Earlier this week, I found myself in the midst of a “discussion” about journalists vs. bloggers, and my contention that some bloggers should be considered journalists because they offer as much information and insight. I supported my argument by suggesting – not insisting – that there was no reason why Nortel shouldn’t let me into its AGM as a member of the media because I write the only blog devoted to Nortel. This discussion was spawned by a post on a blog called The Application Delivery Network.
Some responses were positive while others were, well, not so nice. One person claimed I did nothing but regurgitate press releases while someone else dismissed this blog because I rarely get into the nitty-gritty/nuts and bolts of the technology. To be honest, the criticism was a bit a wake-up call because it made me think about why I write this blog, what purpose it serves, and whether there’s an audience out there.
The most straightforward answer about why this blog exists is I enjoy writing it. I like being connected to Canada’s flagship high-tech company, and being able to comment on his efforts/struggles to remain competitive and vibrant. I enjoy the challenge of writing about a single company from a high-level perspective, while leaving the nuts and bolts commentary to smart folks such as Network World’s Jim Duffy and Lightreading.com.
And I do think there’s an audience out there for a blog that provides the goods in layman’s terms. This is never going to be a huge blog but it’s getting between 3,000 to 10,000 pageviews a day, which is not bad. As for the criticism, I’m good with it because it’s never a bad thing if it makes you think about what you’re doing and how you do it. In fact, if anyone with strong technical knowledge and good writing skills wants to write a guest post on Nortel’s technology strategy, let me know.
Why Blog About Nortel?
Earlier this week, I found myself in the midst of a “discussion” about journalists vs. bloggers, and my contention that some bloggers should be considered journalists because they offer as much information and insight. I supported my argument by suggesting – not insisting – that there was no reason why Nortel shouldn’t let me into its AGM as a member of the media because I write the only blog devoted to Nortel. This discussion was spawned by a post on a blog called The Application Delivery Network.
Some responses were positive while others were, well, not so nice. One person claimed I did nothing but regurgitate press releases while someone else dismissed this blog because I rarely get into the nitty-gritty/nuts and bolts of the technology. To be honest, the criticism was a bit a wake-up call because it made me think about why I write this blog, what purpose it serves, and whether there’s an audience out there.
The most straightforward answer about why this blog exists is I enjoy writing it. I like being connected to Canada’s flagship high-tech company, and being able to comment on his efforts/struggles to remain competitive and vibrant. I enjoy the challenge of writing about a single company from a high-level perspective, while leaving the nuts and bolts commentary to smart folks such as Network World’s Jim Duffy and Lightreading.com.
And I do think there’s an audience out there for a blog that provides the goods in layman’s terms. This is never going to be a huge blog but it’s getting between 3,000 to 10,000 pageviews a day, which is not bad. As for the criticism, I’m good with it because it’s never a bad thing if it makes you think about what you’re doing and how you do it. In fact, if anyone with strong technical knowledge and good writing skills wants to write a guest post on Nortel’s technology strategy, let me know.