Same here. Indeed, OTB started as a hybrid link/think blog and has evolved, for better or worse, into much longer but fewer postings.

I use GoogleReader to organize my blog reading although I have included InstaPundit in my feed to get quick links that I might have missed. But he’s literally the only link blogger that I “read.”

While Glenn is, notably, a blogger and is, notably, read – his prominence and influence has diminished. I don’t know if I’d attribute that to the content (politics burnout, conservative burnout, etc) or the fact that readers really want to read things that challenge their thinking, as opposed to simply pointing around. In my case, I’d rather read a blog that offers original thought leadership than link pointing. I have Google Reader for that. I wonder if other people feel the same way I do?

On the other hand, as you say, HuffPo is clearly something other than a “blog” despite its use of WordPress. It’s just a conglomeration of context packaged, quite successfully, to sell. There’s no unique voice to the site and I’m pretty sure most authors lack the ability to simply post what they feel like, when they feel like it, without submitting to an editor.

That, ultimately, strikes me as the line between “blog” and “other.” If the authors are largely unconstrained in writing what they want, they’re “bloggers.” If they have to hue to a party line, get editorial approval, or simply crank out X number posts a day to get paid, they’re “something else.”

These sites were started by ‘fans’..but got street cred very quickly.

However, the majority of these people had no background in journalism and there the ideas of what makes a GOOD journalist or a good writer tended to be a bit murky.

A lot of bloggers and writers would do well taking basic courses in ethics and journalism.

We all know that there is issues with fact checks, story swiping, hot linking, not giving credit etc…these are easy things to fix….

But I have sat in rooms filled with bloggers where the concept of copyright was very confusing to them.

This does not help.

To be treated like a professional you have to act like one…no matter if you blog or write for fun or for money.

I think a lot of this would help the non internet and ‘mainstream’ media take notice more too.

Oh and that we all can’t be bought by pretty toys etc.