Brittney posts a chart that would make Edward Tufte envious.

Susan Crawford explains how the home team won one today when the FCC rejected an argument by the governmental agency that runs Boston’s Logan Airport that it should be able to prevent Continental airlines and others from providing free wifi. (They didn’t want competition for their pay wifi.)

Technorati Tags: airportwifi

If that Dilbert cartooning gig doesn’t work out, I think Scott Adams should run for office. He’d never win (and he explains why) but it would sure beat the depressing $40 million senatorial campaign we’ve experienced here in Tennessee.

Sidenote: The study reported in Slate on which Scott bases some of the planks of his campaign platform gets the Freakonomics treatment from Steven D. Levitt who is a bit skeptical of the empirical result. Me too, but I’d still want to get an Adams bumper sticker.

Here’s a story that includes just about all of the stuff that fills my day: A custom publishing blogging project sponsored by a big brand trying to appeal to small business owners. Unfortunately, I have nothing to do with it.

Technorati Tags: blogging, custom publishing, marketing

If you love jazz, you’ll know what I mean when I say blogging is the jazz of journalism.

A wonderful article in Fast Company by Ken Howard Gordon describes what he’s learned from QuickMuse.com, a website he created last May that allows virtuoso writers to create poetry live and in (virtual) public, on an assigned theme, against a 15-minute clock.

The article includes this great quote:

“Of course, anyone can see stuff floating downstream; it requires skill to make sense of it and articulate it in real time. But that’s learnable, a matter of experience. What’s harder is having the courage to put yourself in charge of the things you say–to express what’s on your mind, and not necessarily on your public-speaking note cards. It’s as simple as being straightforward with a client, or candid with a subordinate. Until you try improvising, your sense of self is more or less a supposition–and your performance is the poorer for it.”

While nothing in the article is about blogging, that quote explains why blogging is a unique form of journalism and what separates mere blogging from great blogging.

I’m the first to argue that blogs are merely another platform for reporting and journalism, however, I know it’s different. I haven’t been quite able to articulate the “art” part of it — the skill or talent that makes someone good at blogging rather than merely a good writer and reporter who adapts to the format.

I think Howard Gordon captures it — even with his metaphor of “the stuff floating downstream” as we bloggers being fond of using “river” as a metaphor for the carrier of stuff that floats by us.

I’ve always said that “passion” is the key to great blogging. Obviously, wit and literacy are also important. And it goes without saying that integrity and disclosure and ethics rank high in my book. Wit and humor are also great to have. And point-of-view, voice, etc., are great.

But lets assume a writer has all of those. That person could still suck as a blogger if they lack the ability to extemporize and they lack the courage (or freedom) to be in charge of the things they say.

I agree with HowardGordon that the ability to extemporize can be learned — or at least improved — over time. The bigger challenge is the other point: You can’t be a great blogger if you don’t have the courage to put yourself in charge of the things you say. And, if you are a media company wanting your reporters to blog, they’ll never be great bloggers if you don’t have the courage to put them in charge of the things they say.

While integrity, honesty, ethical standards of journalism, etc., can still govern the practice of blogging, the “process” of institutional editing and legal compliance and corporate communications, et al, all conspire against someones ability to extemporize or be courageous.

Like independent film and music, independent blogging will likely always be the most compelling.

It’s like jazz.

Technorati Tags: blogging

Nashville-based marketing consultant (and blogger) Monica Powers interviewed me recently on “passion and great brand communications.” Actually, I didn’t know that was the topic, but it sure sounds great. Anyway, in it, I reveal who my “dream client” would be and why. The client won’t be a surprise, but the reason may be. Thanks, Monica.

Technorati Tags: custom publishing, marketing

Via an “exclusive” from PaidContent.org: “After a year of mostly veiled references and speculation fueled by the involvement of Jeff Jarvis as an adviser and Craig Newmark as an investor, Daylife, the distributed news platform founded by Upendra Shardanand, is about to see the light of day—funded by roughly twice as many investors as it has employees.”

Not merely the number of investors, but who they are, makes this worth watching. I consider several of them friends and others are people I admire. But you never know until you get something out in the marketplace whether or not it will work.

Technorati Tags: daylife, media