Corollary: Blogging About Blogging XXIII
Henry Copeland has expanded on his essay "Blogonomics" in a new piece entitled "Blogads: Advertising Hand-Delivered at Light-Speed." In it, he calls for the continued emergence of professional journalistic blogs -- and suggests that blogads (adverts in blogs, natch) might be one way for bloggers to support their independent media activities.

His thoughts hit me at a particularly appropriate time, as I close the window on the 50% off hook up at DC Shoes. While not a blogad per se -- my friends at DC Shoes sent me a promotional mailing at work, and I couldn't think of a way to work the hook up via Fast Company so the swag offer made its way to my Web -- offering Media Dieticians a deal like that made me wonder:

Was I comfortable promoting one companies products and services this way?

Would I be open to the idea of doing so for other companies I appreciated -- perhaps even for paid placement?

Was the offer of interest to folks who frequent Media Diet?

The questions intrigued and concerned me. Obviously, I wasn't uncomfortable hooking people up with 50% off -- and I continue to appreciate the people I met at DC Shoes -- but how would I handle this in the future? Why did I do this when I've hesitated to even add book sales via an affiliate program? Would taking money sully the recommendation and appreciation inherent in the hook up? Was I interested in seeking other organizations that might be interested in reaching the people who read these words (yes, you)?

Turns out, I'm not interested. If another hook up falls in my lap, I certainly consider it, but I have no interest whatsoever in soliciting or managing blogads in Media Diet. Which begs the question, "Why not?" One, I have a full-time job and see no need to even come close to breaking even on Media Diet. It's a labor of love. Two, one of the joys of blogging -- a joy that Rebecca Blood touches on in The Weblog Handbook (not a paid placement, heh) -- is the independent voice. Even if you consider your audience and think about appealing to your audience, that's hella different than marketing to, segmenting, or targeting your audience. Which you need to do if you're going to be successful managing ads.

Because ads change the nature of what you do. I don't mean selling out or changing what you do to better meet the needs of advertisers. What I mean is this. Blogads are not a new thing. Recall the early days of personal publishing on the Web -- and when the first Web sites began including ads. Remember Tripod asking its members if they minded Tripod including ads on their Webfarm pages to help cover costs of the service. Think anyone would do that today? Similarly, the discussion about blogads parallels the old and ongoing debates about advertising in zines. Are zines with ads still zines? What a silly question. Yet people argue about the answer.

When I was publishing Karma Lapel in the early and mid-'90s, I played with selling ads. I welcomed the money, and it helped me beef up the production values of the zine -- from photocopies to newsprint, from two pages to 36 -- and it got tiring. When you do a zine or a tape label... or a blog by yourself, do you really want to spend time finding advertisers, managing relations with advertisers, and so on so on so forth? Doing so almost killed Karma Lapel -- I quickly scaled back from my highfalutin' format and size to a more manageable presentation and production.

One that I could handle. One that still met the needs of the folks who read it. And one that -- while not totally adverse to adverts -- wasn't dependent on or driven by them. Blogads could very well become the tail that wags the blog dog, just like with most media. I'd prefer Media Diet be bobbed and docked.

Thanks to Jim and Amy for the vocab assist.

Manna for Media Dieticians V
The 50% off online hook up courtesy of DC Shoe Co. USA is now over. Congratulations and thanks to the Media Dieticians who contacted me to snag their 50% off discount codes. Enjoy the gear!

Thanks to DC Shoes for the hook up.

The Movie I Watched Last Night XXXV
Sunday: My Big Fat Greek Wedding
Sort of a Moonstruck for the 2K's, this well-scripted, well-cast, and, well, hilarious movie tells the tale of a formerly frumpy Greek waitress who -- once she decides to date a non-Greek -- blossoms in, oh, so many ways. The movie focuses on the development of her relationship with a romantic foil played by John Corbett, and while it's somewhat difficult to get past Corbett's previous role of Chris on Northern Exposure, the couple's energy is there. The movie also considers the impact the relationship has on the family, the role education can play with one's self-esteem, and the importance of family. Now that I think of it, if you combine Moonstruck with East Is East, you might very well get this movie. Loads of laughs.

