May

2

Blogosphere does not equal Internet

May 2, 2008 | 9 Comments

There is an interesting mini-controversy over whether or not a KSHB-41 reporter got a story idea from the KCTalk.com discussion board and failed to credit the source. Regardless of the controversy itself, it is interesting how the legacy media like John Landsberg are using the terms blog and blogosphere. At best it is an example of lazy reporting. At worst it is an xample of people struggling to report on something they don’t really understand

KCTalk.com is not a blog.  It is a discussion board. Calling it a blog would be like calling a sitcom a newscast.  Blogs and discussion boards are two very different types of web sites that happen to use the same medium, the Internet.

Categories: Media


Comments

9 Comments so far

  1. JL on May 2, 2008 12:39 pm

    Good point. I will correct it. I’m old. Cut me a break.

  2. Tony on May 2, 2008 2:05 pm

    I agree that there is a distinction but I’ve always wondered what it is . . . KC Talk has an RSS feed just like a blog but their content isn’t organized in a “most recent to oldest” format which is typical on most blogs. The site is written by multiple authors but so are many blogs. KC Talk is mostly discussion but it’s also true of the best blogs that the discussions are the most exciting part of the content. Is it simply a case of the software that they are using? Finally, most of the new case law and decisions that protect Internet speech apply across the board from discussion boards to webpages like Drudge to blogs. I’m just wondering: What is it about a blog that makes it a blog?

  3. bob berdella on May 2, 2008 2:53 pm

    KCtalk.com is for old people.

  4. mr. matt on May 3, 2008 8:30 am

    “knock knock”

    “who is there?”

    “who cares!!!!!!!!!!!”

  5. ryan on May 4, 2008 10:07 pm

    The distinction between a blog and a discussion board is a trivial one, and I think as the ‘net matures it will eventually not exist at all. The only difference is that at a “blog” there is an editor or a team of editors responsible for deciding which content makes the cut and which doesn’t, then discussion proceeds under “comments”. Say, like what is happening here. In a discussion board, the membership itself decides which content makes the cut by virtue of continually responding to it and keeping it “bumped” or at the top of the page.

    The similarities are greater than the differences, and I imagine that it won’t be long before the two concepts merge. They already have, sort of (see digg.com and others) but none of what we’ve seen so far are a full realization of the hybrid model. It won’t be long, though.

  6. Mr. Shaw of Pillsbury Law Firm on May 29, 2008 2:51 am

    KCTalk.com is also currently under litigation for violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

    I am personally handling this case out of our firm’s San Francisco Office.

  7. MadDawg on May 29, 2008 5:49 am

    The above is untrue. It was posted by a banned member of KCTalk, not a real attorney. I’m sure the folks at ‘Pillsbury Law Firm’ have more professionalism than that. In fact, I may just ask them about it…They likely wouldn’t like their names being used in false statements.

    As to whether KCTalk is a blog or not, it’s not a blog. One thing that always aggravates me is seeing KCTalk being called a blog. It’s not a blog! There is a distinct difference in blogs and forums.

    Blogs (web logs) are more like diaries (logs). Blogs are single posts/blurbs made and maintained by an individual or small group of individuals. Whereas a forum (discussion board) is a collection of threaded discussions maintained by many people. There is a difference.

    KCTalk is for old people? If you mean older than 17, sure….We have a wide range of ages, young and old.

  8. Dale Shaw, Esq. on May 29, 2008 9:52 am

    @MadDawg – Actually if you checked your server logs and Im sure if BlogKC were to do the same you would see that I am in fact visiting both KCTalk and BlogKC from our firms LAN.

    I do represent the banned member you speak of and you fail to mention that KCTalk’s founder just as of last night removed all content which was copyright of my client in order for litigation to end.

    You fail to realize though that 50% of the material on KCTalk.com is unlicensed copyrighted material in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

  9. Benja on May 29, 2008 10:01 am

    I wonder how many copyright owners KCTalk currently infringes on?

    Viacom?
    NBC?
    Fox?
    WWE?
    CNN?
    Associated Press?

    I mean KCTalk has tons of copyrighted photos and trademarked logos all over the site without exclusive written permission of the IP owners of these respected parties. Not to mention the fact that KCTalk.com not even being a registered legally entity cannot legally make “fair use” under federal law.

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