I just saw a link from Nikke Finke's DeadlineHollywood Daily to Vanity Fair's "BlogOpticon" , which has what it considers to be "relevant" and "well-read" blogs.
They've got a good set of blogs divided into four squares on a kind of scale grid. Some of my favs are there, like Valleywag. But you know what kills me, with the exception of Michelle Malkin, who's an Asian Woman but who writes as if she wishes she was a White conservative spinster, there's no other obvious blogger of color and none who are Black.
Now, it's not because there are not blogs out there who are popular and written by people who happen to be Black, like me. But it points to a kind of blind eye to the fact that if a person's Black, and they're blogging, they don't have to write about "Black matters" to be read.
It reminds me of James Woods' line in Oliver Stones' Nixon, where he says "There's that Negro saying Negro things!" Well I think some people expect "Negros" to say "Negro" things, so they can categorize them. And when they don't then they're a "Black Conservative."
How retarded.
How and why this freaking list.. was formed is beyond me and fairness (read on), but it's here. I feel sorry not for me, but for bloggers like Natasha, the East Cost law student -- as of this writing -- who has the wonderful blog "Young Black and Fabulous" about Black celebs. Oh, so you say that's a "Black Blog", well how the hell do you explain "Stuff White People Like?" It's a blog designed to draw White People to read it by making fun of White People. You know, many people don't even know what that term is. Well, what it is are people who don't consider themselves "of color". And that certainly shows up in this Vanity Fair chart.
Makes me wanna puke.
Vanity Fair writes that it's picked the "most influential blogs" -- gimme a freaking break. Ze Frank lost his steam a long time ago. Rocketboom.com is a has-been vlog. Hey it was the first, but let's face it, it's surrounded by a sea of new vlogs that draw viewers, like Renetto on YouTube.
Rocketboom's seen better traffic days, especially around the time the great Amanda Congdon was there. Joanne Colon's run as "Hottest Woman on The Internet" was replaced by a bevy of women in nude photos, like Lindsay Lohan, to fully-clothed female bodybuilder Kristy Hawkins.
And click on Rocketboom.com -- what do you see? A damn pop-up ad for..Vanity Fair. So let me get this straight -- the "most influential blogs" are really just those that have ads regarding Vanity Fair.
If Vanity is "the excessive belief in one's own abilities or attractiveness to others" then Vanity Fair's playing true to form. But it seems to be saying that it's only attractive to White People.
Maybe I'll think twice before laying down money for a VF in the future.
Your assessment was not only weak, it was also wrong.
ReplyDeleteRegarding view counts for videoblogs, you cant use Alexa, sorry. Compete named RB the fastest growing video startup from Mar 2007 - Marc 2008 based on public data.
Also, Rocketboom does not run any ads right now, and def no ads for vanity fair. Did you click on the wrong link? Whatever the case is, your rant is inaccurate on this point as a matter of fact.
To say Rocketboom is a "has been" is a mistake. I would suggest that you "havent been" paying attention. It sounds like you are upset about the lack of black people cited, okay, worth pointing out, but then you become confused and actually do what you criticize Vanity Fair of doing, which is being vain and critical of other people.
BTW, Ze Frank is still very relevant because he is talented. You just havent been paying attention.
Andrew I have to take you on here, because first of all you benefit from VF, so it's a bit of a stretch to cement what they've done. In other words, your point would have power if you were not the beneficiary of their exposure.
ReplyDeleteSecond, my main point you agree with, thus it's not logical to state that my assessment was weak.
Third, what set me on the run toward criticism is that I did see Vanity Fair come up as an ad partner when I went to RB from Vanity Fair. That happened.
Finally, I have been paying attention to Rocketboom myself. But the simple fact is that you were the pioneer and now there are "copies" if you will.
A lot of them.
It's not personal; it's only business.
I have the right to be critical. What I rail against is the idea that there are a fixed set of "standard" blogs and vlogs in a sea of new talent. Myopia is not a quality in New Media.
All that written, let me take time to celebrate your pioneering work in setting the state for the rest of us.
Regardless of what I write, no one can take that away from you.