What I learned from Jon Stewart about blogging & liveblogging
Posted by Mukund Mohan at 8/27/2008 10:31 PM 
Categories: Twitter,Links,News and Happening,Blogging,Best Practice
Categories: Twitter,Links,News and Happening,Blogging,Best Practice
SF Chronicle has a great piece from Jon Stewart on the DNC '08. There's are several money quotes:
He's frustrated that the cable networks don't have the attention span to explore stories - particularly about the run-up to the Iraq war - that aren't easily digestible for TV. Stewart said he loves newspapers, and reading them makes him feel like they're writing about a different world from the one he sees on television.
I think liveblogging is similar to Network news. You have no time to process, not time to think and really understand what's going on. I did that during the Bangalore blast attacks and while it served its purpose, it was mostly a real-time perspective, which somehow in the grand scheme of things seemed small.
So what have I learned from Jon Stewart:
1. It's about earning your authority back. If you want to be taken seriously in any field, blogging is a good way to gain credibility by sharing your thoughts, analysis and perspectives. But if you dont spend serious time thinking about it and primarily just repeating what you heard, its just yet another source NOT an authoritative source. You have to be a thought leader not just another repeater. I think TechCrunch is good, as a news breaker, but they dont have depth and authority as some of the reviews I have seen featured on Hacker news.
2. Constantly aim to get better even if you are the best at what you do. After each show, Stewart gathers his cast and crew together to discuss that night's successes and directly points out what could have gone better.
3. Focus in a blog beats exclusive stories most times. Jon's very focused on what he wants the show to be.
I have watched my blog traffic and on days I dont post I get a ton of traffic (wierd isnt it?). I figure its because people take some time to read, form their opinion and then either link to me (which is the #1 source of my traffic BTW) or search and get to my website (#2 source of traffic). I used to focus on exclusive stories which no one else talks about, but then realized it was more about consistency and focus than just being exclusive.
"We've fallen into this false sense of urgency that they create," Stewart said. "That idea that everything is breaking news and that if you're not watching us, you're going to miss this thing.
"But nothing they're saying is of any import because nobody filters it. (Print reporters) are able to step back for a moment and think. They're not. They're just pointing a camera and saying, 'What do you think that is? I don't know. Let's go to 'The Situation Room.He's frustrated that the cable networks don't have the attention span to explore stories - particularly about the run-up to the Iraq war - that aren't easily digestible for TV. Stewart said he loves newspapers, and reading them makes him feel like they're writing about a different world from the one he sees on television.
I think liveblogging is similar to Network news. You have no time to process, not time to think and really understand what's going on. I did that during the Bangalore blast attacks and while it served its purpose, it was mostly a real-time perspective, which somehow in the grand scheme of things seemed small.
So what have I learned from Jon Stewart:
1. It's about earning your authority back. If you want to be taken seriously in any field, blogging is a good way to gain credibility by sharing your thoughts, analysis and perspectives. But if you dont spend serious time thinking about it and primarily just repeating what you heard, its just yet another source NOT an authoritative source. You have to be a thought leader not just another repeater. I think TechCrunch is good, as a news breaker, but they dont have depth and authority as some of the reviews I have seen featured on Hacker news.
2. Constantly aim to get better even if you are the best at what you do. After each show, Stewart gathers his cast and crew together to discuss that night's successes and directly points out what could have gone better.
3. Focus in a blog beats exclusive stories most times. Jon's very focused on what he wants the show to be.
I have watched my blog traffic and on days I dont post I get a ton of traffic (wierd isnt it?). I figure its because people take some time to read, form their opinion and then either link to me (which is the #1 source of my traffic BTW) or search and get to my website (#2 source of traffic). I used to focus on exclusive stories which no one else talks about, but then realized it was more about consistency and focus than just being exclusive.
Great post, Makund.Especially like the analogy of liveblogging to tv news. To me Twitter and the like are water cooler conversations. Good blog posts are like the best Op-Ed articles -- or Daily Show skits: they have a point of view, make a case, and make you think. I'll take the latter over the former, but enjoy both for different reasons.
Lois
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So am not alone on this - thank you.I felt the same way as people have sent me emails, indicating they want to twitter. My favorite quotes at this DNC are from the new, reluctant "dean" of journalism have been from JS. Ben Stein also wrote in this Sunday's NYT re letting go of tech to connect
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I tend to agree with you. Alternatively, I think engaging people in a shared interest chat room on a hosted site like Tech President did for at least one of the live debates or like Huff Po did on Campfire for the YouTube presidential debates there is a rather interesting community effect. Realize, these were pretty much all democrats and so were united in purpose on some level.
I also think some people are incredibly skilled at the art of grabbing an idea or a nugget of info from a speech or presentation that really adds value via liveblogging.
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