Com 125 Assignment 9- Bloggin' with a Purpose

Back at the end of August when COM 125 class began, I was first introduced to the world of the blogosphere. Prior to then, I had already formed an opinion on blogs; you could even call it a stereotype. I imagined that the majority of people who were blogging were preteens or teens using it to update their friends about their lives, complain about adults, school, and other teen drama- basically giving their peers insight to their own inner thoughts and feelings. However, when I became an active participant in the blogosphere, my eyes were opened to the fact that it is not just one particular kind of individual who blogs, but in fact, bloggers come from all walks of life, contributing their various forms of knowledge to a very diverse pool of information that is the blogosphere.

Today with the presidential election right around the corner, some of the most popular types of blogs you will find are political blogs. A local political blog that I have recently come across is The Buffalo Pundit (URL: http://buffalopundit.wnymedia.net/blogs/the-buffalo-pundit-faq-10). The blogger behind it is Alan Bedenko, a lawyer working in Buffalo, New York. The blog began in September, 2003 under the name, "WNY for Wesley Clark." When Clark left the campaign in 2004, it became The Buffalo Pundit and focused more on local issues, rather than national ones. The blog's Technorati rank is 112,530.


The Buffalo Pundit is very reader-friendly and filled with images and video clips for the politically-challenged person like myself who rarely gets around to watching the news. It's very up-to-date, with several posts a day that discuss the various political topics almost immediately after they arise. The posts are very well written and researched, containing many direct quotes. However, the most appealing aspect to me because the political jargon can get pretty boring, is that the blog is full of sarcastic remarks, strategically placed to get a rise out of you. I like The Buffalo Pundit’s "tell-it-like-it-is" attitude, with Bedenko definitely not shying away from stating his opinion. In reading the posts, it's obvious that he is a Democrat for Obama, and doesn't think much about Palin, calling her an "ignorant culture warrior."

What's great about The Buffalo Pundit is it encompasses not only national, but local politics as well. For instance, today (10/23/08) there are posts about Kryzan, Delano, Lee, and Stachowski. Bedenko’s posts on the candidates are a lot like his ones for the national candidates: ruthless. His strong opinions has stimulated a lot of thinking on the part of blog readers, with each post receiving numerous comments from people with opinions just as strong as Bedenko’s.

After all, the buzz generated in blogs like The Buffalo Pundit may be what it takes for local politicians to win their elections. As Kari Chisholm, (a blogger for Politics and Technology) writes, "It seems that everyone is talking about blogs these days, but much of the coverage is all about the big national blogs that get millions of hits. But for most political campaigns, it's the local blogs that can make a big difference - generating buzz, finding donors and volunteers, and driving media coverage." Because local politicians often don't have the financial resources to reach as many people they would like, blogs are ways for them to get their message across without spending any money at all. Blogs can also give the everyday person like Bedenko the opportunity to spread their opinions about the candidates: all it takes is access to the internet.


However, now not only are bloggers opinions’ being heard, they are making a difference. Kristen Searer (the Nevada Democrats spokesperson) makes the point, "The beauty of bloggers is they have an audience of the right people. If they break news, then insiders in politics and mainstream media are likely to pick it up." In order to get ahead, many local politicians are not only creating their own blogs for their campaign, but also watching key blogs like The Buffalo Pundit that have great influence in the local area, to see what's being said about them. Greg Speed (former spokesperson for the DCCC) says, "Speed added that in battleground areas, keeping an eye on what the blogging community is saying can be an important part of running a campaign”. Finding and correcting rumors being spread about them is a great way for a local politician to maintain a favorable image of their self. Their own blog is the perfect place for them to do this and make sure people know all the facts before they begin to form an opinion on the candidate.

Sources:

Bedenko, A. (2008). Retrieved 23 October, 2008, from Buffalo Pundit Web site: http://buffalopundit.wnymedia.net/blogs/the-buffalo-pundit-faq-10

Chisholm, K. (21 November 2005). 2006: The Rise of Local Politics. Retrieved 23 October, 2008, from Politics and Technology Web site: http://www.politicsandtechnology.com/2005/11/2006_the_rise_o.html