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.Thepolitical blogosphere was termed the “netroots,” that is, the home of onlineactivists who are using their newfound power to revolutionize politics.8 TheBLOGGERS 35term also suggested that the blogosphere was a highly democratic and inclu-sive medium that refl ected the public’s opinion rather than that of elites.Onepolitical scientist has called blogs the “sophisticated listening posts of moderndemocracy.” 9 Markos Moulitsas termed his blog “basically our little Democratic living room,” suggesting that, rather than the halls of power, blogs are the province of ordinary people.10Two Levels of the BlogosphereDespite the rhetoric of a new democratic medium that refl ects the views ofaverage people, the blogosphere, particularly the visible blogosphere seen bythe press and the public, is a hierarchical medium.It is not a grouping in whichthe various blogs are essentially equal to one another.In fact, the blogosphereactually consists of two highly distinct levels of blogs: infl uentials and com-mon blogs.11 The infl uentials are the blogs that have been discussed so far in this book and are the main focus of discussion throughout.However, beforecontinuing on in that discussion, it is worth noting briefl y the other type, thecommon blogs.They deserve mention because of their size: in sheer numbersthey dominate the political blogosphere.Moreover, they actually refl ect thedemocratic elements of the blogosphere touted by pundits and journalists.Common BlogsThe vast majority of blogs, the common blogs, are written in public obscu-rity.They are read by small audiences, and most last for only brief periods,many never maintained by their authors.According to a 2004 survey, out of2.7 million blogs, 1.6 million were no longer active four months after theircreation, and 1 million lasted only one day.12 For a majority of bloggers, the costs of maintaining a blog become excessive given the low return for thetime invested.One journalist wrote that his blog could best be described asbeing like a Labrador retriever: “friendly, fun, not all that bright, but constantlydemanding your attention.” 13 Those bloggers who gave up on maintaining their blog may have concluded that the constant demand on their attention was notworth the opportunity to express views to a limited number of readers.Even those common blogs that continue are read by diminutive audiences,typically family and friends.They are written by people who update them intheir spare time; 84 percent of bloggers said their blog is a hobby or occasionalinterest.Nor are they updated daily or even weekly; 59 percent of bloggers36 TYPINGPOLITICSsaid they spend just one to two hours weekly maintaining their blog.14 Nor are the vast majority of common bloggers sanguine about the infl uence of theirblogs; only 27 percent said they keep a blog “to infl uence the way other peoplethink.” 15The two groups of bloggers are different from each other in another sense.Common blogs have remained largely untouched by the blogosphere’s integra-tion with mainstream politics and journalism.That is true because traditionalplayers have no interest in the content of common blogs.They know commonblogs have limited audiences and infl uence in the blogosphere.The two typesalso differ in content, refl ecting the effects of mainstreaming.A case in pointis the divergence in coverage of the Trent Lott resignation at the end of 2007.On November 26, 2007, the Mississippi senator and former Senate majorityleader announced suddenly that he would retire by the end of the calendaryear.16 The announcement caught Washington by surprise; Lott had just been reelected to a six-year term in 2006.News accounts repeated Lott’s statementthat he wanted to spend more time with his family and that he had wanted toleave before Hurricane Katrina but stayed in response to constituent pressure.The news coverage also mentioned, but did not emphasize, a point that Lotthimself did not make.This was the fact that if Lott left before January 1, 2008,he would not be subject to new rules on lobbying.17The two types of blogs differed in treatment of this event.Like the traditionalpress, A-list blogs such as Daily Kos, Talking Points Memo, and MyDD notedLott’s departure.They differed somewhat from the journalistic explanation,which was largely refl ective of Lott’s own statements.Instead these bloggersstressed fi nancial reasons for Lott’s retirement, despite Lott’s denial of thosemotivations.18 But blogs not on the A-list, such as Tennessee Guerilla Women, Slot—The Stranger, and TruthDig, were quick to repeat a rumor spread by BigHead BC, a Washington, D.C., blog, that Lott was leaving before a sex scandalinvolving a purported relationship with a male escort broke in the press.WhenLott made his announcement, Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt disclosedthat he had been investigating potentially scandalous information about Lott.The Flynt announcement implied that the magazine had been behind the sur-prise resignation
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