November 23, 2005
Heh
Reason No. 4,354,355 why I love the Blogsphere: The PajamaMedia Death Pool.
I have a vague recollection that we were invited to join PJM way back in the day. Either that, or we were almost invited. Or something. Obviously, I didn't pay much attention and we never went anywhere with it.
Yips! to Ann Althouse.
UPDATE: Uh, oh. Apparently, Death won't stop it!
UPDATE DEUX: A long-time and valued reader writes into the Tasty-Bits Mail Sack to ask just why exactly the Right side of the Blogsphere seems to be so hacked at the whole PJM/OSM project. I tell you truly that I really don't know the answer. If I had to guess, I would say that bloggers in general tend to be free-wheeling individualists and this project smacks too much of regimentation for them. I'm sure somebody else out there has a more lucid explanation, though. As I say, we Llamas really haven't paid any attention to the whole thing and we really don't have a bone in this fight. I got a chuckle out of the posts I linked above not because of any kind of PJM shadenfreude, but simply because I enjoy that kind of creative, snarky humor.
YIPS from Steve: Here's my memory of the events: around in May, when there was talk about the whole thing, I emailed Roger Simon and he very politely sent me over the paperwork. I read through, was a little confused on the whole issue of editorial control (probably because I had had a few beers), and then promptly forgot to forward it over to the LLama Legal Division. Imminent rueage, I know.
As I responded privately to Cathy, hey, I as much as anyone want to figure out/see arise the profitable business model to shake some serious cash out of blogging. I have some solid ideas about blogging and the entertainment industry if any moguls/aspiring moguls would like to find out. I hope the pajama stuff works out for those guys. I think my reasoning on passing was reinforced talking over beers with Dr. Rusty Shackleford and Dr. Chaos---I don't want to feel like I have to blog, to have blogging be a job. Money would be great, but for right now it's the hobby and fun outlet, and I want to keep it that way.
Posted by Robert at November 23, 2005 09:37 AM | TrackBackPeople are reading way too much into this, and are getting all worked up over nothing.
Basically, as I understand it, Charles, Roger, et al. sent out a list of invites. They asked, in the invite, for bloggers to pass it on to others who might be interested. I got it second hand from Patterico. I looked at the names and said, "Yeah, I trust Roger L. Simon not to hose me" and I sent it in. I've gotten half a dozen emails; basically they had to draw a dividing line between the big boys and the little ones. I got an email saying I was too small to be on their main list (the 70 big ones) and so they offered to make me a junior affiliate, or some such. I'm on their blogroll. I'm not getting any money from them and don't have to host any ads, etc.
It is merely a way of aggregating blogs to try to get some revenue muscle. People are acting as if it is a dark conspiracy to destroy freedom of speech or to exclude people -- or are attacking it for no good reason.
Personally, I think if Pajamas succeed, it will help the blogosphere immensely, because it will open up sources of funding for all of us, by showing a model that works. It also gives us a powerful advocacy group when Nanny politicans decide to try to regulate blogs.
Naturally, I hope someday to be promoted to "The Show" on their main list in 2006, but if I'm not, I'll go elsewhere, no hard feelings. Blogads, maybe. Those bastards have not even responded to my inquiries. At least Glenn and Co. linked me.
Posted by: The Colossus at November 23, 2005 11:15 AMI think Colossuss makes the point succinctly; that is that Charles is trying to aggregate the blogosphere in order to draw revenue. Is there something wrong with that? Let's have a discussion. But, to attack the enerprise just for fun is wrong headed thinking. Especially from the right side of the blogosphere.
Posted by: babs at November 23, 2005 12:19 PM
