Bloggers Move Into the Mainstream
The WSJ's story, running under the headline "When Bloggers Make News", looks at the bloggers' world and the phenomenon has become known as "citizen journalism" (also known as "open source journalism", "hyper-local journalism" and "participatory journalism"), and gives the readers a picture that says:
Bloggers ... are finally moving from the alleys and side streets of the Internet into the mainstream. And as their visibility and clout increases, some are asking: what are the rules of the road? There is no exam to pass or society to join to become a blogger -- anybody can set up a "Web log" to publish his or her ideas -- and at last count, an estimated eight million people in the U.S. are doing so, writing on everything from pets to porn.
This refers to a study conducted by Pew Internet & American Life Project. According to the findings of Pew Internet & American Life Project, 7% of the 120 million U.S. adults who use the internet say they have created a blog or web-based diary. That represents more than 8 million people.