Tuesday: Heavy Metal
Ivan Reitman's flawed but inspired animated take on the European genre comics stories of Heavy Metal magazine isn't all it's cracked up to be. Despite the self-congratulatory tone and sex-drugs-rock 'n' roll posturing of the crew members featured in the additional "Imagining Heavy Metal" documentary, the cinematic adaptation of stories by Heavy Metal regulars such as Richard Corben and Bernie Wrightson is sloppy and slightly disorganized. The loosely knit nature of the film isn't the result of the lame framing device Daniel Goldberg and the other writers developed to add continuity to the feature segments -- instead, the adaptations themselves are weak, and the movie does little to capture the spirit and substance of the magazine itself, especially in the late '70s. The DVD does include some highlights, however. The Captain Sternn segment is perhaps the best of the lot, and it's fun to see Wrightson's big-headed character come to life. Voiceover work by John Candy, Eugene Levy, and Harold Ramis brightens the often-plodding script. And the Kevin Eastman sequences in the "Imagining Heavy Metal" documentary communicates the mistakes that can be made when the wrong people come into a lot of money. Worth watching for all of that, as well as to snicker at the "groundbreaking" rotoscope animation. On the whole, however: Feh.

Must-See TV
Here's what I'd like to see on TV and available on video and DVD:

Your Southernmost Window

A series of half hour programs

What you can do with one south-facing window -- or how to live within a solar budget, including designs viewers can replicate at home to provide heat, light, and ventilation; and stimulate ecological growth.

Program 1: "What You Can See from a Window" -- one square foot of sunlight, orientation to the sun, design principles, window types, glazing, heat loss, infiltration, insulation, heating ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), air purification, and breathing

Program 2: "Every Window in the House" -- window types take 2, radiation and convection, caulking and weatherstripping, drafts and infiltration, how to chart your airflows, how to use them, window insulation, and whole house HVAC

Program 3: "The Electric Window" -- solar electricity/photovoltaic/PV, small battery charger, solar/dynamo flashlight radio, one window systems, permanent emergency capacity, and battery switching and your car

Program 4: "Hot and Cold Windows" -- windowbox heaters, passive and active ventilators, advanced airflow usage, active and passive water heating, your northernmost window, and a nod to refrigeration

Program 5: "The Greenhouse Window" -- windowsill gardens, bubbling out/bubbling in, heat storage, aquaculture, vermiculture, and ecological housekeeping, and the neighborhood

Program 6: "Most Windows in Town" -- what if everybody did it?, the economics of sunlight, physics is international, a range of possibilities, systems thinking from community to region to country to world

Thanks to George Mokray.

Comics and Controversy
A professor at MIT recently came under fire for appropriating an image from the comic book Radix in a $50 million research proposal. Here's the back story:

USA Today: MIT's Future Soldier Resembles Comic-Book Heroine

Wired News: America's Might: A Comic Tale

The Tech: MIT Used Comic Art for Grant Proposal

New York Post: MIT Had Designs on Comic Book War Gear

Wizard: MIT Swipes Comic Art

MIT News: Professor Writes Artist to Apologize for Inadvertent Use of Comic Book Image

Slashdot: MIT Steals Comic Book Character

I don't have a lot to say about this, but several things strike me. The Tech notes that the use of the comic art didn't help the proposal. Um, have you read Radix? Secondly, a Slashdot contributor is wise to wonder whether MIT's use of the image negatively affected the comic book's credibility and status (as the creators claim). Um, have you read Radix? Lastly, if Prof. Edwin Thomas is telling the truth when he says that his daughter -- a graphic artist -- selected the image, how good a graphic artist can she be? Have you read Radix?

Cliché? Touché!
Frank Lingua, president and CEO of Dissembling Associates, is the nation's leading purveyor of buzzwords, catch phrases, and clichés for people too busy to speak in plain English. Business Finance contributing editor Dan Danbom interviewed Lingua in his New York City office.

