Top 10 blog topics of 2008
Inspired by Griftdrift, I decided to make a list of the top blog stories/topics/themes of 2008 ’round the parts of the blogosphere I frequent. The great thing about blogging and top 10 lists? There’s no wrong answer, because of the diversity of the communities we move in. So here they are, in (mostly) chronological order:
1. Spitzer scandal
On March 10, the story broke about New York governor Eliot Spitzer being involved in a (get your Bingo cards ready) “prostitution ring.” The pro- sex workers’ rights blogs were all over it from the beginning, especially Bound, Not Gagged, which was the #1 resource for updates as they unfolded. Sex workers’ rights groups across the country and world issued statements and press releases supporting Kristen and denouncing Spitzer’s hypocrisy. Bloggers challenged the same-old, same-old coverage put forth by mainstream media – oversimplification, titillation, and reinforcement of stereotypes – as well as MSM’s clumsy and transparently insincere attempts to “reach out” to sex workers. Behind the scenes, via email, text messages, and Twitter DMs, sex workers and their allies wasted no time in organizing a media team, and gave last-minute interviews from far-flung locations. Even though the voices of sex workers’ rights advocates were largely overshadowed by the usual rehashed “arguments” about prostitution, for the first time we began to make a dent in the coverage, thanks in large part to the greater connectivity offered by social media.
2. Atlanta tornado
On March 14, a tornado ripped through downtown Atlanta. I first heard about it on Twitter; Dave, who was at the Flatiron at the time, sent this tweet: “Tornado just came through the flat iron. We’re all fine but it was insane.” Coverage via social media and citizen journalism was almost overwhelming in its immediacy and thoroughness. People were taking photos, shooting video,Twittering, etc. Because of the coverage from the people on the ground, mainstream media reluctantly had to admit that the tornado hit parts of town other than the business district – although their coverage of the damage in places such as Vine City was still miniscule compared to citizen journalism coverage.
3. Seal Press/WAM!2008 debacle
Some bloggers who are women of color went to WAM!2008 and had some complaints about it. Blackamazon said “fuck Seal Press” and the feminist blogosphere blew up. Seal Press responded and the bloggers Apostate refers to as the noisy group didn’t like the response, and the blogosphere blew up again. Then other publications wrote (poorly and inaccurately, for the most part) about what happened and the blogosphere blew up a third time.
I stayed out of this one for the most part, because I’m pretty sure my thoughts on the matter wouldn’t have been popular with most people on either opposing “side” of the brouhaha, and I didn’t feel like dealing with drama.
4. Amanda Marcotte, Brownfemipower, and “intellectual appropriation”
On the heels of the Seal Press girlcott, there was also Amandagate (have I mentioned I hate the use of -gate as a suffix for any scandal?), wherein some bloggers accused Amanda Marcotte of having plagiarized Brownfemipower. I stayed out of this one for the most part, too.
5. New UK porn law
In May, the UK passed a new law banning so-called “extreme” porn. Bloggers on both sides of the pond covered the Criminal Justice and Immigration Bill (of which the porn ban was a part) as it made its way through the Houses of Parliament. Protests were held and people of all stripes spoke out against the ban, but ultimately it passed. So you’d better be careful about what’s on your hard drive, even if you don’t live in the UK; this law sets a dangerous precedent.
6. Deborah Jeane Palfrey’s death
On May 1, the body of Deborah Jeane Palfrey (a.k.a. the DC Madam) was found at her mother’s home in Tarpon Springs, Florida, dead from an apparent suicide. I first heard the news on Twitter, from Melissa. As with the Spitzer scandal, Bound, Not Gagged was again the central location for information – and, in this case, mourning. An online memorial was created shortly after her death, and starting on the night of May 12, a 24-hour vigil of remembrance was held.
It’s hard to talk about death without slipping into what sounds like clichés and platitudes, even if they’re actually sincere, but what I want to say is: We might never know whether Palfrey actually took her own life or was murdered, but sex workers’ rights activists will keep asking the questions that need to be asked, in memory of her life which was needlessly cut short.
