I could not have put it better myself.

I agree with you except if someone offers a ton of money for mine. In fact, I hereby offer it For Sale. First $50 gets it.

You are so cheap. I'm holding out for at least $100. But I'll take a check.

Eric, I can't help but think that the trend of mainstream media outlets acquiring blogs today, will parallel the trend of mainstream media acquiring websites once-upon-a-time.

There was an initial rush when everyone was convinced that their medium needed an online component. It was a rush fueld in part by the sex appeal of new gadgets and 'being on the cutting edge.' But it was also fueled by the ignorance of what proper maintenance of a website required in terms of money and time.

I also think many of the mainstream media rushed into acquiring website without ever sitting down and thinking ... 'will this be something different, something special - or will it just be our newspaper/magazine/radio/television station on the computer screen?'

After the wave comes in, it recedes ... and more than two-thirds of the websites for West Texas media in existence five years ago are now gone.

Not always forever. The Fort Stockton Pioneer and The Alpine Avalanche are back online, thanks in part to their corporate affiliation and the resources/opportunities such affiliation provides. Also back online is The Big Bend Sentinel, thanks in large part to the vision of its editor/publisher, Robert Halpern, on of West Texas' top journalists.

Then comes the next wave. Besides those sites that return - usually in a new/improved format with a new/improved mission - other sites that have managed to hang on undergo changes, reflecting what they've learned through their survival.

So, now the maninstream media is discovering blogs. This past year saw an unprecedented level of experimentation and application of blogs in the mainstream media ... especially when it came to coverage of special events like the Olympics and the Presidential Election. Some were great, some were duds. Some have disappeared, some have remained.

The next wave may be developing a permanent presence in the blogosphere, one that doesn't come-and-go with special events. Something more in keeping with your own weblogs, and those that you cite.

That next wave may also look at determining how mainstream media-related blogs establish their own identity, their own 'feel.' After listening to Bill O'Reilly or Al Franken rant on TV, do we really need to go to their weblogs and read transcripts of those rants?

Money might enter into the process? Color me shocked! :-)

Of course it will, and it will have some impact on what you see or read in someone's weblog. But why is that a problem? It's something that already being done, and it's being done for free. Take a look at our Midland-based weblogs. Do you seriously believe one can get a complete and comprehensive view of the world-at-large - or even our own little part it - from our weblogs?

In the past, I have thanked you for your willingness to accept contrary opinions posted as comments, and to debate those opinions in a civil manner ... but that's because it is something very, VERY rare in West Texas weblogs.

So, bring on the money, and bring on the next wave of weblog interest. Those of us walking along the beach have found some wonderful treasures left on the sand by the first wave ... and I am very excited about what might come to shore with the next wave.

Jeff, your comments are quite insightful, as always, and they carry more credibility than the average person's, given your journalistic experience.

I've got no problem with corporate-sponsored or -owned blogs. I was simply trying to contrast what I think will be a legitimate "before and after" issue that the acquiring company (and the acquired blogger) needs to fully understand.

Neither party should be surprised if the popularity/readership of the acquired blog drops off following the sellout (and I'm not using that term in a judgmental way). Most of the current "A List" bloggers have a certain level of credibility based on their perceived independence. If they're blogging with an agenda -- and, of course, we all are...as you point out -- then it's perceived to be their agenda and not their employer's.

This will change with corporate ownership. The source of opinions will be less transparent, and the readership will be more skeptical. Whether that's good or bad, I don't know. I guess it depends on your perspective, and how you feel about the value of blogs to begin with.

You asked if I believe one can get a complete view of the world via blogs, and my answer is, absolutely not. That's not why I read blogs, and I doubt that very many other people do. I have specific reasons for visiting each blog that's on my daily or regular reading list...some of them are emotional, some intellectual, some spiritual, etc. But all of them have some basis in the writer's perceived credibility, sincerity and agenda. At some point, I've decided that I know and am comfortable with "where that person is coming from" and value his or her opinions, perceptions, knowledge and/or skill. The fact that they are sharing those things on their own time and aren't answerable to anyone but themselves seems somehow important to me. That may not be the case for everyone, and that's fine. This is something that we all have varying degrees of tolerance for.

In the end, you and I share the same feeling: let's see where this thing is going. If it's worthwhile, it'll thrive; if not, it'll become a minor footnote in history. No matter what happens, I'm pretty sure it's not a life or death issue! ;-)

You asked if I believe one can get a complete view of the world via blogs, and my answer is, absolutely not.

Indeed, I would say you can't get a complete and comprehensive view of the world from ANY single media outlet. That includes the NYT and WaPo.

But Weblogs do something that mainstream media don't do: fill in the cracks of our understanding. Some of them are mundane. some are stupid. But many times, blogs will draw the connections between events that mainstream outlets are either too busy or too hide-bound to draw.

And the fact that there are so many webloggers out in WEST TEXAS, for pete's sake, has got to be a good sign.