Michelle Malkin writes about a subject I’ve been thinking about for a while: blog envy. She cites this Los Angeles Times article by blogger Billmon. He thinks the big bloggers are selling out to mainstream media:
For almost two years, I blogged the political scene, first as a guest writer on the popular Daily Kos site, and then on my own blog, Whiskey Bar. During that time, I was able to indulge my passion for long-form writing — a relative rarity in the blogging world, which leans toward snippy one-liners and news nuggets — and to mix satirical humor with serious analysis, all without the worries of deadlines, editors and advertisers.
It was intoxicating while it lasted, as was the sense of community I found with my readers. At the peak of Whiskey Bar’s popularity, I could count on receiving 100 or more comments about each post — articulate, querulous and sometimes profane voices from the Internet hinterland.
Recently, however, I’ve watched the commercialization of this culture of dissent with growing unease. When I recently decided to take a long break from blogging, it was for a mix of personal and philosophical reasons. But the direction the blogosphere is going makes me wonder whether I’ll ever go back.
Even as it collectively achieves celebrity status for its anti-establishment views, blogging is already being domesticated by its success. What began as a spontaneous eruption of populist creativity is on the verge of being absorbed by the media-industrial complex it claims to despise.
On the one hand, I understand how he feels. The “big boys” — Instapundit, Power Line, Little Green Footballs, Allahpundit and a few others — have been mentioned in newspapers and magazines during the Dan Rather fiasco. But I don’t think they’ve sold out. A blogger’s blog can be whatever he wants it to be.
On the other hand, Billmon’s complaints sound like sour grapes. I can see through the nonchalant veneer as he writes about the big bloggers, of which he is no longer a part.
I’ve read entries on new blogs (less that 6 month old, in my opinion) where the writer expressed frustration because of low readership. Are you kidding? As I’ve said on this blog many times, the primary reason you write must be your interest in or passion for writing. For me it is the very act of writing itself that compels me to post everyday.
It’s wonderful having readers and commenters, but that is secondary, believe it or not. New bloggers must be patient and willing to create a niche for themselves. There is plenty of room for all of us, but Insta-Status, most will never reach.
Even as I write this, I’m using the energy of that negative emotion (envy) to create opportunities for myself behind the scenes. I’ll keep you posted, so to speak. 
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This is the blogosphere ecosystem. It’s undergoing maintenance, so it may not be accessible now. Although I’m at #54, that’s a false number (server issues). My true ranking fluctuates between #72 and #80. Keep this in mind: rankings are based on links, not traffic. Theoretically, you can have only a few hundred hits a day and rise in the ecosystem if other sites link to your blog or individual posts.
See Right Wing News’ top 125 sites. Baldilocks notes that the New York Times gave scant coverage to conservative bloggers.
For the record, this is the first Power Line post to document the CBS forged memos scandal, dated September 9, 2004, the morning after the “60 Minutes” show aired. It generated 605 trackbacks. Wow.
Envy much? Just goes to show you that a little complaining can reap an Instalanche.
Update: Michelle Malkin likes the insights.
Big brother Dean offers his insights on Instapundit-envy: Get over it!
Update II (9/30): I’m not implying that Shape of Days has blog envy, but I wanted to link to this post and had no better place to put it. He dissects Glenn “Instapundit” Reynolds’s latest column. Enjoy!
Update III: Just think: Jim Treacher said his blog stunk; now he’s in the middle of an Instalanche!
