Of course I agree that brands probably don’t want to get mixed in with bloggers who trash each other and slander their compatriot’s good name to get a leg up on the competition.

Of course I agree that brands probably don't want to get mixed in with bloggers who trash each other and slander their compatriot's good name to get a leg up on the competition.

Of course not. If a blogger can’t conduct himself well, he will pay for it in the marketplace. Certification? By who?? That’s absurd.

Of course not. If a blogger can't conduct himself well, he will pay for it in the marketplace. Certification? By who?? That's absurd.

always remember this line from the honeymooners… you better be nice to people on the way up, because you are going to see the same people on the way down.

always remember this line from the honeymooners… you better be nice to people on the way up, because you are going to see the same people on the way down.

I’m not sure that the lack of literacy is one of the reasons though

I propose two other reasons. One is that media-buying agencies don’t want to deal with the complexity of putting together several million eyeballs at a time online when they can get the same reach with a single network television/radio or national print buy. Number two is that, given the rather sorry state of broadband penetration and declining adult literacy in the US, even the biggest blogs, even aggregated in networks, may not be delivering audience numbers in the millions in the first place.

I propose two other reasons. One is that media-buying agencies don't want to deal with the complexity of putting together several million eyeballs at a time online when they can get the same reach with a single network television/radio or national print buy. Number two is that, given the rather sorry state of broadband penetration and declining adult literacy in the US, even the biggest blogs, even aggregated in networks, may not be delivering audience numbers in the millions in the first place.

I’d get more specific on my analysis, but I’d prefer not to pop up on some peoples’ radar screens.

I'd get more specific on my analysis, but I'd prefer not to pop up on some peoples' radar screens.

Keen’s comment about jail stems from a different in American and UK libel laws. What I suspect really bothers Keen is that in the new media world, you don’t need to have a gatekeeper, promotion, or apprenticeship to publish. You need to be right. And if you’re right enough, you’ll no longer be an amateur.

Besides, most of Keen’s book is a tome of hate against Wikipedia, anyway…and it’s a known fact that for most topics covered in major encyclopedias, Wikipedia is just as accurate.

Keen is a snob who would like the unwashed masses to simply go away and leave newsgathering and dissemination of facts to the Oxbridge elite of his homeland. He should go away.

Keen's comment about jail stems from a different in American and UK libel laws. What I suspect really bothers Keen is that in the new media world, you don't need to have a gatekeeper, promotion, or apprenticeship to publish. You need to be right. And if you're right enough, you'll no longer be an amateur.

Besides, most of Keen's book is a tome of hate against Wikipedia, anyway…and it's a known fact that for most topics covered in major encyclopedias, Wikipedia is just as accurate.

Keen is a snob who would like the unwashed masses to simply go away and leave newsgathering and dissemination of facts to the Oxbridge elite of his homeland. He should go away.