SubscribeStupid Girls by Pink
Now, I get that television anchors cannot be experts on every subject. I understand that you don't need to comprehend a topic in order to interview someone about it. However, they do have to possess an open mind, and at least have a grasp of the basic concepts before they can discuss something with even a modicum of intelligence. Sadly, that didn't happen yesterday.
To put together a segment for your show, and then put it on with a host who a) openly admits to "not liking" computers and b) clearly has a bias against mommy blogging (even though, as a self-admitted ignoramus with regards to the technology, she can never have seen a mommy blog) reeks of a predisposition on behalf of the network (or at the very least, its producers) against the concept of mommy blogging.
First, they aired a segment with three influential bloggers (Jill of Silicon Valley Moms, Kristen of Motherhood Uncensored, and Mir of Woulda Coulda Shoulda - of whom I can only admit to being familiar with Kristen) that implied that all moms are in it for the money. Admittedly, the fact that Mir earns more as a blogger than as an engineer was surprising (not to mention envy-inducing), but it was all about the marketing force that is mommy blogging.
My wife turned to me and asked, "So how do these women make so much money?" And I wrongly answered that it was all advertising. In fact, these women are writing for other sites, they are running businesses that are (in some cases) related to their blogging, and basically accumulate income from numerous sources. It's not just one big paycheque. However, that isn't the quick and easy, bias-laden response, so NBC cut that out.
Then, they brought in Dooce, and proceed to try and get her to say she's making a mistake by blogging. Ultimately, they try to corner her with the age-old safety question, and when she tries to make a counter about New York City, they dismiss her and immediately cut to commerical before she can, you know, actually make a valid point.
I have written about my thoughts on this subject before, so I don't think I need to spend a lot of time on it again. Those interested parties can read my previous post. Bottom line: we're not blogging for the money, or the fame. And then to try and feature mommy blogging, and use someone who has disdain for the technology, let alone the concept of blogging, is irresponsible, and just a bad idea.
Those who generally
I have another review up today:
Kinzin is a flavour of social networking site geared towards parents, specifically designed for photo sharing. I was provided one of the paid memberships to their site by the Parent Bloggers Network for review. Kinzin is available as a web application or as an add-in application to Facebook. My review will focus on the web application since that is what I activated.continued at Reviews From The Dad Side
I updated my post yesterday afternoon with the Babies Online permalink, but since many of you are morning readers, here it is again: What's In A Name?
14 shared their side:
1. great new look - love the banner.
2. wtf kathie lee!!!! really, I cannot come up with a choherent comment about her stupidity so I'll stop right here.
3. I am trying to cut down my reader... sure doesn't help when the Today show talks about 3 more hot bloggers. aie.
Can I just say I was really irritated by the interview and continue to stew about how it didn’t really address ANYTHING that it should have and I was so proud of Heather for not bitch slapping Kathie Lee.
I don’t like Kathie Lee if I saw her on the street I’d have to think about something really ugly to say to her….I just think putting a person on tv today in a “role model” journalistic spot that admits to not being able to even turn on a computer is a sad joke.
I e-mailed dooce to find out what her actual answer to Kathie lee was. I couldn't believe KL asked a question, cut off the answer, and then used it to segue into the next segment.
She also looked like rubber. That's a character flaw.
I completely agree with you about blogging. People who don't do it seem to often have a disdain about it, like it is some sort of dirty, dangerous or perverse occupation. It bothers me when "journalists" prey on this conception and produce unbalanced reports. Did you read the Globe and Mail piece that went after Her Bad Mother and Don Mills Diva?
Anyway, like the new banner!
The banner is really cute!
And I said this to Pocklock this morning, but I want to make a blow up doll of Kathie Lee just so I can repeatedly punch her in the head. So she can know the agony of what it is to watch her speak.
I thought it was bizarre that KL was concerned about the safety of Dooce's daughter. I mean the whole world has heard about Cody & Cassidy (KL's kids).
Yeah. Pretty dissappointing. They needed to, at the VERY least, allow Heather to defend the 'safety' issue that KL brought up. Notice how KL wouldn't look her in the eye as she said it? KL is no match for Heather Armstrong and she knew it.
That is a really dumb segment. Completely uninteresting and irrelevant. Its pretty clear that Kathie Lee did about five minutes of "research" before going on the air.
People like her form opinions based on a few random things they have heard about online dating horror stories or 50-yr-old husbands with child pornography found on their computers and just apply it to the whole internet in general.
Very disappointing indeed and a complete waste of time.
Kathie Lee needs to be stabbed in the eye.
Who knew Kathy Lee was on the Today Show?
It was so painful I couldn't even watch the whole thing. Reminds me why I hate television news shows - they don't have enough time to really explore the issue. And broadcast "reporters" are dumb.
Ugh, Kathie Lee. That's problematic in itself. I don't even know what to say about the interview other than I think Dooce was fabulous considering what she had to deal with.
LOVE the new banner!
I came via the list and I got to say, I dig reading a dude's blog. I'm sure you're all over that and stuff by now, but it's all new and novel for me. So I am adding you as a link.
I didn't watch the Today show and I'm okay with that.
This interview? Is sick-making stuff. Because everybody (and I mean EVERYBODY) knows how Kathie Lee offered up her own marriage, pregnancies and offspring's childhoods on (inter)national television, on a daily basis, for YEARS. Even those of us who went out. of. our. way. to AVOID knowing about Kathie Lee somehow wound up hearing about her... and it was aaallll for the sake of her own career, and cashing-in. The term "shameless self-promotion" could have been coined for HER.
That she has the nerve to criticize women who blog? And then ADMIT how completely ignorant she is of the new-fangled technology called "computers"? Makes her BEYOND ridiculous.
The fact that she took no time or interest in properly researching her interview is shameful.
She is a lazy, plastic has-been.
And this interview, which had spectacular potential, DESERVED so. much. MORE.
(Gee, how do I really feel, eh??)
xo CGF
Kathie-Lee doesn't "get" blogging because blogging is a social network community thing, and she is placed on a pedastal each day to pontificate for the masses.
I didn't "get" blogging until I started doing it. Now I can't stop. As a single dad who has found online dating and such to be completely crazy, blogging is a nice outlet and way to connect.
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