Review by Booklist Review
Just in case you've been living in the woods, blog0 is short for Web log0 , which is the online, collaborative, interactive, interconnected writing tool that is allegedly changing the nature of public discourse. Kline and Burstein, who also wrote Road Warriors: Dreams and Nightmares along the Information Highway 0 (1995), are unabashed proselytizers, finding precedents for blogs in cave paintings and the "commonplace books" of later Europeans. Now, they say, blogging "may be nothing short of a new paradigm for modern human communication." After a persuasive introductory essay by Burstein, the book is divided into three sections: politics, business, and culture. Each begins with a thought-provoking essay by Kline and then includes interviews with and articles by a well-selected array of qualified commentators, including former Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi, commercial blog mogul Nick Denton, and, surprisingly, former MTV veejay Adam Curry. Books on technology trends often have a short shelf life, but Blog!0 focuses on the larger issues that make this such an exciting cultural moment while steering clear of details that will date quickly. Well worthwhile. --Keir Graff Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Blogging, at least in principle, is far from new. It could be argued, as the authors do, that Thomas Paine was a proto-blogger whose blogging paraphernalia consisted of pamphlets instead of free software and an internet connection. In this dense and entertaining analysis of the "new paradigm for human communication," journalists Kline and Burstein examine the notion that weblogs, or "blogs," are redefining journalism and media consumption and conclude that, while blogging may not signal the death of big media, it has measurably impacted everything from political campaigns-as evidenced by Howard Dean's presidential bid-to the life of former child star Wil Wheaton, who found his "second act" in a tell-all blog about the humiliations of show business. Soliciting the thoughts of well-known bloggers, such as Andrew Sullivan and Jeff Jarvis, the authors create a venerable blogosphere bible that navigates and interprets the cyber-verbosity informing the way journalists do their jobs, from fact finding to steering coverage. Using specific examples of blogger power, such as the release of an Iranian dissident from prison, and employing Q&A interviews with movers and shakers like Microsoft's Robert Scoble to discuss blogs' current and future marketplace utility, the authors offer a lot to consider about our information-saturated culture and what cream might rise to the top of it. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
