Comments on: How to Blog Your Way Into the Media

By: brian

brian — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 07:47:33 +0000

smart stuff, ed. there’s always that misperception of lazy media (which, of course, is sometimes true) when the same experts get quoted and quoted time and time again, but the truth more often is this: those experts are the ones who are easy to google, easy to remember, and easy because they’re happy to answer a strange number on a sunday afternoon an hour before deadline and then riff on whatever the reporter is asking them about. and even though it’s nearly 2010 and people are checking email from the half-dozen phones they carry in their pockets, a reporter on a deadline is always much happier with a phone number than an email address.

By: Jason DeRusha

Jason DeRusha — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:49:44 +0000

Ed’s post clearly said: “If you’d like to see more of your ideas reach a larger audience, this post is for you.” If you’d like to remain private: that makes perfect sense and is fantastic!

There are plenty of people who blog under the real name, and don’t make it easy to contact them.

By: Daughter Number Three

Daughter Number Three — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 00:26:36 +0000

Ed, I can see that these are all good points from the media's perspective. However, there are some of us who blog under a pseudonym, and want to keep it that way. Why? One example is a guy who goes by Brooks of Sheffield and writes a blog called Lost City,, in which he criticizes development in New York City. He's a freelance writer who (realistically) assumes that his opinions would keep him from getting freelance work. His use of a pseudonym hasn't kept him from getting media attention (examples of coverage are listed on his blog). In my own case, I started blogging as Daughter Number Three because I wanted to be able to say what I wanted without repercussions in my work. I have to admit I was amused by the idea of a pen name, too -- maybe thinking that having an alter ego would make it more fun to write. I am not truly anonymous: Dozens or even a hundred people know who Daughter Number Three is. I am responsible for what I say to these people whom I know, and whose opinions I care about. If I needed any such motivation, knowing that they read my words keeps me from indulging in the kind of flames we're all accustomed to seeing in the typical news site's comment thread. The people whose opinions I don't care about are lawyers for the scam advertisers I sometimes criticize, like the Universal Media Syndicate and its parent company, sellers of Amish Heaters, World Reserve Monetary Exchange coin collections, Trigosamine, and the "Universal" Health Card. Maybe you've seen their ads in the Strib and PiPress. Because I am just one person writing my opinions, I can't afford to have and don't want to have my own legal department to vet everything I write to pronounce whether it's clearly opinion or may stray slightly over the line. (For instance, did you know that saying a product is "overpriced" can be considered defamatory, while saying "it's not worth the price" is clearly opinion?) When I got a cease and desist letter from the UMS senior counsel, I can tell you I was very glad I had chosen to blog under a pseudonym. I know this is a luxury traditional journalists do not have. But they are also less likely to be subject to intimidation by companies that assume they can shut up a single blogger by sending a letter.

By: Ed Kohler

Ed Kohler — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 16:57:44 +0000

@ryanl, good point about privacy. I’ve found that I have more to gain than lose by being reachable and living a fairly public life online, but that doesn’t mean it’s the right choice for everyone. However, it’s likely that a person who cherishes their privacy is probably not going to be the type of person who’s going to be interested in talking to the press about something they penned on their blog.

By: Bill Roehl

Bill Roehl — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 14:48:07 +0000

After reading your post I removed the call forwarding on my Google Voice number and put it up on my website.

Thanks for the idea.