After better following local issues and writing about them, Missias said, "I can now name most of City Council, I know how the wards and divisions are structured... and I am getting the sense of how rainmakers pull some of their strings around town. Not all of that came from blogging the local news, but a good portion of it did."
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- Even with all of the Internet's advantages, many don't predict blogs will replace the traditional media anytime soon.
"I kind of think of them as complimentary, where blogs can work alongside mass media," said Karl Martino, host of Philly Future.
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- The ease of spreading information around the world with one click can lead to rumors, but that can backfire.
“If you’re posting nonsense or stories that aren’t true, then your credibility will be diminished,� said Alex Charyna, whose conservative blog is called "Pstupidonymous".
With blogs multiplying by the day, credibility is important for someone hoping to get read. It's easy for an Internet user to get lost in the layers, and that means bloggers can find it hard to get attention.
She saved the best for last, obviously. ;)
Between the Pat Toomey online efforts last spring, through the 2004 Presidential Election, on into the Seth Williams primary and most recently Latoyia Figueroa, and the Pennsylvania pay raise, Pennsylvania's local bloggers are affecting local politics, and pushing news forward that the local media doesn't.
Much to the chagrin of the establishment politicians and media, it can only be a good thing.
That's a nice piece...
and congrats on the mention of your blog, Alex. It's a high compliment to be targeted for this kind of story.