Crawl Across the Ocean

Sunday, August 21, 2005

I Think I Missed the Point

I always figured the online version of the Star was free because they were trying to build circulation, but maybe they just realized nobody would pay for stuff like this.

Paris Hilton?

It's a good thing I've given up clichés here at CAtO or I'd say something like 'Not Worth the Paper...', well, you get the point.

Coding Error, Lazy Attempt at Cleverness, Staff Writer with Tenure Suffers Mental Breakdown or just Condescending Crap. You decide.


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Update: I went looking for info on Alan Marshall, the 'author' of the piece and found this:
"News Editor Alan Marshall has landed the new gig of Editor, New Ventures. This, to my mind, is the most important change of all because Alan will be working with Giles to, among other things, "map out an aggressive growth strategy for the star.com." Alan is a sharp and creative guy who will dive into the job of pushing the Star further into the cybersphere."


Kind of amusing that I found that (the only useful info that google provided) here.


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via Living in a Society.

posted by Declan at Sunday, August 21, 2005

7 Comments:

  • Re: The Star.

    Papers that still have good circulation can still afford to provide all of the content of their paper on-line for free (see: NYT, Times of London, Guardian, for example). Last I checked The TorStar had higher circulation than both the Globe and Nat Post.

    I was waiting for someone to call the bit condescending. I didn't think too much of 'piece,' either; I would put it mostly in the, "slightly witty, mostly lazy" column.

    However, it always amazes me, despite all the bravado one reads in the blogosphere, how quick bloggers are to be insulted when someone, especially in the MSM, dares to question the value of the whole blogging endevour.

    By the way, that comment is not meant to be directed specifically at you, but more as a general observation on blogger-dom. You just happended to be the first to take the bait, probably because you're one of the few readers I've managed to keep over the summer.

    By Blogger Matthew, at 8:57 PM  

  • hey people can question all they want, and I think I've generally been even-handed when commenting on others commenting on blogging, but this article? c'mon.

    By Blogger Declan, at 10:26 PM  

  • I don't know, I found it amusing, if only briefly.

    I think it needs to be 'looked at' more than 'read.' I only saw it on-line; I would have liked to see the original print edition lay-out.

    By Blogger Matthew, at 7:57 AM  

  • Actually, it just occurred to me that when looking at it on-line the viewer can alter the size of his browser window, thereby altering the shape of the piece, creating a further aspect of interaction between the viewer and the work.

    Now I think I prefer it on-line. In print it would be static, on-line it takes on another dimension.

    By Blogger Matthew, at 8:03 AM  

  • As visual print art, I think a blog word find would have been more entertaining.

    Just imagine if an Irish or British paper (or the Onion)decided to colour outside the lines in a piece on blogging. I know the results would be funny - it would be witty - it would make me squirm at the truth of their pointed barbs.

    But this? It's amusing in the sense that it's always amusing when someone/thing which has built up a reputation for acting 'proper' decides to drop the properness for a moment, in the same way that a swear word from Hugh Grant in a movie carries more punch than one from Chris Rock. But to see the Star's accumulated currency of comedic potential spent on such a frivolous and unrewarding purchase is disappointing.

    By Blogger Declan, at 8:32 AM  

  • I saw that piece too and actually got a good chuckle out of it. What its intended to mean, who knows LOL Not your normal run of the mill news piece.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:09 AM  

  • im with the declan. tis stupid. my dad saw it and it reinforced his belief that blogs are stupid. hes blogphobic because he just recently found out how to use microsoft outlook.

    By Blogger ainge lotusland, at 1:15 AM  

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