Danbom: Is being a cliché expert a full-time job?

Lingua: Bottom line is I have a full plate 24/7.

D: Is it hard to keep up with the seemingly endless supply of clichés that spew from business?

L: Some days, I don't have the bandwidth. It's like drinking from a fire hydrant.

D: So it's difficult?

L: Harder than nailing Jell-O to the wall.

D: Where do most clichés come from?

L: Stakeholders push the envelope until it's outside the box.

D: How do you track them once they've been coined?

L: It's like herding cats.

D: Can you predict whether a phrase is going to become a cliché?

L: Yes. I skate to where the puck's going to be. Because if you aren't the lead dog, you're not providing a customer-centric proactive solution.

D: Give us a new buzzword that we'll be hearing ad nauseam.

L: "Enronitis" could be a next-generation player.

D: Do people understand your role as a cliché expert?

L: No, they can't get their arms around that. But they aren't incented to.

D: How do people know you're a cliché expert?

L: I walk the walk and talk the talk.

D: Did incomprehensibility come naturally to you?

L: I wasn't wired that way, but it became mission-critical as I strategically focused on my go-forward plan.

D: What did you do to develop this talent?

L: It's not rocket science. It's not brain surgery. When you drill down to the granular level, it's just basic blocking and tackling.

D: How do you know if you're successful in your work?

L: At the end of the day, it's all about robust, world-class language solutions. My vision is to monetize scalable supply chains.

D: How do you stay ahead of others in the buzzword industry?

L: Net-net, my value proposition is based on maximizing synergies and being first to market with a leveraged, value-added deliverable. That's the opportunity space on a level playing field.

D: Does everyone in business eventually devolve into the sort of mindless drivel you spout?

L: If you walk like a duck and talk like a duck, you're a duck. You have a result-driven mind-set that isn't a strategic fit with my game plan.

Thanks to Jonathan Priest of Creative Communication.

Newsletter of Note IV
In the recent edition of advertising firm Killian & Co.'s newsletter, the staff includes a section headed "Cover Letter Klassics." The clumsy job-search correspondence excerpts are but a small example of material archived in Killian's Lost Art of Cover Letters Web page, which analyzes what makes cover letters work well -- or waffle and woof.

Killian also offers a white paper entitled "In Defense of a Low-Tech Secret Weapon" that sings the praises and potential of the humble cocktail napkin as a strategic business tool.

Just two examples why Killian's newsletter has been described as the "best (and funniest) newsletter in the business."

Event-O-Dex X
Shows and other activities of note in the near future:

Wednesday, Sept. 4: So & So, Red Zone Cuba, and Sticky at the Abbey Lounge, Somerville
Thursday, Sept. 5: Tunnel of Love, the In Out, and the Anchormen at the Abbey Lounge, Somerville
Friday, Sept. 6: Evan Dando and Chris Brokaw at TT the Bear's, Cambridge
Friday, Sept. 13: Seana Carmody and Victory at Sea CD release party with El Guapo and Suntan at the Middle East Upstairs, Cambridge
Saturday, Sept. 14: Fray Day at the YWCA, Cambridge

Maybe I'll see you there!

Alt.Weakly?
Gannett is launching alternative weekly newspapers in Lansing, Michigan, and Boise, Idaho, possibly as a test for the rollout of a national alt.weekly -- or a host of alternatives to the alternatives. Ann Hinch, writing for the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies, says that local alt.weekly publishers are concerned. Concerned about the increase in ad competition, concerned about the quality of the papers, and concerned about copycat journalism.

They probably have every right to be concerned. The relative success of cookie-cutter city guides online such as Ticketmaster's Citysearch, the existence of regional visitors' guides stashed in hotel rooms, and the seemingly successful test of a similar alt.weekly -- the Nashville Rage, a Gannnett-Tennessean joint -- indicate that such experiments have merit. In addition, we've already seen some alt.weekly consolidation in Newcity, New Times, and the Alternative Weekly Network, a nonprofit that coordinates national advertising buys for its affiliate alt.weeklies.

