An Ol' Broad's Ramblings
Not Even An “Honorable Mention”?
Heh. Well, no, I guess not. I’m not one of the biggies in Tennessee. Not for the lack of trying mind you, but hey, I’ve only been on the TN BNN a month or two. Even if I WAS at #2 last week, and at #3 THIS week. sigh…
Tennessee’s blogosphere has something special
Pull up a keyboard and let’s see what’s on Tennessee’s mind today.
Over at Tiny Cat Pants, blogger Aunt B is tearing into the governor. Elsewhere, the Blue Collar Muse is kicking around the left wing. At Nashville 21, Sean Braisted is weighing in on the conflict in Georgia. Bill Hobbs thinks Barack Obama might be a drag on the ticket for Tennessee Democrats.
Links added by yours truly. Well, except for one, and I can’t figure out if they got the name wrong, or my links are messed up.
Welcome to the Tennessee political blogosphere: where citizen journalists, amateur pundits and wiseacres with broadband access endlessly type and snipe.
It’s a well established, highly organized and highly readable subculture with a devoted following among political junkies, casual Web surfers, politicians and reporters alike.
Organized? Well, ok. Yeah, maybe it is at that. There are several websites in Tennessee dedicated solely to bring some semblance of order into an otherwise random venue. TennesseeFree and The Tennessee ConserVOLiance are just two that pop into mind at the moment.
Bloggers come and go, as we’ve all seen over the last few years. Some, work hard, and dedicate a lot of time putting their heart and soul into sharing opinions, news, and views. Others, get a wild hair, and say “Hey! I’m going to be a blogger today!” Then fall by the wayside, when either boredom sets in, or actual LIFE gets in the way. I’d say it’s even possible for a really GOOD blogger/writer these days to make a few bucks, IF they want to. Not me…I wouldn’t even know where to start. Heh. Although the Mr might appreciate a dollar or two contribution to the kitty. 
Much of the credit, or blame, for Tennessee’s unusually organized and cohesive political blogosphere tends to go to University of Tennessee law school professor Glenn Reynolds, who operates one of the most widely read political blogs in the nation, Instapundit.
Professor Reynolds seems to get quoted a lot in various areas. Just an observation.
“The Tennessee blogosphere is pretty mutually supportive for the most part,” said Reynolds, who rarely focuses on Tennessee politics, but has helped countless Tennessee bloggers reach a wider audience over the years by pointing his readers their way. “They may be more courteous to each other than bloggers in general.”
For the most part, I will agree with his assessment of Tennessee bloggers. I have yet to come across across a blogger, left or right, who personally attacks fellow bloggers from the opposite side ‘of the aisle’. It’s rather refreshing actually.
Cogito ergo blogito — I think, therefore I blog — is the motto of Ken Marrero, who blogs as the Blue Collar Muse.
Yes, he definitely thinks! And quite well too, actually! If you’ve never checked out his stuff, I can assure you, it’s well worth your time.
“I got tired of watching my wife and children roll their eyes while I yelled at the TV,” said Marrero, a Hermitage resident who owns a small recycling company and who has been blogging for about 18 months. In the words of a friend, he “went from yelling at an inanimate object to pounding on one.”
I can certainly relate. However, sitting down to the keyboard does NOT keep me from venting at the idjit box now and then, as the Mr can attest.
All in all, bloggers are the media of the moment. No doubt, there will be something coming along in a few years that will replace all the armchair pundits, but until that time, look for new sites to crop up, old favored ones to fade away, and a cornucopia of opinions. Cuz you know what they say about opinions…..
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Yeah… [sigh]
It’s RedHatRob… not RedHatBob…
sheesh…
http://redhatrob.wordpress.com
@RedHatRob:
Interesting site ya got there ROB!
I like the one about Jamestown. Grew up in that area as a young sprout, and know ALL kinds of stuff about it. LOL Obviously, visited many times during my years. Even took kid and one grandkid, so far, back to visit. 