It used to be that blogs weren’t taken seriously, until it was revealed that what was once viewed as pet projects at best were really obsessively curated, regularly updated hits of information vital to professionals. By choosing to create content for specialized audiences, blogs can focus on and reveal information that may be considered too obscure for publications that cater to a general audience. For industry professionals, blogs are a crucial component that ensures professionals are always informed and always learning.
This is the premise behind the Adweek Blog Network (which is part of Mediabistro Holdings) and its nine specialty blogs, including TVNewser and SocialTimes, covering every media industry from TV and publishing to public relations and advertising. But not all blogs come so conveniently packaged. For the rest, we’ve done the legwork for you. Below you’ll find a selection of blogs that will help you stay clued in without the time suck that is sorting through the digital age’s ever-growing pile of data.
Also on Mediabistro
The PressThink blog has been run since 2003 by Jay Rosen, a professor of journalism at New York University and director of the school’s Studio 20 program. Rosen’s blog gives media professionals a chance to step outside of the frenetic day to day of working within media and contemplate the nature of the beast. Long, well-argued and well-thought-out posts let readers contemplate the business and practice of journalism—where it’s headed and whether that is the direction it should be taking. Added bonus: the comments section is full of readers rather than trolls, and is a robust debate in and of itself.
When Jim Romenesko recently announced his “retirement,” fans breathed a collective sigh of relief at his emphasis on the quotation marks he placed on the word in making that announcement. Though blogging at a slower pace than before, Romenesko’s posts are not to be missed, whether it’s a quirky headline mishap or an analysis of the state of the newspaper industry.
A Romenesko spinoff, Poynter’s MediaWire is one blog that doesn’t miss a beat. From early in the morning, MediaWire tracks the latest developments in media news, including media gossip, the media business and the current media research.
Think of Steve Buttry‘s blog as a how-to for surviving and thriving in a digital-first world. And with 40 years in media, including a stint as the digital transformation editor at Digital First Media, and as an innovation researcher and trainer at the American Press Institute, Buttry knows his subject well. This is the place for deep dives on the business of media companies and best practices for the industry’s professionals.
Since this scoop-heavy blog’s home is on Politico, readers can expect a lot of context-rich posts that touch on both the political and media worlds. But politics is far from the blog’s sole focus. Dylan Byers and Hadas Gold tackle major stories centered on publications and media organizations throughout the country.
While so many blogs from the early aughts were born as indie blogs and later purchased by larger media companies or turned into larger operations themselves, the 11-year-old AdFreak blog belonged to Adweek (a Mediabistro Holdings publication) from its inception, the brainchild of a group of Adweek employees. Check in with this blog to catch up on which shops are creating what, and what the spots reveal about culture and society in the United States and around the world.
Åsk Wäppling created Adland in 1996, ancient times when it comes to the Internet, but this blog is no relic. By establishing herself early on, Wäppling cemented Adland’s reputation as an authority/clearinghouse on all things advertising, from print to digital to television campaigns. The content of Adland’s posts show a similar breadth, touching on issues impacting the profession as well showcasing its creations.
Guide to all things Silicon Valley and tech startups at large, this blog, like so many before and since, began as a side interest of entrepreneur Michael Arrington, and ended up as the place technophiles go for breaking news. If you’re searching for the next thing, chances are you’ll find this blog has it covered.
