It appears my turbulent relationship with online journalism is finally set to come to an end. (barring further mass failure on my part, of course). Looking back, i probably was over sceptical when i started out, putting up a few blogs was not the Everest climbing task which it for so long appeared. Im not going to lie, repeating the blog was an unwanted hassle but it did help me discover that I actually can enjoy blogging. Okay, perhaps not about online journalism, but I’m fairly certain I’ll be keeping Pauricmac blogging inc up and running in the future. Afterall an occasional rant about the government or some fresh sporting controversy can never go a miss. For now however, i think it’s best to leave my final words to Mr Bocelli and co…

I was reading through other peoples blogs and noticed a mention of a site called Technorati. It is a site specifically designed to search for blogs and presently has links to over 112 million blogs worldwide. A figure which would make the likes of Google or Yahoo sit up and take notice. The top placed blogs on the site are basically what is the most talked about subject of the day whilst it also tracks the fastest rising blogs as well. The site also has a list of the top 100 blogs. It’s definitely worth checking out. PC Magazine also released a list of a top 100 blogs, many of which coincided with Technorati’s.

I decided to compare Irelands “big two” online outlets and see who came out on top. The Times site was very impressive. It was very well layed out and extremely easy to navigate. The site is divided into the usual components, Sport, Business, World, etc. It also has a link to the top 5 most read stories of the day. Like most sites it has continuous updates as the news develops throughout the day. There are also image, video and opinion sections, a digital archive as well as an interactive crossword.

The Independents’s online edition follows a very similar layout to that of The Times. It has the usual sections, links to the top ten most read stories of the day, an online poll, continuous updates of breaking news. It also has an editors choice section and a link to blogs by Independent journalists. 

After viewing both sites, i’d probably say the Independent just about shades things in online terms, the site is simply a little more detailed and thorough in it’s workings when compared to The Times. Having said that both are of a high enough quality to certainly make me think twice the next time I spend my precious E1.80!!

I was most impressed by the quality of this blog about the Eircom league. It has the lowdown on how the season is progressing for all the teams and a forum allowing fans to post their views on all the games. It also has a blogroll linking it with other sites such as The Bohemian Times and Walk the Chalk. It’s very easy to navigate and has an archive going all the way back to May 2004. The Irish league has come in for alot of criticism of late (thank you very much David Kelly) but at least it can take pride in its high blogging standards!

Tim May once said “National Borders aren’t even speedbumps on the information superhighway”. And in most cases, such a statement would seem to be quite true. By its very nature, the Internet is constantly updating and expanding and in this respect, it’s quite an uncontrollable beast. Perhaps this is why the Chinese Government fear it so much and have gone to such drastic lengths to ensure it does not damage their reputation. If you search for “Tibet” or “Tiananmen square” on google in any country, you will most likely find thousands of articles, blogs, opinion, views, debates, etc. Search for it in China – Nothing.

The fact that Google operates a different version of its search engine in China is purely to obey China’s censorship laws. In making such a move, purely for money related matters, some have referred to Google executives as being akin to “Nazi Collaborators“. I tought the Internet could “transcend national boundaries”, it was supposed to be the one medium which could reach places print or broadcast never could. The fact that google denied the Chinese people this service is a decision based solely on the all powerful dollar. Perhaps the Chinese should count themselves lucky they cant search for the word “democracy” because apparently its meaning has got very mixed up somewhere along the way…

Make up your mind Ronnie! Millions of United fans have been left somewhat dismayed by Christiano Ronaldo and the ongoing saga regarding a possible move to Real Madrid. The winger has refused to rule out the move despite signing a five year contract only last year. With the news season on the horizon, Ronaldo’s stalling is sure to infuriate United supremo Alex Ferguson. David Beckham, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Roy Keane have all felt the force of the infamous “hair-dryer treatment” in the past and it seem Ronaldo could be next. It’s a remarkable series of events given that just last season, Ronaldo’s record busting 42 goals helped Man United to a Premiership and Champion League double. Meanwhile, in relation to the Ronaldo saga, Fifa President Sepp Blatter, has referred to modern footballers being treated like slaves, promting some to ask how many slaves earn 120,000 a week? Its not unlike the current President to put his foot in in though, last year he sparked outrage when he said women should play football in short skirts whilst he also feels drawn games should be abolished.

I decided to go search for some blogs about events closer to home, An Fear Rua seemed as good as any of them. Great to see some customary banter between the rival counties just as the Championship kicks off in earnest. There was also advice to visit a decent wordpress blog about sport too. Ah gaelic games, no better sport when it’s played right.

….Someone should really tell Mark Vaughan how to play it then!

The Drudge Report began as an email sent to friends by its creator Matt Drudge. The original issue’s were part gossip and part opinion and it was distributed as an email newsletter. From the start it could be seen as something both loved and hated alike by the public. In 1996, the Newsletter transitioned from entertainment gossip to political gossip. It also moved from its email format to using an actual website as its main form of distribution. In March 1995, the Drudge report had a mere 1,000 subscribers, but by 1997 this number had grown to a staggering 85,000. The reason for this massive jump in popularity can be put down to the fact that Drudge would simply beat the traditional media to breaking news stories. The most notable case, is undoubtedly when Drudge was the first outlet to break the news concerning the affair between President Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky, which later became known as the Monica Lewinsky Scandal. 

The emergence of e-newspapers as a major force would surely herald the end of the traditional print media. For the less technologically informed among us, myself included, it would be a massive and in my opinion, an unwelcome change. For as long as most of us can remember, we have been accustomed to picking up a peper and reading over our breakfast or whilst relaxing in the armchair on a Sunday with The Times. What’s that I hear you say? It’ll never happen. Well, the transformation is already under way I’m afraid, with major newspapers in Europe and Asia, as well as The New York Times deciding to venture down the “e” road.

Stig Nordqvist, a swedish mobile technology engineer has a vision. He see’s the masses using small i-pod like gadgets to access up to the minute news. With more and more people consulting the Internet as their chief newsgetter, he feels the e-volution of the e-paper will take the industry by storm. Summed up bluntly, he states “There’s not much of a future for the once-a-day distribution of highly perishable information, printed with ink on thin sheets of expensive, chemically treated wood pulp.”  Well, I suppose that’s some consolation, at a time when the Environment is under threat more than ever before, the e-newspaper could provide some much needed respite for our trees!

I was intrigued to discover the irreverent Michael Moore’s blog in which he appealed for people to vote for Senator Barack Obama in the Democratic nomination race. Never afraid to voice his opinion, Moore’s blog was damning in it’s condemnation of what he called Hilary Clintons “smear tactics”. He openly appeals for the American people to endorse Obama and further goes on to dub him “President Obama”, although John Mc Cain may feel he has something to say about that. Moore’s blog was an enjoyable read and has restored my faith in the ability of the celebrity blogger following that basketball players self-praising tripe. I also found this video which basically caught the essence of his blog.