I read this post last week on why it’s not yet time for bloggers to capitulate to Facebook. I found myself nodding along in agreement even before I had read the post. I certainly think the proponents of the ‘Blogs are Dead’ theory are premature. As Jon Worth points out, political blogs are simply undergoing a process of change. Whilst heavyweights such as Iain Dale and Tom Harris have stopped (Hopi Sen has also slowed down) and hobby bloggers have gotten bored, the mainstream media are stepping in to have some fun. Furthermore, the way of the future looks to be collaborative blogging.
The issue of collaboration is a murky one, however. A new aggregator site, The London Tribune, was recently set up. Essentially it regurgitated blogposts from multiple London bloggers (with accreditation) so that those with not much time on their hands could go to one place and have an overview of London news, politics and cultural stories/events. Some bloggers, such as the author of the excellent 853, took exception to what was perecived to be outright ‘content theft’. I did ask why he had taken such umbrage to his posts being aggregated but still no reply as this goes to press, so it were.
Intriguingly, The London Tribune site is no more. Try visiting the home page and you will be met with “Sorry, but you are looking for something that isn’t here.” A pity.