7. Kyle Payne
Kyle Payne is a self-professed anti-porn feminist ally, who “is particularly interested in men’s roles in confronting pornography and the rape culture” and served as a rape crisis counselor for four years. It just so happens that he was arrested for assaulting a female student at Buena Vista University. After Eleanor’s Trousers first mentioned it, the news spread like wildfire through the feminist blogosphere. In the weeks leading up to Payne’s sentencing, feminist bloggers stayed on top of the story and sparked a letter-writing campaign to the judge that would preside. Ultimately, Payne was sentenced to six months in jail. It should have been more; but feminist bloggers brought attention to a case that would have otherwise gone virtually unnoticed, and that’s a testament to the power of blogging.
8. The C-word: “Credibility”
So here’s what happened. Andre Walker, who is well-known in the Georgia blogosphere (if not necessarily well-respected), was exposed as having received money from Congressman David Scott’s campaign without having disclosed it. Because Andre wrote several favorable posts about Scott and was credentialed as a journalist by the Georgia Legislature, this is your classic conflict of interest problem. I have to admit I was nonplussed by the revelation, since I never understood why anyone would consider Andre’s blog a beacon of journalistic integrity to begin with. But although I said that with my tongue firmly in my cheek, it’s exactly those sorts of words – “integrity,” “credibility,” “ethics” – that were suddenly being tossed around by the likes of Ken Edelstein. Andre’s actions apparently served as an indictment of all bloggers (stop me if you’ve heard this one before). The debate flared for a while and then died back down, but it’s only a matter of time before the embers are stoked again. Unfortunately, the actions of a few bad apples reinforce the negative pre-conceived notions held by new media naysayers.
9. Pink slips in the pink ghetto
I know, the title for this one is cheesy. I should’ve just stuck with “Sex writers getting canned,” but somehow I couldn’t resist. All silly puns aside, though, the fact is traditional and online publications lost many important voices for positive sexuality this fall. The tanking economy and the precarious position of the media industry in particular was the inevitable explanation. Whether or not you agree that these cuts make sense from a bottom-line perspective, there’s no denying that the effect will be yet another obstacle to intelligent, nuanced discourse on sexuality. While I hate to see people I respect losing their jobs, I do think there’s an opportunity presented here, too. Since one thing that certainly won’t happen is that these people and others like them will simply shut up, I have hope that blogs and other forms of new media will continue to grow and fill the void left by traditional media institutions. Mainstream media might see smart sex content as too risky, but as advocates of positive sexuality we take risks every day.
10. Prop K
Proposition K was a San Francisco ballot initiative, but its importance was covered online regardless of geographic location. Unfortunately Prop K did not pass, but the fact that it was on the ballot at all and got 42% of the vote should be seen as positive gains. I know that doesn’t do anything to change the lives of vulnerable, criminalized sex workers facing real violence right now, and the people who voted “no” and/or vocally opposed it need to think very hard about what their “no” means. Yet this was a historical moment and hard as it is sometimes, I think it’s important for activists to remain positive (which also means taking care of ourselves). I don’t believe Prop K would have had nearly the support it did without the effects of the online community; and maybe next time those effects will be even greater.
Honorable mentions:
Steve Gower
Gower is a dangerous vigilante who terrorizes street-based sex workers – especially trans* workers and workers of color – but thinks of himself as some sort of neighborhood champion for midtown Atlanta. On the heels of the 5th International Day to End Violence Against Sex Workers, Creative Loafing published a predictably slanted (and infuriating) piece about Gower. For a short time there was outrage over this asshole in the local blogosphere as well as the larger sex workers’ rights blogosphere, but sadly Gower and his MNA sidekicks (see Peggy Denby’s latest stunt of racism and homophobia) are still terrorizing some of Atlanta’s most vulnerable populations.
SpaceyG booted from Peach Pundit
Speaking of predictable… in August, SpaceyG had her front-page posting rights on Peach Pundit revoked. Coverage in the local blogosphere had a particular tone that other stories about political bloggers lacked; it didn’t take a rocket scientist (and we even have one of those!) to smell the sexism. It manifested itself not only in SpaceyG’s initial ousting from Peach Pundit by overlord Erick Erickson, but also in the manner in which it was “covered” – downplaying the significance, blaming the victim, saying “nuh-uh!” – all the usual Bingo squares. C’est la vie, right women bloggers?