We've also seen alt.weekly publishers branching out into multiple publications -- to reach readers in other parts of the country, and to reach local readers in multiple demographics. Cases in point: the Seattle Stranger's sister paper in Portland, the Portland Phoenix; and the Boston Phoenix's foray into the yuppie echelon with Stuff@night (which, while termed a "section" is really a competitor rubbing elbows with the Improper Bostonian.

What does this all mean? I have no idea. But I think that if we -- the "we" in "alt.weekly" -- are going to compete with large media companies such as Gannett moving into our media neighborhoods, we need to increasingly focus on what "alternative" really means. What are alt.weeklies alternatives to? Are they merely weekly ugly cousins to the workaday dailies? Are they actually asking questions, meeting needs, and sharing stories untouched by other local print media? Or are they merely homes for the call-girl and 900-number ads other media outlets refuse?

Here in Boston, I read the Boston Phoenix every week. But I really read it for only three reasons: the editorials and letters of comment, the listings, and the media analysis (kudos to Dan Kennedy). The syndicated columns (News of the Weird, the Straight Dope) don't float my boat any more. The movie, music, and book reviews fall flat far more often than they inspire or inform. And the lengthy feature stories -- and perhaps I'm biased having read the utterly amazing Chicago Reader for five years -- rarely move me beyond a passing glance. Meanwhile, I refuse to peruse Stuff@night or the Improper Bostonian. They're just not aimed at me.

For my news, I turn to the Boston Globe and Boston Herald. And for my "alternative" news, I turn elsewhere. Where will we turn if this mainstream-style consolidation continues?

Thanks to the Utne Web Watch.

Magazine Me XVI
Paul O'Brien penned a thoughtful analysis of the state of comics journalism -- pegging his piece on the success of Wizard magazine -- that parallels the publishing opportunities for the industry to that of music journalism, primarily in the UK. He riffs off of a recent column by Warren Ellis, who contends that comics journalism should possess the same passion as music journalism -- as well as cover as much ground genre-wise.

While Warren and O'Brien's points are well-taken (and the idea is attractive), the rub is that music -- and other popcult media segments -- have mass-market audiences. There are enough music fans in general that a magazine like the Wire (O'Brien's lame jab at Norwegian jazz, aside) can survive serving a small segment of that market. Comic books don't have that mass market, so while the industry struggles to support even one high-profile general-interest magazine (anyone remember Comics Scene?), I don't think it's possible to support more than one.

Instead, we're left with smaller-scale magazines -- Wizard and the Comics Journal the most visible, at least on the newsstand (and Hogan's Alley, and...) -- and, well, the fanzines, which seem to be doing a fine job. I'd rather read an issue of the Comics Interpreter than a back issue of Comics Scene any day.

Manna for Media Dieticians IV
This is your final warning. In 24 hours, this very special Manna for Media Dieticians offer end.

DC Shoe Co. USA, maker of DC Shoes, just launched a new online company store. I still have three (3) discount codes that Media Dieticians can use to snag 50% off of online buys of DC Shoes products. If you're interested in taking advantage of this generous hook up courtesy of DC Shoes and Media Diet, email me by 5 p.m. ET, Wednesday, Sept. 4, and I'll send you a unique, single-use discount code. It'll guarantee you 50% off online. I only have three (3) of these left, so first come, first served.

This offer will expire -- as far as Media Diet is concerned -- tomorrow at 5 p.m., so if you're even remotely interested, contact me soon.

Thanks to DC Shoes for the hook up.

Music to My Ears X
The Stillborns in Greensburg, Indiana, recently emailed me a pointer to their MP3 site, which features about 60 songs. Basically, they play fast, scratchy, guttural punk rock. Shouted vocals, razor-wire guitars. Not totally my thing, but fun for an overcast post-holiday tail-end afternoon at work. It seems that they've been putting out CD-R's for quite some time. Up to eight editions, now, the CD's feature as many as 43 (!!!) songs.