And you thought the Virginia SOB idea was intrusive! Thursday, December 14, 2006
Posted by Conaway B. Haskins III in Uncategorized.trackback
Today, the Media Bloggers Association highlighted an AP article featured on the Mercury News about the groups direction. Apparently, MBA head Robert Cox wants to increase the professionalism of blogs and blogging, elevated the craft to similar stature as the traditional media. The article notes that “Cox is about to unveil new membership policies designed to help bloggers who see themselves more as journalists than freeform diarists…Among the planned criteria: Members would have to take an online course offered by the Poynter Institute, a journalism think tank, covering legal issues related to blogging.“
Trying to write like journalists is one thing, and having a baseline of conduct is fine. But, adopting similarly stringent rules as the MSM operates under is another kettle of fish entirely.
The MBA may be heading down the road toward greater self-regulation, thus increasing the chasm between the various styles of public affairs blogging. Having applied for membership to this group back in May, I had no problems adopting their existing code of ethics. I even recommended it as a model for the Virginia SOB project. Having not heard back from them yet as to whether my application was accepted, I’m beginning to question whether I’d want to go through such rigorous membership rituals.
Though I’m not yet giving up on the SOB idea (in spite of the tepid response to date), I do have a greater understanding of the feelings of those bloggers around Virginia who heartily lambasted the notion when it was proposed. There is a point at which self-policing leads to sterilization of the medium’s uniqueness. From the looks of things, the MBA may be headed down that very road. With the article also noting that a fee-structure is in the offing for the organization, I have my doubts as to whether its worth the price of admission to go that far. For now, I guess we’ll have to wait and see…
You don’t know the status of your membership application six months after applying? I don’t think you want to be a member of that group. For an association representing new media and participatory media to be that old school is highly ironic.
Yeah, the customer service element leaves much to be desired, especially for a “new media” organization. It’s not like I’d have a problem with the requirements, but holding on to my application while they decided how much to charge is just ridiculous.
You know what’s bugging me even more? Nobody from MBA has stopped by to leave a comment here! Of all associations, they should know when someone is blogging about them.
OK, I admit I’ve been tepid. But not because I don’t like the idea, just tell us where we need to go now Conaway.