I keep my definition loose, because we’re in an evolving, dynamic world. Key attributes include chronological structure, comments and conversation.

A blog becomes mainstream when a mainstream audience comes to rely on it for information and perspective. Being owned by a big company might help with that, but it also might get in the way.

Blogs don’t need editorial standards. Good blogs do. Everything’s a brand. If you want to build an audience you need to be recognizable and consistent.

Most things in blogs are a bit more spontaneous and rapid response than MSM. That applies to the editiing as well. It’s more likely that blog posts are self-edited; more likely that MSM items have more review. Blogs are to MSM as Tom Wolfe is to the NYT that I grew up with. The goals of editing in both cases should be similar: To express a consistent editorial POV and make things better for readers. The editorial POV for a blog will almost by definition be less formal than for MSM.

What’s the difference? Blogs are younger than MSM, with all that implies. Looser, more rambunctious.

Blogs should link out for two reasons: to acknowledge sources; to offer more to their readers. If the blog doesn’t have sources and if it’s all that a reader needs, then it doesn’t need to link out. I’m a fan of hypertext and encourage linking as a way of doing richer writing.

Yes, links are part of the editorial palette along with text, illustrations, photographs, videos, charts, and tables. If it helps tell the story, do it. When discussing a product, a link to the product website is helpful to the reader.

Putting linking in the category of a responsibility for A-list bloggers is nonesense. All bloggers have is a responsibility to their readers. Links are part of that. I can’t think of anything that I’ve ever blogged that ought to have been linked to from Engadget. (There are, however, other A-listers who should and do link to me.)

May I throw in a question of my own? Do I have a responsiblity to answer all these questions? (yeah, I know. that was two questions)

Competition in the blogosphere? Yes… but it’s an opt-in.

So, is Engadget REALY still a blog? Does it really matter? Would not being a blog make you and Ryan bad people? Scoble and Sifry have a vested interest in promoting “bloggitude.” I don’t see why Engadget has any interest beyond promoting Engadgetude. Serve your readers.

PS: I watched the damn Scoble video. Nobody should have linked to it. A rare and exclusive look at a corridor in a fab. Such news. The corridor from my office to my living room would tell you as much about how chips are made.

It’s like in The Incredibles after Syndrome catches Mr. Incredible and says, “And when I’m old and I’ve had my fun, I’ll sell my inventions so that everyone can have powers. Everyone can be Super! And when everyone’s Super… no one will be.” It’s like that… except not bad—good.

Wait, that last bit was my Inside Voice. Please, disregard.

It’s like when in The Incredibles after Syndrome has caught Mr. Incredible, and he tells him that “when I’m old and I’ve had my fun, I’ll sell my inventions so that everyone can have powers. Everyone can be Super! And when everyone’s Super… no one will be.” It’s like that… only not bad—good.

Wait, that last bit was my Inside Voice, please disregard.

2. How do you define a “blog”?
And easily updated website in which individual authors are also the editors; they decide what makes the front page.

3. Does a blog become “mainstream” when it’s owned by a big company?
Not sure if entirely, but yes. Beauocracy always takes its toll. Also, the bigger you are on the radar, the more legal issues you have to worry about (read: less independent)

4. Must a blogger blog as an amatuer (i.e. not for a living)?
Nah, but to stay authentic, bloggers should disclose religiously. So long as it stays authentic, full or part time shouldn’t matter.

5. Do blogs need editorial standards?
Absolutely

6. What’s the difference in editing a blog and editing an MSM pub?
Speed and comprehension.

7. What’s the real difference between a blog and the MSM?
Aggregation versus one source of information (maybe?).

8. Is it necessary for blogs to constantly link out?
Though an integral part, not mandatory.

9. Does that linking fall into the realm of editorial?
In a way. You decide what gets linked-to, so there is a bit. You decide what gets exposure or not.

10. Do A-list bloggers have a responsibility to link to others? (Hat-tip, Sue Polinsky)
If A-listers pull inspiration or information of a smaller site, yes. That’s something traditional media didn’t and largely still don’t do. They grab a story from someone else then post it as if they unearthed the story.