Bloggers taking blogging back
To close on a happy note, I started to notice this year that one by one, bloggers are getting fed up with the little boxes into which “digital entrepreneurs” and “social media experts” have tried to shove them. You can do this, you can’t do that, play by the rules if you want to be taken seriously! We’ve reached the tipping point, and more and more bloggers aren’t having it. We’re taking blogging back from those who have tried to co-opt it. My prediction for 2009? Even more momentum of this sentiment!
As I was saying…
Ahem. I had every intention of writing a WAM wrap-up post while it was still fresh in my mind, but then I had a little, er, fender-bender, and subsequently freaked out.
But as you’ve probably gathered by now, WAM was awesome. I had a blast, and it was energizing, inspiring, and fun (except for the Saturday night party, which brought back lots of bad middle school memories; but, I also met the super-cool Lisa Jervis and Debbie Rasmussen that night, so there was some good to the night).
I’ve been to a lot of conferences, but I can say with confidence that this was the best conference I’ve been to yet. Helen Thomas was introduced (appropriately) as “the patron saint of not shutting up,” and her keynote was wonderful. The sessions I went to were great. They were chock full of good, thoughtful discussion and useful, practical information. (True, I didn’t find the talking to editors session particularly useful, but hopefully there are people who did.)
Dacia’s session in particular was amazing. An entire hour and a half of conversation about sex work and the media, without devolving into the same old pro/anti bullshit. It was a smart move on Dacia’s part to lay out some ground rules at the beginning of the session; I think that’s a big part of what made the session actually productive. And, a cool new project that’s already got a lot of interest came out of it: Sex Work 101 (as mentioned here).
I am in awe of Jaclyn Friedman for making such an awesome event happen (and I told her so, in very effusive terms). I’m looking forward to next year!
All my live-blogging can be found here. Did I mention that Cover It Live rocks?
People I met:
- Joanne McNeil
- Sarah Jenny Bleviss
- Axon Damien Luxe
- Octogalore
- Apostate
- Hugo Schwyzer
- Debbie Rasmussen from Bitch Magazine
- Lisa Jervis from Bitch Magazine
- Jill from Feministe – I got the impression that Jill didn’t want to talk to me… we met at the Sunday brunch buffet and it seemed like she was faking a smile… but I could be wrong (stranger things have happened). Anyway, I was happy to meet her, and hopefully the feeling was mutual!
- Roy MacKenzie
- Tough Like a Creampuff
- Jaclyn Friedman
And, of course, a few photos:
See ya next year, WAM!
Curious about sex work? Participate in SexWork101.com
Re-posting from Dacia’s blog…
Sex Work 101 was inspired by conversations that happened during the Women, Action and the Media 2008 conference held in Cambridge, MA from March 28-30, 2008.
I gave a talk at WAM called Sex Workers and Media Representation (click to see notes for the workshop), and questions during and after the talk made me realize that many people are curious about the sex industry and want to support sex workers in their struggle for rights, but they have no idea where to start. This site is an attempt to fill that gap in public education in an approachable, easy to understand, and engaging way – it’s also the first public education project from Sex Work Awareness, a new non-profit in NYC founded by four $pread staff members. Sex Work 101 is meant to add to public knowledge about sex work and to encourage discussion about the issues sex workers face.
Participate in Sex Work 101! I’m looking for questions non-sex working people want answered and their perceptions of/thoughts about the industry, as well as posts from sex workers who want to share stories about their work (a day in the life, how I got into the industry, reposts from personal blogs, etc)
The official email for the site is ask[at]sexwork101.com but people can also email me at dacia[at]wakingvixen.com. I’d also love to hear from people who want to help with the site – writing posts, answering questions, etc.
Please get involved by asking questions and/or spreading the word about this project!
WAM wrap-up coming
WAM was so so so much fun and so inspiring. I will write a wrap-up post soon. I meant to do it today, but then I wrecked my car for the second time in a week and I feel like a fucking moron and I spent a large portion of the afternoon crying profusely and freaking out. Currently we are waiting for USAA to call Rusty back, because when he called them earlier their computers were down. If we don’t hear from them tonight, he’ll call back in the morning. Then we’ll have to get my car towed to the Nissan dealership where I keep thinking they’re going to make fun of me, and the insurance adjuster will have to come look at it, and I’ll pay the deductible and hopefully not much more.
But god I feel so stupid.
