RE: Blogs replace newsletters?

["Nuckols, Kenneth M" <Kenneth -dot- Nuckols -at- mybrighthouse -dot- com>]

Bill Swallow said, in part...

> 
> > What really is the difference between a blog and another CMS or web
> > publishing strategy?
> 
> A blog is a very basic form of CMS/web publishing tool.
> 

I would argue that a blog represents the ABSENCE of a CMS. There is no
filter, no purpose, no requirement, no agenda for creating a blog other
than the desire for self-expression. It is, in its purest form, an
online diary.

And certainly there can be as many reasons for keeping a blog as there
are for keeping an online diary. But I would suggest that when a person
(or an organization such as an STC chapter like the original kickoff
post of this thread suggested) tries to put too much purpose and focused
content into a blog, it ceases being a true blog and becomes more like
an online newsletter or online column. I'll post two examples for your
consideration, both of which I use from time to time in my work:

Exhibit A: The fairly famous and globally respected Roubini Global
Economics Blog kept by Nouriel Roubini, a professor of Economics at NYU:
http://www.rgemonitor.com/blog/roubini/

I would say that this is a blog that has ceased being a true blog and
has become a bona fide news service. Apparently among theoretical macro
economists, Nouriel Roubini's thoughts carry about as much weight as
Alan Greenspan's reports carry on Wall Street. The posts are dense,
filled with facts, observations, and historical trends, and they can
also be quite interesting (if you find economics interesting).


Exhibit B: Light Reading Blogs: http://www.lightreading.com/blogs.asp

Light Reading is a Telecom Industry web site that reports on trends,
mergers, marketing, technology, legal, political, and economic factors
that impact the Telecommunications industry (my company's sector). The
editors of the Light Reading site (which is full of useful and practical
information that I use from time to time in my work) each keep blogs
that rarely, if ever, have anything to do with the telecom industry.
Just click on any one of the individual bloggers and see their recent
posts and you'll see what I mean. This is a true blog--because when you
see a new post you have no idea whether it will be a serious news story,
a humorous link, or something just disturbing.

Anyway, I think what Milan's original post probably more envisioned was
something closer to the Roubini blog than the Light Reading blog, and as
I have said I think that pretty much ceases being a blog and becomes an
online newsletter, with the added feature of allowing interactive
discussion appended to each "feature" or article.

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