11. Is there such thing as competition in the blogosphere?
Yes, but I view it as a bit more indirect. Though Joystiq and Kotaku compete directly, the voice and tone is so different. One size does not fit all, so there is plenty of room.

12. So is Engadget REALLY still a blog?
Yes

If you’re talking about the content being mainstream, I’d say definitely not. I’m a frequent reader, but by no means would I consider it mainstream content.

If you’re talking about it being mainstream in the sense of its visibility, I’d have to disagree as well. I didn’t find Engadget as a result of being owned by AOL. In fact, that’s never had any effect on my decision to be a reader or on my experience as a reader. I think its visibility is a result of its good writing and interesting content.

I also don’t feel like the writers at Engadget pull punches as a result of being owned by a major corporation. I think that they are as liberal as most tech blogs I’ve read, second only to some of the most candid sites. But, in my opinion, this keeps the writing more tasteful overall.

To echo Con’s statement, does it matter? I think Engadget is great as it is, and I think there’s probably a VERY healthy reader base that agrees with me.

Just like the entire print (or, for the purposes of this examples, the paper) industry, there’s a massive variety in the way companies publish their work. Some magazines are extremely local and are published in black and white on a single sheet of A4 paper by some old dude living next door, and appear in your letterbox once a month for free. Others cost millions of dollars to produce and distribute and sell millions of copies as a result! Why then, if the print industry is so wild and varied, are people annoyed when certain blogs change their tack slightly from the percieved notion of a “perfect” blog? As Ryan says, David Pogue’s blog is likely edited! Check out postsecret, is that a blog if all that’s posted is a bunch of postcard scans every week? What about Daring Fireball? No comments, yet it’s obviously still a blog!

People seriously need to relax about what the concept of a blog entails, and not start thinking that there’s a mythical set of rules out there that each blogger must abide by in order for their writing to qualify as a blog. That’s the true beauty of the medium: not having to apologize for what you output! If someone will value it (whether it’s ocassionally edited, or it’s a blog about what you ate for breakfast), then there should never be a problem.

Is Engadget (still) a blog? Yes.

How do you define a “blog”? A website updated often, hopefully with comments, RSS feeds, trackbacks, easy ways to link to and from.

Does a blog become “mainstream” when it’s owned by a big company? Yes.

Must a blogger blog as an amatuer (i.e. not for a living)? No.

Do blogs need editorial standards? Yes.

What’s the difference in editing a blog and editing an MSM pub? MSM might come from the stance of “we know better than the readers” or “we know what the readers should be reading”. Blogs ought to take advantage of the conversation between writers and readers to create better content.

What’s the real difference between a blog and the MSM? Same as above - I think blogs realize readers can be reporters, editors and news-sources, and should respect that. While Mainstream Media is more: I’m the authority, you’re the reader, just passively take it in (and here’s a token comments area where you can gripe but it won’t influence what stories we write etc.) That way of thinking is dying and a big reason why newspapers are so confused IMHO. The only thing newsmedia has a lock on is quality reporting of facts.

Is it necessary for blogs to constantly link out? No, but it sure is nice. The web is set up for links. It should be used whenever appropriate.

Does that linking fall into the realm of editorial? Yes.

Do A-list bloggers have a responsibility to link to others? (Hat-tip, Sue Polinsky) No, but a “moral” responsibility, maybe. Especially if they became A list by slowly building up an audience over time and through links of their own. But ultimately they can do whatever they want…

Is there such thing as competition in the blogosphere? For many people, yes. Comes back to the reason why you blog and why the blog exists. You’d be surprised a lot of bloggers don’t care and actually want to HELP other bloggers get better at the craft.

So is Engadget REALLY still a blog? Yes. But hopefully it won’t turn into a “splog”.

Thanks for allowing comments and keeping the conversation open!

Meaning, is it for money, for popularity, for attention, a job, for the traffic, what?

