Over the past couple of months I've accumulated a respect for John C. Dvorak. I am regularly exposed to his frank opinions on the weekly podcast This Week in Tech but have often wondered just what a curmudgeon this guy really was. Fortunately I've read a couple of his articles over the recent months and have grown to admire his healthy skepticism, rationality, and honesty that is too often interpreted as frank and stubborn.

In the article linked below Dvorak argues for the legitimacy of blogging as a form of journalism. His thoughts prompted me to reflect on my own blogging intentions of which I have never fully disclosed.

Why do I blog?

Probably not much of a revelation here, but it's simply a form of self-expression. An outlet for my thoughts, ideas, and opinions that can be read by those who choose to read them rather than the unwilling people in my immediate social circles who would really "rather not" but would do so anyways to show their support.

I don't purport to be a journalist, but in effect sometimes I am just that. I may accompany a tidbit of news with my opinion or solicit the opinion of others, but what I maintain here at One9Eight2.com is a journal of my interpretation and rationalization of the world around me.

Dvorak on Information Anarchy

Dvorak goes on to point out the freedom of speech that is guaranteed by the Constitution and how journalism doesn't require that you own a big fancy office with an overpaid editor and what not - anyone can be a journalist.

Dvorak summarizes the current state best:

"...the priesthood of the few who could manage to crawl into the sanctity of traditional media is over."

Journalism is changing. Joe and I, like countless others, have cancelled our print news subscriptions and are currently waiting for the print magazine subscriptions to expire so we can stop tossing the waste of paper. I would much prefer to aggregate my news and content through my Google Reader (or similar RSS aggregator) than have news spoon-fed by a biased editor sitting behind some desk.

As far as ethics and reliability are concerned, online journalism and blogging is markedly a reputation-centered environment - I can easily remove a content source when I question its reliability, objectivity, or ethics.

Visual media is not too far behind the blogging forum. Already I subscribe to multiple video podcasts and feeds that are unique combinations aggregated solely for my personal use and benefit. Who needs the traditional media houses - print, video, and audio - when we can pick and choose what is relevant and newsworthy?

I can see Web 3.0 off in the distance. It will simply be when my experience with information and content is universal. When your grandmother and your young children can assemble the media of their choosing with little effort or technical know-how, the world will be a better place, Web 3.0 will be here, and John C. Dvorak and I will have something else to blog about.

Links:
Dvorak: The Online Journalism Free-for-All