"Citizen Journalists" and "Blogging Brands" Review

While reading “Citizen Journalists” by Jill Rettberg I have realized that as bloggers we have the potential to not necessarily become journalists but we can even take it a step further and do more than a journalist typically does. Rettberg discusses three different ways in which blogging can approach journalism.

1.       First-hand reports from ongoing events.

2.       Bloggers set out to tell stories that might as well been told by journalists.

3.       Bloggers filter stories according to their interests. (Filterblogging)

If a blogger was reporting on location from a war I would love to read the information from such a close observation. However, I wouldn’t want to read what a soldier might document during a war that they were fighting in. I think this might show enemies how they are progressing and it could depress readers from the States. I do like the fact that bloggers have an inside view rather than the typical outside view in which journalists write their stories from.

Rettberg describes three stages of gatekeeping:  

1.       Input phase where news is gathered

2.       Output phase where news is published
3.       Response stage where readers comment on the news

Today, blogs need mainstream media and mainstream media need blogs. Blogs determine which news stories readers actually end up seeing. Blogs can even give readers a more correct story than what journalists would write about.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Do Americans trust filterbloggers or journalists more?
2. Do bloggers pounce on the mistakes made by traditional media because they are proving a point of how valid their points are and how serious other blogs should be taken?

After reading "Blogging Brands" by Jill Rettberg I tried to think of ways in which I could make this blog profitable. Literally just typing and writing whatever comes to my mind could get me money. Advertisers use blogs to attract attention to their products. Businesses that use blogs allow themselves to speak directly to consumers rather than through media. Bloggers all together have made over half a billion dollars. This is done by one of three ways:

1. Advertisements on pages
2. Micropatronage
3. Sponsored posts.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How do advertising companies find blogs that will represent their product well?
2. Does advertising on blogs work for the advertiser?