First, I'd like to point out that DayPop is currently being gamed by spammers, too. I went to look for news this morning and discovered that a site by the URL of benatrvaprafr.arg (rot13) is sitting in 1/2 of the top 15. This isn't quite front page news, nor is this weekend's Blogspot fracas. At least, according to the “popular press.”
Every day, for lesuire, we do things that are important to us – and some of us find ourselves relying less and less on traditional media for advice and information. Certainly, I have my PVR set to record my favorite TV shows – and I often have television on as background “noise.” Ponzi feels guilty if a whole week passes and we don't watch the news. Dunno. I don't feel that way anymore.
Witness the amount of heat the New York Times is taking for their review of Inform. Years ago, I would have second-guessed my better judgement if such an (implied) endorsement shot across my bow. “If they like it, then I should, too.” Or “Hrmmm, there must be something to it if the New York Times is talking about it.” I thought that way in 1996… 1997… 1998… 1999… but not in 2005. A review from a peer has always been more important to me, but the blogosphere is amplifying the recommendation “engine.”
We live in a bubble – not a Bubble 2.0, just a plain ol' bubble. Every one of our bubbles are different. Even Jake Gyllenhaal lives in his own bubble! There's a huge bubble of people who were the first on the blogging scene – and many of us are still around. Then, there's an ever-expanding bubble of people who are getting into blogging. Even this big blog bubble, however, is still a small bubble. The everyman usually (and understandably) doesn't care about the things that many of “us” care about.
…but that doesn't make what we do, or the things we say, any less important.