Citizen Journalism and Blogging Brands

Citizen Journalism

Citizen journalism has proved to be one of the most profound impacts of the development of digital media. Countries that experienced extreme government censorship of the press were suddenly gifted with a platform from which to share their opinions, perspectives, and original reporting. Joseph Liebling once wrote, "Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one." The internet has greatly reduced the costs of production and distribution of information--essentially, everyone has access to their own printing press.

This effect can be clearly seen in the Arab spring--a wave of revolutionary demonstrations and protests, egged on by the dissemination of information through digital media. Average citizens were able to document what was going on with their smart phones and share that with their friends or followers. This had a domino effect on the Arab nations and soon, countries like Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt were caught up in their own revolutions.

While this idea has been given the title "Citizen journalism," I don't know that what they were doing was really journalism at all. Often, these "citizen journalists" would be communicating impassioned, biased statements that were completely unverified. If journalism of verification is the standard for true journalism, then maybe it would be more appropriate to title them something other than journalists. However, these "citizen journalists" are not necessarily valued for their credibility, but rather for their authenticity.

Blogging Brands

The way that bloggers create revenue depends on the brand of the blog--corporate, professional, or independent. Prior to beginning my digital communications class, I was unaware that corporations even had blogs. So, I decided to check out a couple of my favorite clothing companies to see if they kept a blog. Anthropologie, J Crew, Free People all have their own blogs where they show you creative ways to use or wear their products (etymologie, J.Crew Blog, Bldg 25 respectively).

These blogs don't need any commercial advertisements because the corporations are already pulling in revenue from their products. They simply improve customer relations. However, some independent bloggers make a comfortable living off of their blogs through advertisements. For example, Green Wedding Shoes is a wedding blog run by a couple in the Los Angeles area. It is incredibly popular in Southern California--I have friends who will swear by it. They fund their blogging escapade through advertisers.

Branding is a really important aspect of blogging, because it determines the reader's approach to the blog as well as the blogger's.