Anyway now I need to get ready to go to pole dancing class. Rusty says exercise will make me feel better… so I’m going. I hope it helps.
And I’m trying to concentrate on the joy that was WAM.
Twitter updates for 2008-03-30
- Had dinner w/ @audaciaray & @jomc at a yummy Indian place. Relaxing and reclining now. Will go to WAM party later. #
- The 3 of us are sitting in the hotel room each doing separate things. We are super social. #
- About to head out to wam party #
- This feels like a high school dance #
- Reading some other posts about sex work from other WAMmers. Kinda pissed off. #
- @grobertson – Uhhhh most of the time I’m *not* pissed off. WTF dude. Your tweet ain’t helping tho. #
- Up and at ‘em! Getting packed up, ready for 1/2-day of sessions and then heading home. #
- In independent media session, waiting for my wifi registration to go thru #
- Liveblogging independent media session, you can ask questions via Cover It Live http://tinyurl.com/3a82qe #wam08 #
- Funny, at work I *hate* multi-tasking, but w/ liveblogging etc., I just can’t help myself! And I actually like it. #
- I’ll be liveblogging How to Get Heard: The Art of Strategic Communication w/ Editors http://tinyurl.com/346tz3 #wam08 #
- Just walked into the YouthSpeak! Online Media & Activism session, will attempt liveblog #wam08 #
- Trying to catch-up and liveblog some of the YouthSpeak! session http://tinyurl.com/2xao5m #wam08 #
- LOL, I see SJ up there commenting on my blog ;) This is so meta and awesomely nerdy #wam08 #
- @jenbrock – Yeah, I am a *total* Cover It Live fan now. It’s freakin’ awesome. #
- @sarawara – It’s cold in Atlanta again? Dammit! I was looking forward to getting back to the warmer weather. #
- In long line for food #
- Heading to the airport. WAM is over and it was great! Best conference i’ve been to. #
- @rustytanton – what do you mean? #
- My flight is delayed til 5:15. There’s another flight to ATL leaving at 3:30 but I doubt I could get on it. #
- And even if I did get on the 3:30 flight I’d have to wait for my bag at home. So I’ll just sit here and read, probably eat. #
- Also my nails are so fucked up. I am *so* getting them done again on Tuesday. I’m such a girl now, ack! #
- @Sarawara – There was a Legal Seafood by our hotel, too. Unfortunately I hate seafood. #
- @Sarawara – And don’t kill me, but unfortunately we didn’t have time to go to Ana’s Taqueria. We didn’t leave Cambridge. #
- Ok Logan wifi is crapping out. Annoying bc i paid for it. :P #
- Aha, Logan wifi is back. My battery will die soon, tho. Oh well. I have a book! #
- Shutting down the MacBook #
- Summer shack is closed for renovations :( #
- Had yummy chicken & broccoli pizza. Plane now scheduled to leave @ 5:25. #
- starting to feel gross & worn out. i want to go home. #
- about to start boarding. plan to sleep on the plane so i won’t just sit there feeling gross. #
- estimated arrival in atl: 8:08pm. unrelated: chelsea clinton is cool. #
- Not boarding yet. Argh. #
- Ok, first class is boarding now #
- Finally on the plane. Want to be at home! #
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WAM!2008: YouthSpeak! The Present & Future of Online Media & Activism
WAM!2008: How to Get Heard: The Art of Strategic Communication with Editors
WAM!2008: Growing Indepdent Media in a Time of Shrinking Resources
Twitter updates for 2008-03-29
- Helen thomas: the press rolled over and played dead after 9/11 #
- Helen thomas: My adrenaline is outrage. #
- There’s no way i would have the ovaries to ask helen thomas a question #
- Helen thomas re: presidents: "you’re a public servant, i pay you." #
- HT: "you don’t have to praise a reporter, they’re doing their job & need to do it better." #
- LOLing about rival ATL tweet-ups #
- LOLing about the fact that every time I send a tweet, I hear @audaciaray’s iPhone buzz 2 seconds later #
- "Carb conscious" breakfast on room svc. menu involves 3 types of meat. It’s bfast "to fit your lifestyle!" #
- So @audaciaray thinks the rival ATL tweet-ups are gay, but I think they’re hilarious. Gotta love the competing boob shots. #
- Awake & waiting for bfast. Meant to get up at 8 but just couldn’t do it. Will shower after bfast. #
- Where the fuck is breakfast. I need to get in the shower but won’t do it til food gets here. #
- In "DIY Media" session. Excited! So far, WAM is great. There are 600 ppl here! Will try to visit "Feminist Blogs" session too. #wam08 #
