Overheard in the Blogosphere 12

Forget about trying to find something radically different to explore, some new topic or subject, unless you are
authentically compelled to do so. Forget about trying to crank out another list, product, service or widget and then market the hell out of it.

Focus instead, on the much harder work of developing your voice. (Jonathan Fields)

Everyone has noticed recently (over the past few years and in particular lately) how dominant Wikipedia is in Google results.

Well, I guess Google’s noticed too, and decided it wants to own the second click, as well as the first. (John Batelle)

Hazinski goes on to say that bloggers and folks in the wilds of social media “can be valuable addition to news and information flow” if the protections of regulations and journalism schools are used to “certify citizen journalists in proper ethics and procedures.” Are these the proper ethics and procedures that Mark Halperin and Dan Rather adhered to during the last presidential campaign cycle, I wonder? What about the Fox News Channel? What about Helen Thomas, who can barely form a cogent thought during White House briefings, yet somehow is afforded the honor of first chair status in the briefing room. This is from whom I’m supposed to take my criticism? (Mark “Rizzn” Hopkins)

Societal ideals around what constitutes ownership over art are changing. People who try to protect and silo off their work are simply being ignored. Those that embrace the community, and give back to it not only allowing but asking for their work to be mashed up, re-used and otherwise embraced are being rewarded with attention. At the core is a basic implicit understanding – if you want to be part of the community, you have to give back to it, too. (Michael Arrington)