This ran in the Crikey email last Thursday.

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It must be pretty humbling to feel your power slipping away. And not just slipping away to an equally powerful competitor, but slipping away to — gasp! — ordinary people.

Let’s just say you’re the Australian head of a massive, global media company and that you’re accustomed to people doing what you say. You grew up in a social and business environment where money meant power, where media barons were the only people who could afford to communicate directly with large numbers of people; it has been this way for as long as you can remember, and as long as your father’s generation can remember for that matter. But one day along comes this thing called The Internet, promising to democratise the flow of information, and something terrible begins to happen: the plebs grow bold and start to rise up, empowered by having their voice heard, unworried about profit or business models. If you were that media baron what would you do? Would you adapt or would you atrophy?

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Anti-blogging blogger, Jim Schembri, attempts to smear an enemy by accusing him of “[descending into] blogspeak”.

While accepting an award for best original screenplay for The Black Balloon, co-writer Jimmy Jack took public exception to my long-standing criticisms of the Australian film industry, and of his film. He read some of it out, then followed it by saying “Jim Schembri. F*** you.”

This undignified descent into blogspeak – whatever remaining shreds of class the AFI awards had are now gone – reportedly drew a spontaneous round of applause from some in the crowd.

If I was in the audience I would’ve led a standing ovation and a mexican wave.

The Editor, John Surname, Ant Rogenous, Jeremy Sear, Wah and Craig discuss the following:

* Blogging
* Kevin Rudd’s first 100 days
* The Liberal Party
* Brendan Nelson
* Interest rates
* Cricket
* The Herald Sun
* David Hicks
* Dick Smith
* Osama Bin Laden
* Prince Harry
* Connex
* Lynne Kosky
* Public transport
* Victorian Labor Party
* Fleshlight
* What is the plural of “penis”?
* Liberal leadership future

** I don’t know why but that bloody “Play now” link is still serving up episode four. I have no solution yet. Something to do with the intertubes broken or something. Just to be safe, use the “Play in popup” link or the “Download” link. **

[display_podcast]

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Some bastard has been in my house at bedtime listening into conversations between McBec and I.

Magic Bellybutton has tagged me with a meme of Bruce origin. Three reasons why I blog and then pass it along to three more bloggers.

1) I like having an audience for my writing and other shite. Any blogger who says they don’t is probably telling porkies. I feel satisfaction at having built a half-decent readership of people whose comments make me LOL.

2) I like the discipline of having to write and the challenge of trying to make my writing better.

3) Profit. Since GrodsCorp’s launch nearly four years ago I have made over $-500 when revenue is offset against running costs.

I tag John Surname, Damian, and Krypto.

Every day Andrew Bolt likes to create an open thread for his readers to crap on about whatever they wish in a safe, supervised place. I’ve always thought that open threads are the ultimate in lazy blogging — just like mockumentaries are the laziest form of filmmaking. Bolta usually writes something boring or something that is an attempt at wittery to introduce his open threads. Something like “Have your say here,” or “Give it your best shot here.” But today Bolta has gone into full conspiracy mode with this the-lefties-are-taking-over
-and-restricting-my-right-to-speak-despite-my-bi-weekly-newspaper-column-and-popular-blog
-and-regular-appearances-on-radio-programs-and-television-shows introduction.

Say your say here, while free speech is still kind of possible.

What?

It’s Christmas hols so blogging is reduced to reproducing amusing snippets of Gmail chat conversation. This one’s with the Anonymous Blogger Who Played Billy In Lachlan Connor, Independent (ABWPBILCI).

ABWPBILCI: i was thinking the other day
why didn’t we vodcast lachlan?

The Editor: I don’t even know what that means.

ABWPBILCI: pffft

The Editor: You mean through iTunes or something?

ABWPBILCI: yeah

The Editor: Maybe boost the hits from 35 to 40…

ABWPBILCI: to a million!

The Editor: FUCK!!!!

ABWPBILCI: we could’ve put in ads
made, maybe, as much as $15

The Editor: Sell-out.

ABWPBILCI: i’m all about the selling out
my name is really Maggi

The Editor: Hah!

ABWPBILCI: Maggi Whiskers Jonnie Walker

The Editor: I love Whiskers.

ABWPBILCI: sorry, Whiskas I think it is

The Editor: That too.

ABWPBILCI: on a teachers salary it provides ample nutrients

The Editor: And it comes in a variety of flavours.

ABWPBILCI: and essential snouts

The Editor: Gotta run.
Gonna blog this conversation (it’s xmas — lazy blogging is allowed) and then go to the shops.

ABWPBILCI: who gives a shit what we say?

The Editor: Who gives a shit about anything we write?

ABWPBILCI: :( that’s it, bloggings over

The guvment is considering a “consultation blog” to engage folks in the democratic process. It’s all about e-government, Web2.0 and other funky buzzwords:

Government agencies in Australia have traditionally involved citizens and community in the processes and decisions that affect them. With the advent of e-government and the increasing use of information and communication technologies to enhance government service delivery, opportunities arise for agencies to engage and involve citizens and communities through new channels.

[...]

The rise of new multimedia broadband technologies such as Web 2.0 bring a stream of digital innovations that are transforming the way people use the Internet and the way in which they communicate. Specifically, Web 2.0 provides amongst other things, real time interaction, democratized web spaces, user generated content and citizen journalism. People’s use of these new innovations is driving expectations for new approaches to the way government interact. Governments cannot ignore these changing social dynamics, especially in relation to citizen engagement.

Sounds like a great idea on the face of it. However, perhaps these Web1.0 bureaucrats should spend some time reading political blog comment threads to see how little they resemble reasoned, intelligent debate. Just as only fanatic, partisan people and organisations bother to write submissions for government inquiries, only fanatic, partisan people and organisations will bother to engage with the e-forum. Plus there’s the added Godwin’s factor and the Iain; Hall factor.

And finally, blogs that don’t have pictures of cats can’t be taken seriously.

Slipheed at Boredomistan has offered $50 in cold, hard cash to any blogger in the blogosphere who catches him out using the word “blogosphere” from now unto eternity. For some reason he hates the word “blogosphere” but uses the term “yang to my yin” in the same post without blinking.

Get over there and win yerself a fiddy. Oh, and look around the site while you’re there — good for a workday giggle.