I’ll read any blog blogging for any reason but as soon as commercial interests and money start taking over it’s hard to think it won’t taint 8 - 11 to a possibly detrimental degree.

2. A blog is a site with a clearly identifiable individual or group ownership that has chronologically ordered features, and enables comments or other user interaction.

3. No - a blog becomes mainstream when it achieves critical mass of users or influence, whatever critical mass is.

4. A blogger doesn’t have to be an amateur. It helps to blog about something where you have expertise, and often, expertise is paid for. This isn’t the Olympics, and even there, they’ve reduced their standards.

5. Blogs should represent their author. If their author lacks standards, so will the blog. As a blog migrates from the echo chamber to the mainstream, more is expected.

6. Editing a blog should have a faster turn-around. The process to blogging should be very streamlined, and a single writer can take it all the way to copy. I wrote on this earlier this year, contrasting blogging with writing for journalism. (See: “In Blogging, Everyone Writes Straight to Copy”)

7, Many MSM now have blogs, so that line is blurring somewhat, but it often goes back to the audience participation and chronological layout - newest to oldest. You can see MSM sites add comments to columns and news now, but they still miss out on the chronology aspect.

8. Linking makes the Web go round - besides the collection of tubes, of course. It’s not as if with a lack of linking you lose your license, but the idea of your site being the end destination is not accurate. Related links are like a book’s bibliography. The customer always wants more data.

9. Linking does not always imply consent. I’ll link to one site over another because it was first with a story or covered it better, and I’ll link to opposing viewpoints to others or to myself. On the flip side, if I link to pornography or obscenity, that would reflect on editorial, regardless of disclaimers.

10. No. It sure would be nice for some of us non A-listers, but nobody can tell you what to do. It’s your blog. Yet, a good example of A-listers all talking about A-listers is TechMeme. While the site is interesting, many other quieter viewpoints never make it to the top.

Is there such thing as competition in the blogosphere?

11. Of course. Do I read MacRumors or do I read AppleInsider? Do I read GigaOM or TechCrunch? Or do I read both? (I’m a bad example, I read everything) Competition can be real or manufactured, but rivalry spurs excellence.

12. Yes. Engadget is a blog. A fantastically successful one that is racing up the ranks to achieve influence on par with the MSM. Just “Don’t Be Evil”. I heard that somewhere. :-)

2) A personal forum where opinions are shared back and forth. Engadget, or any other site that posts far more more than they get involved in comments doesn’t qualify, IMHO. When the conversation stops, or is almost negligible, it’s not a blog. It’s an online newspaper.

3) Only if they no longer communicate with their audience like they are friends, or family. You can be “owned” and still be a blog - as long as you stay true to your audience.

4) No. Every blogger starts somewhere. I see no correlation.

5) Yes. Be honest. Be true to yourself and your readers. Anything else goes.

6) Simple - MSM is a talking head expecting no conversation, and providing no conversation. Blogs ARE conversation. For instance, I can’t “talk to” the Wall Street Journal. Or the New York Times. Bloggers let me comment, and they respond to me when it makes sense.

7) The Master’s you report to. Control. Freedom.

8) No - unless you want to make friends and influence Bloggers.

9) Linking is commentary. It’s the “color man” in a sporting match. Linking makes it interesting, but dosn’t change the facts of the game - it just makes the game more fun.

10) Not a legal one. Perhaps not even a moral one. Unless that’s where the story is coming from. Obligation? No, not unless the other blog is the source (or even the “via”)

11) Duh - yes. There is money involved. A lot of it. So yes, there is competition.

12) NO. Sorry. You’ve transcended blogging. You aren’t MSM either. You are something else. When Engadget is “worth” 15 million and Dave at Scripting News is worth about $68K - yeah - you are in a different league, and it’s not the same league bloggers are in. We need a new name for former blogs that are now media empires like Engadget. http://lagesse.org/index.php/2007/01/28/fun-with-nonsensical-data/

The numbers are just for fun of course - but it does say something about your place in the market.

But I really don’t think you are a blog anymore - and that’s ok with me. I still like reading you.