- This session is stuff I already know but I am really interested to see what/how they present. #
- Neat analogy: car is the web site, license plate is the domain name, gas is the server #wam08 #
- In feminist blogs session now w/ octogalore(!), they’re making everyone introduce themselves (big crowd!) #
- Feminist blog panelists: @blogdiva, @randomdeanna, Jennifer Pozner, Veronica Arreola #wam08 #
- "Power is replicated in the blogosphere" (women and people of color are underrepresented in liberal blogosphere) #wam08 #
- Pozner: "White men were the ones who were called to answer the question of whether Don Imus was racist" #wam08 #
- I’m trying that Cover It Live thing on my blog now… we’ll see how it goes. #
- @reginalynn – It’s not that the numbers aren’t there; it’s more about who has the biggest megaphone and why #
- Almost collided w/ hugo schwyzer #wam08 #
- "Writing a Book Proposal that Sells" session is really interesting. I’m live-blogging it. #wam08 #
- Ok I hurt my tooth somehow #
- They are talking about Seal Press now. Yay! #wam08 #
- Ok so I stopped the Cover It Live thing I had going, and might start a new one for @audaciaray’s session @ 4pm. #wam08 #
- @playwithmatch – Polyurethane? #
- I’m liveblogging Dacia’s session; you can even ask me questions here. http://urltea.com/31jf #
- Irrelevant side tweet: we didn’t get our nails done last night and I really wish we had. I’m nail-biting again. #
- I am totally hooked on Cover It Live. Hey, it’s a good use for an iframe! (Now make one that’s compatible w/ XHTML Strict.) #
- Um I think I stink. How embarrassing. Shoulda put deodorant in my bag.. who knew. #
- LOL now people are coming up to Dacia being all fan-girl. They are also taking Sex 2.0 postcards… hell yeah. #
- I dumped a bunch of Sex 2.0 condoms on the table. Take ‘em, ppl! And take more postcards dammit! #
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After WAM Day 1
Today was a great day and I had a great time… eh, can you tell I’m exhausted by the fact that I’m not trying to think of more creative adjectives? I’m lying in bed in the hotel now, and it’s soooo nice. Tomorrow we have to get up early (unlike today where we slept in and ordered room service, finally making it to the conference at 11:00) and I definitely need some down-time after the hustle and bustle of the day.
We went to the WAM party tonight, for about an hour, even though both of us would’ve been okay w/ staying in the hotel room. I guess we felt we had to make an appearance – maybe Dacia moreso than I. But I was a little interested/excited to go, too… I guess I thought I would get to meet people or something. But who am I kidding… it sucked like all parties like that suck. Loud music, claustrophobic, hot…
I mean don’t get me wrong, I did meet a few cool people from Bitch magazine and had fun talking to them. They were super nice and so I am happy about that part. But the rest of it? Honestly, I just felt like a major loser. It sucked. I don’t know how to get over that or if I ever will/can – or if I should! Personally, I don’t think I should try… it’s just how I am. But there’s always so much pressure from people to be all extraverted and shit, and sometimes it does affect me a little even if I try not to let it.
Then there was this random girl (I don’t know who she was, anyway) who came up and inserted herself into the conversation w/ me, Dacia, and the Bitch ladies, and wanted to take a photo. Okay, cool. So we all stood together and smiled… then she shows the photo and it’s the three of them and not me. And it’s not like I was standing off to the side or something! She very deliberately cut me out, and I don’t understand why. Then she took a second version of the photo and did it again!! That’s really fucking weird to me. I felt like I was back in middle school and I was the social outcast that no one wanted to be seen with.
Anyway. Speaking of photos (and trying to end on a more positive note). I tried to get a lot of good “action shots” of the conference today, and I think I succeeded. Tomorrow I need to get someone to take a photo of me and Dacia looking sexy and awesome together. Also she gave me a bad-ass Waking Vixen T-shirt, so I need a photo of me wearing it.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s sessions. Did I mention that Cover It Live fucking rules?