Credibility
Rands elaborates a bit on a comment Brent Simmons (of NetNewsWire fame) said in an interview.
After sitting staring at the ceiling thinking about this comment, I realize it crystallized, for me, a very basic question about how to think about weblogs. The painfully simple question is, “What is a weblog?” The painfully simple answer is, “A weblog is the representation of a person on the Internet.”
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This explains why I get the heebie-jeebies when I read the AlwaysOn site or even the Corante blog pieces. I stare at the masthead wondering, “Hey, are these people speaking for themselves or for the corporation?” Their association with a faceless corporate entity, in my opinion, decreases their credibility. Even Gillmor bugs me because I don’t know if his weblog is his voice or his voice translated by the mothership.
What usually hooks me on a blog is the writing style. The irreverent eloquence of Dean Allen got me hooked at once, though the actual content itself, quite frankly, is far from unique. Mark Pilgrim certainly has a lot of technical expertise, but nothing I can’t find elsewhere. It’s his personal stories that interest me the most.
Rands is my most recent addition to the list of people who write interesting stuff. I recommend his list of HOLY SHIT! moments. I might write a HOLY SHIT! list of my own some time.