The more details that come out about Pajama Media’s proposed blogger network, the more interesting (and enticing) it is:
In a dramatic sign that Web logs are going mainstream, three of the largest political blogs are banding together to form what is believed to be a first-of-its kind ad-supported network.
To broaden their appeal beyond national security issues, the three – ArmedLiberal.com, RogerLSimon.com, and LittleGreenFootballs.com – will receive editorial advice from the owner of one of the most heavily trafficked blogs, Instapundit.com’s Glenn Reynolds, among others.
The venture will be called Pajamas Media, a not-so-subtle reference to the September remarks of a CNN executive, Jonathan Klein, who said a typical blogger has “no checks and balances” and is just “a guy sitting in his living room in his pajamas.”
No launch date has been set. The idea of Pajamas Media is to use an extensive network of globally affiliated blogs to provide first-person, in-depth coverage of most major news events, including both camera and video footage, Roger Simon said.
We got an invitation to one other blogger network some months ago, and to this one as well. This one sounds particularly interesting due to the journalistic idea behind it and the thought that this New York Sun piece shows is being put into the economic bottom line.
The journalistic:
Mr. Reynolds argued that the work of the blogger-reporters of Pajamas Media would improve the quality of reporting on major events.“Hopefully, reporters from larger organizations will use us as another resource to cite when they report on a big story,” he said. “We’re not a threat to their jobs, but we’ll make them do their jobs better since their will be another record out there.”
From a practical perspective, he said, one of the goals of the founders, once financing is in place, is to get a handheld camcorder and a laptop notebook into the hands of all their affiliated bloggers.
That would indeed create a network that would go beyond role of most blogs, which seems to be extended op-ed pages with opinions written on pieces already published online (such as this post you’re reading right now).
The economic:
The economics of launching what is in effect a global blog-based wire service is complex but not insurmountable, Mr. Simon said.“We have about seven different investment offers on the table right now,” he said, “so getting off the ground shouldn’t be a problem.”
Syndicating advertisements through affiliated blogs so that advertisers reach a global network, according to LittleGreenFootball’s Mr. Johnson, will sustain the project.
Citing demographic research he said he has done on his site, he said: “We’ve got a lot to offer advertisers. My blog and many others have a lot of six-figure readers, a lot of graduate degrees, and reader loyalty.”
Mr. Simon went a step further, saying his readers, based on an informal survey he did on his site three months ago, have a median income of $100,000. His blog averages about 18,000 unique visitors a day.
The timing is right for Pajamas Media’s advertising syndication approach, according to the president of a marketing company for Web sites, Tom Hespos, who said the key to successful advertising on blogs is tapping into what he called “their audience dedication.” He said blog readers will frequently log into their favorite sites three or four times a day and often do not ignore or dismiss advertisements as readily as they do in print or on television.
BOTTTOM LINE: this seems to be the subject of serious thought. It would be useful if the writings of bloggers who usually started a weblog as a hobby could get be placed beyond weblogs and generate some income. One drawback for blogs is how identified they become with one particular viewpoint. If this new venture can recuit blogs from all over the political landscape to avoid it from being branded as a news service coming from one particular viewpoint its credibility will be enhanced. If it gets the reputation of being a kind of Fox News for bloggers its recruitment and usage appeal would be limited.
And in the end, if it becomes too corporate, will bloggers have to ditch the pajamas?
Joe Gandelman is a former fulltime journalist who freelanced in India, Spain, Bangladesh and Cypress writing for publications such as the Christian Science Monitor and Newsweek. He also did radio reports from Madrid for NPR’s All Things Considered. He has worked on two U.S. newspapers and quit the news biz in 1990 to go into entertainment. He also has written for The Week and several online publications, did a column for Cagle Cartoons Syndicate and has appeared on CNN.