Here’s a story about how bloggers (primarily the tinfoil hat brigade) want to unionize.
Here’s an intemperate point to ponder: how does one bargain with employers, collectively or individually, when one does not actually have employers? Do I bargain with WordPress, who hosts my blog? Do I bargain with the Libertarian Party? As Bizzy notes, “‘Reality-based community’ bloggers wanting to unionize are also going to have to work on the reality economists call ‘barriers to entry’.”
I can somewhat understand the part about grouping together to negotiate more favorably for health insurance. But considering the overwhelming number of bloggers are not professional full-time bloggers, most of us have insurance through our real jobs. Then again, we are talking about leftist bloggers who hatched this idea, so they’re probably much less likely to have real jobs (to say nothing about real jobs that offer health plans) than their counterparts on the right.
If there’s a silver lining, it’s this: if moonbat bloggers like the Kos kooks unionize, maybe they’ll go on strike, too! 
“It would raise the professionalism,” said Leslie Robinson, a writer at ColoradoConfidential.com. “Maybe we could get more jobs, bona fide jobs.”
Others see a blogger coalition as a way to find health insurance discounts, fight for press credentials or even establish guidelines for dealing with advertising and presenting data on page views.
Raising professionalism? Helping find a job doing something they enjoy? Establishing guidelines (which is better for honesty and such, though blogs are mostly opinion pieces)? Garnering more power for the advertising dollar?
Some of those are actually good points, and I’d say if you thought you could turn a buck here you’d do it too. The big thing would be making it a group and establishing guidelines much like reporters for TV news and print news. Nothing wrong with adding more credibility to an area that is increasingly having an effect on voters on both sides of the issues.
But you only looked at the obvious union wording, and not the idea of an organization for people involved in blogging. Would I join if it formed? Not likely, but I don’t think it’s a bad idea for many bloggers who are more focused on political commentary.
Comment by wailin — August 7, 2007 @ 10:56 am
Raising professionalism?
Hardly. Unions have succeeded at bankrupting or slashing productivity at companies, so there’s nothing there that indicates “professionalism”.
fight for press credentials
Fight with whom? The MSM? The bloggers don’t work for the MSM, so there’s no incentive there. Union members can negotiate things with their employers because of the employee-employer relationship. No such relationship would exist between a bloggers’ union and an MSM cabal.
Some of those are actually good points, and I’d say if you thought you could turn a buck here you’d do it too.
There’s no doubt that I’d blog full-time if I could make even close to what I currently make in my day job. However, I seriously doubt a bloggers’ union could make that happen. Would the union tell advertisers what to pay us?
But you only looked at the obvious union wording
Well, that IS the wording the story used, no?
Comment by crushliberalism — August 7, 2007 @ 11:11 am
Wording aside, I think it’s more about the idea behind grouping together and looking for benefits for everyone. As a group, perhaps they could gain more ad revenues where merited through negotiations. It would raise professionalism by setting standards for bloggers themselves.
Blogging, like I said, is becoming increasingly influential. Allowing bloggers to apply for, and receive, press credentials is a good idea where politics are involved. Unless you have a press pass you only have secondary information. Press credentials in general have nothing to do with specific organizations.
Grouping together gives a bit more weight when coupled with a set of ethical standards in reporting.
Comment by wailin — August 7, 2007 @ 11:23 am
ethical standards in reporting
What the hell does that mean?
Comment by crushliberalism — August 7, 2007 @ 11:29 am
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Pingback by Blue Collar Republican » Blog Archive » Blog Burst - August 7, 2007 — August 7, 2007 @ 11:30 am
Yeah, you’d have to wonder what ever happened to ethics in reporting. I blame the trend to sensationalism and breaking the story first.
Comment by wailin — August 7, 2007 @ 11:49 am
“how does one bargain with employers, collectively or individually, when one does not actually have employers?”
I plan on forming a union right now and extracting concessions from my computer. I am demanding that it run faster (darn Vista) or I will go on strike and just watch T.V.
Comment by totaltransformation — August 7, 2007 @ 2:30 pm
Alright I agree with you on this one. I don’t see why someone would want to unionize bloggers and who would they be claiming benefits from? My question is are these groups who are hired with blogging agencies like the Huffington Post or freelance bloggers? I really don’t care for most blogs because it is opinion based(mine included) and I really don’t see a need to collect money off it… that being said I wouldn’t turn money down… money is good.
Comment by ParticleBoy — August 7, 2007 @ 10:24 pm
Money is good indeed, PB!
Comment by Crush Liberalism — August 8, 2007 @ 5:38 am