'Death by Blogging' Story Was Pure Hooey

After two notable commentators die, blogosphere faces lifestyle toll

(NEWSER) - The news cycle never stops, and neither do the bloggers who relentlessly chase stories, enduring a sweatshop kind of life stressful enough to apparently induce heart attacks. Two prominent web commentators have died in the last few months, and the community is reflecting on the toll of its hardcore, caffeine-fueled, take-no-prisoners lifestyle, the New York Times reports. More»

(NEWSER) - If you think blogs are useless, think again: Scientists have developed a “hedonometer,” or happiness gauge, that analyzes personal online statements to pinpoint the overall contentment of the US population on a given day, the Discovery Channel reports. The program looks at sentences beginning with “I feel” and then grades the statement based on what follows. “Triumphant” gets an 8.87; “hostage” scores a 2.20. More»

(NEWSER) - The blogosphere might not be the future of news sprung fully formed from the corpse of old media, Michael Massing writes in the New York Review of Books, but neither is it “parasite” feeding on newspapers. “The practice of journalism, far from being leeched by the Web, is being reinvented there, with a variety of fascinating experiments in the gathering, presentation, and delivery of news.” More»

Linkability is key, blogger writes

(NEWSER) - While the blogosphere is generally considered a free-for-all medium where any topic or opinion is fair game, it’s actually governed by narrow rules, Jeremy Beer writes on Front Porch Republic. “It is uncommon for someone to write a piece about something that is not immediately pertinent to the contemporary ‘conversation’—as defined by the blogosphere,” he writes. That makes it rare for “anyone to write anything ‘original’ at all.” More»

(NEWSER) - Before newspapers held sway over politicians and maintained monopolies under federal anti-trust exemptions, they were a service people were willing to pay for, Michael Kinsley writes in the Washington Post. Even if “technology is on the verge of removing some traditionally vital organs of the body politic,” they will be replaced by what people want, and want to pay for. “If the New York Times disappears,” he says, “there will still be news.” More»