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May 03, 2005

Blogs Make a Stab at Going Mainstream

The New York Sun notices the "Pajamas Media" venture of Blair, Simon, Reynolds, Charles "LGF" Johnson, Wretchard et. al:

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.
...

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 LittleGreenFootballs blogger, Charles Johnson, said the challenge is to keep the freewheeling character of a popular blog - where opinions and criticism are given freely - while meeting high standards and aggressively pursuing stories.

"Look at how blogs, with no coordination and limited money, scooped major papers and the networks on stories like Dan Rather, Eason Jordan, and the tsunami," he said.

Blah blah blah. Here's the part that interests me:

...
Mr. Hespos said that with attractive demographics, a popular blogger can make between $4,000 and $5,000 a month, which he said makes blogs economically viable. Based on standard rates of between $10 and $15 per thousand page views, he said it shouldn't be difficult to get Pajama Media's blog network into the $5,000-a-month range to start. Moreover, if the venture manages to gather page views going into the millions, the revenues could easily increase to between $12,000 and $15,000 per month.

They've signed up 180 blogs and counting for the deal. And Simon notes that blogs are taking off while the legacy media continues to lose marketshare.

Thanks to the Hotline's Blogometer.

posted by Ace at 01:23 PM

Comments

The money may be great and welcome, but the drawback is blogs will be swayed to write crap that advertisers approve just like zines and TV- or face losing them.

Posted by: on May 3, 2005 01:31 PM

Crazy. Blog. Money.

Posted by: Alex_fs on May 3, 2005 01:37 PM

The money may be great and welcome, but the drawback is blogs will be swayed to write crap that advertisers approve just like zines and TV- or face losing them.

Well, as the story points out in a section I didn't quote, Gawker gets big-corporate ads from, for example, Nike, and they're pretty f'n' filthy.

Then again, they're also very liberal.

So I guess I see the problem.

Posted by: ace on May 3, 2005 01:41 PM

Hmmm...how am I going to spend my $15?

Posted by: Slublog on May 3, 2005 01:43 PM

So that's why ACE is pulling punches!

But I didn't notice the ACE OF SPADES mentioned.

Well, what's the deal ACE, are you in or out?

Posted by: 72(maincal)VIRGINS on May 3, 2005 01:53 PM

I'm not pulling punches too much. I just wrote a big post about my issues with vagina.

What the hell do you want? Al Goldstein as a special guest blogger?

Posted by: ace on May 3, 2005 01:54 PM

You know what he wants. He wants the chocolate socket.

Posted by: spongeworthy on May 3, 2005 02:02 PM

No. Way.

Posted by: ace on May 3, 2005 02:12 PM

ACE - I want to be able to write about Islam without looking over my shoulder on every comment worrying that it's going to "offend" Moslems (and though I've run out of fire temporarily, I'm slowly trying to steer back into that direction, in case you didn't notice). No sock jokes, but truth.

Anyway, after looking at some other blogs again, I really must congratulate you on your blog format. I always thought that with the exception of your logo (and even that is ok, though it could be better) you had by far the best colors, layout, and format in blogging. It makes it much more inviting to blog on the ACE. When I considered making my own I was gonna ask for a copy of your site with the exception of the logo where 72 tiny, gamboling VIRGINS would be the logo and the left side would be the Islamic joke of the week (as tasteless as possible).

PS Are you in or out?

Posted by: 72 DRUNKEN VIRGINS on May 3, 2005 02:35 PM

/sigh

Soon all of the small bloggers will be shut out by the big monster blogs - LOL

What ever will we do?

LHM
An American Expat in Southeast Asia

Posted by: LHM on May 3, 2005 02:54 PM

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.

Huh. Yeah, no sandbagging there, no way. Just 160% or so higher than the normal median income for Internet users at large.

Or perhaps it was a very, very informal survey. Either way, you'd be daft to depend on those numbers.

The question for the day: will the rigor of editorial review more, or less likely to negatively impact the freewheeling nature of blogs?

Posted by: rho on May 3, 2005 06:41 PM

Well, as to me and my blog site, I'm not impressed to such an extent that they'll be included on my blogroll.

Beyond that, it's a free internet (supposedly) and the problems only started when advertising eeked into the mix. And now we have an entire generation who regards Wikipedia as "intellectual".

Gawker Media is Reynolds' friend (he says so) and, well, just look at who Gawker Media is. That's enough to my view right there to avoid Pajama Media like the plague.

Posted by: -S- on May 3, 2005 07:09 PM