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Is Blawg Review a blog?

At the Blawg Review editor’s request, I was about to nominate the Blawg Review for a 2007 Bloggie, weblog awards given annually since 2001 to the best in blogs.

But wow, is the Blawg Review a blog? Dave Winer (godfather of blogs), seconded by Dennis Kennedy, includes the necessity of comments in what makes a blog a blog. And Dave includes the need for a permalink/link to an individual post/archive page so an individual url can be linked to by others.

No comments, no ability to link to posts. You know I love you Blawg Review editor, but you’re not blog worthy.

And what’s with the blogosphere rumor that Blawg Review Ed., like WiredGC, is going to disclose their true identity this year? Could they/she/he really be ALM CEO Bill Pollack, purportedly a big fan of lawyer blogs?

  • http://www.blawgreview.com Ed.

    What is your problem?
    By starting your post with, “At the Blawg Review editor’s request…” you mislead your readers into thinking I made a request that you nominate Blawg Review for a bloggie award.
    Then, you lie to your readers by suggesting to them that you were about to nominate Blawg Review (which you really weren’t). Honestly, you are only interested in knocking Blawg Review, not praising it, even it you have to make up crap.
    You don’t bother to note that the definition of “weblog” for the purposes of the Bloggie Awards is stated in the first line of the nomination form at http://2007.bloggies.com : “A “weblog” is defined as a page with dated entries.” You may have a different definition, but that’s irrelevant for the purpose of those awards.
    While several leading blogger have argued that comments really make a blog, it does not follow that not having comments enabled on one’s blog makes it not a blog. I suspect that well-known bloggers who don’t allow comments on their blogs, like Glenn Reynolds, Howard Bashman, and Seth Godin, don’t look to you for advice on how to blog. Frankly, they have something worth reading besides what their readers have to say. If comments were enabled on Blawg Review, instead of posting this nonsense on your blog, you might have commented on Blawg Review in the same way.
    By the way, as an expert in weblogs, you should be able to find the permalinks on Blawg Review by looking at the links in the post headlines and in the date stamp of every post. If you put your mouse over either of these you will see a little text tag that says “permalink” on each of these links.
    “And what’s with the blogosphere rumor…” ??? What rumor? The one you’re trying to start?

  • http://www.denniskennedy.com/blog/ Dennis Kennedy

    Kevin,
    Unfortunately, you got my position (and I believe Dave’s as well) on comments exactly backwards.
    My point of view on blogs is “let a thousand blogs bloom.” I don’t think that strict rules, especially about having comments, make any sense.
    I did my blog for a long time without comments. Now, I have comments and the ratio of spam comments to real commets is about 200 to 1.
    I’d remove comments from my blog if not for the occasional comment left by people I respect, like, for example, Kevin O’Keefe.
    Check Dave’s blog – I’m pretty sure he doesn’t have comments activated.
    My definition of a blog is “an online newspaper or magazine column without the newspaper or magazine.” Dave has referred to blogs as the voice of a person. Nothing about comments (or other technical requirements in either definition.
    I can’t even imagine why anyone would thing that Blawg Review isn’t a blog, but that’s just my opinion.
    I’ve posted from time to time on this topic, so people are welcome to check out my thoughts on the topic.
    Dennis

  • http://www.legaline.com/lawsites.html Bob Ambrogi

    Kevin – Given that anonymous editor revealed this week that he has a law degree, that rules out Bill Pollak, who is a Harvard Business School grad.

  • http://blog.bretttrout.com/ Brett Trout

    I have commented before (blog vs. blawg) on the impropriety of saddling various types of online activity with overly-restrictive nomenclature. Attempts to make others describe their activity differently than they do smacks of conceit for the indomitable entrepreneurial spirit.
    That being said, I subscribe to 40 blogs, but yours and Rush Nigut’s are the only ones I read religiously. The reason I have not commented on your last 50 posts is that I agree with you 98% of the time.

  • http://vancouverlawlib.blogspot.com Steve Matthews

    Why don’t you just admit that it’s you, Kevin O’Keefe, that is the Blawg Review editor? :-)
    Seriously… 1) Click on any of the post titles and you have a permalink; and 2) you’re commenting right now about his blog, on your blog. I’m surprised here Kevin, this is your philosophy: if you want to comment on the blogosphere, get a blog. right?
    The critique I’d have about both your blogs is that there isn’t a chronological calendar to drill down into posts. Categories are great, but when the user knows the date, things should be easier.

  • http://kevin.lexblog.com Kevin OKeefe

    C’mon Blawg Review Ed., you asked folks to nominate you for a Bloggie:

    Here’s how it works:

    From now until 10:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (GMT-5) on Thursday, January 11, 2007, anyone can nominate their favorite weblogs.

    Who are you going to vote for?
    Blawg Review might have a shot at “best-kept secret weblog” if you nominate us. ;-)

    Your words, not mine. Now I may have been pulling your leg to say I was going to nominate you.
    I haven’t practiced law for 8 years so I don’t take all blog posts as serious as some lawyers out there.