ME: How did you get interested in and begin blogging?
BC: I've always been a student of politics, so during the 2004 election season I opened up a political discussion forum on my animation studio's website where I posted daily news blurbs and a ton of commentary. It was around that same time when I began reading a few of the earliest political blogs like DailyKos, Bill Scher's Liberal Oasis and, of course, Atrios.
ME: How did you end up working with the Huffington Post?
BC: Oddly enough, a colleague in animation mentioned me to Roy Sekoff, the founding editor at Huffington Post. During the first couple of months after Huffington launched, they were thinking about doing some animated political cartoons, so that's how the initial connection was made. But when I first spoke with Roy, I mentioned that I've done more political writing than animation, and while we developed the animation for Huffington Post, maybe I could write some columns. So he hooked me up with a password and I began blogging right away. August of 2005. The animated thing never happened, though, which is fine with me. This has been a dream gig.
ME: How did you get your blog noticed? How did the Huffington Post help with this?
BC: I started my personal blog in November 2004 under the title "Reality Based Nation" but I abandoned it when I started blogging for Huffington. However, by the autumn of 2007, I had gained a lot of readers at Huffington, so I thought I should perhaps re-brand my personal blog as a way to maybe earn some beer money from my Huffington traffic. That's really how the traffic flow began. I also built a readership through my blogging about the Obama campaign and the primary feud with the Clintons.
ME: How do your political beliefs affect your blogging?
BC: My blogging is all about my political beliefs. I think sometimes I shock some readers with some of my views though, since I'm not really a typical liberal blogger/activist. For instance, as I mentioned, I endorsed Barack Obama while other bloggers were still supporting John Edwards or Hillary Clinton for the nomination. When I suggested that Obama is more in line with the views of the wider liberal/progressive blogosphere and that some of the top-shelf bloggers should endorse, I caught a lot of flack from some bloggers who I really admired. That wasn't fun. And recently, I didn't particularly like the idea of a reporter hurling a shoe at the president. While the record shows that I'm no fan of George W. Bush, I don't think it's smart to support anyone who physically accosts the president -- no matter who he or she is.
ME: What are your favorite blogs to read? And why?
BC: My favorites:
Huffington Post (of course)
Chez Pazienza's Deus Ex Malcontent
The Political Carnival
Crooks & Liars (I also occasionally blog there)
Talking Points Memo
Hullabaloo
BooMan Tribune
TBogg
Think Progress
Think Progress
There are so many.
ME: What can you accomplish through new media that hadn't been possible beforehand?
BC: Everyone with a computer now has a shot at publicly voicing their opinion. It's very close to being the First Amendment in its purest form. If computers and internet connections affordable for everyone, it would be a flawless representation of First Amendment ideals.
ME: How has your outside work as a screenwriter, director, talk radio host, and reporter influenced the way that you blog?
BC: I think these other aspects of my career have helped me to be a little more entertaining and concise. At least, I hope that's the case.
ME: How do you get the information for your pieces?
BC: My personal blog is the first draft for my Huffington Post columns, so I collect information there. But I find it through other blogs, the various news sites and, of course, the Google.
ME: How do you construct your articles?
BC: I usually spend half of my Wednesdays thinking about a topic that'll work on the Huffington Post. My first duty is to bring traffic to Huffington, so it has to be a topic that will resonate with readers. Then I usually hammer out something in roughly three hours, then post at around 6PM eastern time. Usually, everything I write is a first draft -- just to keep the spontaneity. I usually never re-write anything from scratch, though I've had plenty of false starts.
ME: How do you decide what to blog about?
BC: Again, it has to be something which will resonate with readers, but also something I'm passionate about. My worst columns were topics that either I was asked to write about, or topics that I didn't really have a strong opinion (or a half-developed opinion) about.
ME: Should there be a standard format for blogs? Why or Why not?
BC: I don't think so. It seems like formats are as unique as the blogger, and that's important. I wouldn't want to wear your clothes and vice versa.
ME:Where do you see the future of blogs going?
BC: It'll be a constant process of boiling. Some blogs will rise to the surface and remain there, while others will come and go. Other bloggers will become huge and then migrate to the establishment media (Ana Marie Cox, for instance, went from blogging to TIME magazine). And other blogs will become more news oriented, like Talking Points Memo. The sites that will remain on top are the sites that continue to evolve and grow.
ME: Do you think that blogs seem to be supplanting the old style of media? If so, do you think that this is a good thing?
BC: Maybe and probably not. Old media is important and I hope it doesn't become supplanted by the blogs. We need well-funded news agencies and journalists tracking down the stories and, at least, pretending to adhere to some sort of journalistic standards. Of course, there's always a chance that all of journalism will evolve into blogging, but I don't think that'll happen. However, blogs will become increasingly important in terms of shaping what gets covered. We've already seen evidence of this. The symbiotic relationship will tighten -- old media providing fodder for the blogs and the blogs, in turn, providing guidance for old media and on and on.
No comments:
Post a Comment