Montana bloggers are making noise

David Sherman doesn’t type on a computer in his mother’s basement while wearing pajamas.

He’s not anti-social.

He’s a 38-year-old healthcare administrator stationed at Malmstrom Air Force in Great Falls.

By KELLYN BROWN Chronicle Staff Writer

http://bozemandailychronicle.com/articles/2004/11/14/news/01sunday.txt

And he’s a blogger, posting his opinions almost daily on the Internet.

"I’m just a regular person who likes to expound on current events," Sherman said, debunking a stereotype often attached to bloggers.

He’s also somewhat of a pioneer in Montana. Sherman posted his first Web log in October of 2000. He said that in the following months maybe two people would visit his site, "Better living through blogging," each day.

But four years later he is no longer just writing for himself; he has a small, growing audience, garnering up to a couple of hundred hits a day.

Such is the case for the handful of bloggers across the state. Montana bloggers, like national bloggers, are getting more attention. They are taking advantage of a medium that seemingly came out of nowhere.

A blog is basically a journal that is available on the Internet. The name is a contraction of the term "Web log."

Bloggers typically update their blogs daily, voicing their opinions on politics, news coverage and current events in general. Some bloggers, however, simply maintain a personal diary online.

There are millions of blogs on the Internet, and dozens in Montana. Software allows people with little or no technical background to update and maintain a blog. Postings on a blog are almost always arranged in chronological order with most recent additions featured most prominently.

A blog uses the Internet to sidestep what once was reserved for traditional journalists, the privilege of communicating to the masses.

It is the evolution of media. No longer does the so-called mainstream media have a monopoly on the news. Bloggers are posing questions that newspapers miss, and are fact-checking stories that make the front page.

At the same time, there’s somewhat of an uncomfortable partnership between the two. Blogs often link to newspaper and television news Web sites — driving up traffic and increasing overall readership of any given story.

"Journalists have to pay attention to them," said Dennis Swibold, an associate professor at the University of Montana School of Journalism.

He said blogs are here to stay. And instead of resenting them for calling out an error in a story, journalists should embrace them for making the news better and more accurate.

In Montana, there’s a small legion of bloggers; some are news-oriented, others simply post a daily, personal diary online. But for the first time, everyone here who wants a voice has one — even if some are louder than others.

Current events and politics

Sherman, like most bloggers in Montana, has a full-time job and doesn’t rely on his blog as a source of income.

For blogs, ads can be hard to come by. And for Sherman, it was never about money.

It’s about sharing his passions, his point of view and staying informed about current events.

"And it makes me feel more connected to this sparsely-populated state," Sherman said.

He spends about one hour a day blogging and, while he acknowledges he leans conservative, he makes a point not to touch on a hot topic: the war in Iraq. That’s partly because he serves in the U.S. Air Force and it could be considered a conflict of interest.

Another conservative Montana blogger out of Billings, however, has no bones about taking shots at the left and its take on the war.

Craig Sprout, a 34-year-old systems analyst who hosts mtpolitics.net, is outspoken, bold and respected by his peers, whether they agree with his views or not.

This past week, he posted a political cartoon on his site that depicted a tank with the words, "War on terror," on the side of it running over a donkey holding a peace sign.

While Sprout touches on national issues, his focus is on local politics. He also is one of the few bloggers in the state that takes frequent shots at the mainstream media in Montana.

"I’ve pounded on them a little bit," he said with a chuckle.

"Often, I look through daily newspapers until something gets my goat," Sprout said, "and I’ll write about it. A piece can take two minutes, or it can take a couple days collecting links to support my point."

His blog fits the mold of several national blogs that rose to prominence during the run-up to the recent election. Blogs frequently include bold, brash and strongly-opinionated commentary. And a blogger’s crosshairs are not only directed at the traditional media, at times they chide each other.

Old and new media

Sprout and 21-year-old Matt Singer of Missoula don’t see eye to eye on politics. The two have gone back and forth on a variety of issues. Singer’s blog name, leftinthewest.com, is a telling reason why.

Their disagreements are never personal, however, and every blogger interviewed for this story said the small blogging community in this state is diverse and friendly.

Singer actively worked for Green Party presidential candidate Ralph Nader in 2000 and Democrat Howard Dean this year.

His focus, like Sprout, is primarily Montana politics. And, like Sprout, his site includes "mild media criticism."

"Sometimes it points out the ridiculousness of what’s reported," Singer said.

But he was quick to acknowledge that blogs can’t replace traditional media.

"(The perception) that old media is being taken down by the Internet is not true," Singer said. "Most bloggers don’t break news, they’re commentary, because commentary is cheaper and it doesn’t cost a lot of money to get someone’s opinion."

But that commentary can be addictive. And more and more people are turning to news sources that share their point of view.

A recent survey by the Associated Press Managing Editor’s National Credibility Roundtables Project asked about blogs and found that 20 percent of respondents read blogs for news.

The blog-reading respondents said the new medium "offers great potential as a watchdog of mainstream media."

Swibold said that journalists would be "screaming against the wind" if they try to ignore blogs, particularly as they get more savvy, professional and popular.

Most news organizations are taking notice of blogs, and some have joined them. Billings Gazette writer Ed Kemmick hosts a popular blog dubbed "City Lights."

Most large newspapers now employ bloggers. And recently, "Editor & Publisher" featured a story on why newspapers should embrace the online medium rather than fear it.

The story was about a panel discussion hosted by an East Coast newspaper where three of the country’s top political bloggers were flown to Bethlehem, Penn., to discuss the role of blogs and journalism.

Ana Marie Cox of wonkette.com said she looks at blogging, "as throwing spitballs from the back of class." At the same time she knows she needs journalists at the front of the room, as targets for her spitballs.

Of Montana’s daily press, Sprout said, "We pick at your ankles, but we can’t live without you."

Personal yet political

Bozeman blogger Rob Kailey was a little more bold, calling the mainstream media’s fear of bloggers ridiculous.

Kailey, 42, works for the Montana State University Book Store.

He also hosts "A chicken is not pillage" at wulfgar.typepad.com.

Kailey’s blog often focuses on wolves and wolf reintroduction, but his blog entries, he says, "are all over the map."

He can spend three to four hours a night blogging. And while he may have an audience, he blogs for himself and considers his site strictly an "online journal."

"I’m not doing it for other people, I’m doing it for me," Kailey said. "(I blog) what’s on my mind that day and what I want to share."

He said he doesn’t track how many hits he gets on his site each day. The blog is simply a personal outlet for him that he didn’t have 10 years ago.

Alone, Kailey may not have much influence over the so-called masses. But he, too, sees the role of bloggers growing in importance.

In 1999 there were dozens of blogs. Now there are millions.

"The big thing is the amount of noise the blogosphere (or blogging community) can make," Kailey said.

He said no one blogger can hold the media’s feet to the fire, but there is strength in numbers.

Bloggers here are everyday, working Montanans who want their unfiltered voices heard. But their numbers are starting to grow.

And even in this sparsely-populated state, people are starting to hear them.