Patrick Chappatte, International Herald Tribune, Buy this cartoon
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Warning: This pictorial version of Daily Kos' history has not as yet been reviewed or approved by our Community Director Lord Protector, Meteor Blades. Were he to look it over, I have no doubt he would heartily agree with its content.
It is, as we say in the blogging world, subject to revisionist interpretations. Opinions are not in short supply on this blog.
In the beginning, someone said, "Let there be blogs." And, bingo, blogging was born. In all sorts of blogs, experts came out of the woodwork hellbent on ensuring that we, the uninformed, took advantage of their expertise, though they neglected to tell us what it was they excelled at. Fairly soon, a few experts led to, you guessed it, more experts.
If author Aldous Huxley were alive today, surely his important novel Brave New World would contain nothing but chapter after chapter about the intricacies, nuances, and subtleties involved in being an expert blogger.
Pat Bagley, Salt Lake Tribune, Buy this cartoon
Grand Avenue, Comics.com
Frederick Deligne, Nice-Matin (France), Buy this cartoon
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With so many experts wanting to enlighten us with their knowledge and wisdom (something they could not do enough of in comments only), diaries were introduced. Now, all these other experts really could educate us on the mysteries of life and the very purpose of our existence on this planet. An important blogging axiom: if an expert cannot opine, he/she ceases to be one and would by default, if not by design, give up that exalted title.
Before you knew it, hundreds of diaries were being written over all kinds of topics from the economic impact of growing Belgian endives to stimulating the American economy to the many reincarnations of pop idol Madonna.
'Diary Stars' were being born every day, so it seemed. Daily Kos would soon replace Encyclopaedia Britannica as the world's foremost authority on everything.
John Cole, Scranton Times-Tribune, Buy this cartoon
Frank and Ernest, Comics.com
Mike Lester, Rome News-Tribune, Buy this cartoon
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More diaries would lead to a proliferation of reader comments and the introduction of such fancy words as 'asdf,' 'aeou,' and 'n/t'. Never in the history of the modern world was language being enriched so completely and so quickly. Lurkers marveled at the command of the English language displayed by commentators on this blog. Naturally, an increase in comments led to more comments and use of intricate words like 'meme,' whose meaning and purpose has eluded us commoners.
Diaries and comments were being supplemented with round-the-clock announcements about diaries and comments through other social networking tools such as Twitter and MySpace. You would have thought that blogging had reached its high point. But, you would be wrong too.
Jim Day, Las Vegas Review-Journal, Buy this cartoon
Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Buy this cartoon
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More comments led to more friction and infighting resulting in something called 'Flaming.' Translated, it simply meant mild disagreement with a commentator though expressed with a great deal of passion and rage in a distinctly uncivil fashion and manner undeserving of, well, thinking persons.
Frank and Ernest, Comics.com
Rudy Park, Comics.com
Frank and Ernest, Comics.com
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Although beset with problems, the Daily Kos model was widely admired by friends and foes alike. The political world had never seen anything like it. Imitation in politics, they say, is the sincerest form of flattery. So it was the case with the 2008 McCain-Palin Presidential Campaign as they borrowed our tactics to use upon our candidate.
Taking these blogging tactics to new heights, they launched attack upon attack in the blogosphere. They failed miserably.
Bob Englehart, Hartford Courant, Buy this cartoon
Patrick Chappatte, International Herald Tribune, Buy this cartoon
RJ Matson, St. Louis Post Dispatch, Buy this cartoon
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So, where does that leave us today? We are at a crossroads. To paraphrase Winston Churchill, this is neither the beginning nor the end. It could, however, be the beginning of the end. Or, as Bob Dylan wrote many moons ago, "the answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind."
Ponder that for a second. Happy blogging!
Grand Avenue, Comics.com
Joe Heller, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Buy this cartoon
Frederick Deligne, Le Pelerin (France), Buy this cartoon
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Crossposted at Docudharma
