“Open Left” is one step ahead
by WonkoKevin
Wonkosphere announced our One Step Ahead winners for September 2007. The One Step Ahead section on Wonkosphere lists blogs whose posts the previous day represent the collective buzz on all blogs on a given day. Somehow these blogs are “ahead of the pack,” anticipating or maybe driving talk in the Wonkosphere. In first place in liberal, conservative, and independent blog categories were BlogHillary, The Thunder Run, and First Read. One of our liberal blog winners, Open Left, has lived up to their “one step ahead” moniker and even beat me to the punch in terms of analyzing the results! So let’s see what Chris Bowers has to say…
From Chris Bowers:
| Blog | Score | Days in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|
| Bloghillary | 116 | 14 |
| Kicking Ass | 110 | 17 |
| Think Progress | 98 | 12 |
| Open Left | 71 | 14 |
| Washington Note | 58 | 7 |
August
| Blog | Score | Days in Top 10 |
|---|---|---|
| TPM Cafe | 180 | 24 |
| Kicking Ass | 96 | 16 |
| Blog Hillary | 94 | 12 |
| Crooks and Liars | 88 | 19 |
| Think Progress | 71 | 8 |
This data is extremely interesting for a number of reasons. Here are some quick thoughts:
- Kicking Ass, Blog Hillary and Think Progress, which made the top five in both months, are all institutional blogs based off of a party committee, presidential campaign, and think tank respectively. Blogosphere buzz is thus closely connected to the buzz of large political institutions.
- In addition to the three blogs listed above, TPM Café, the Washington Note and Open Left are all primarily based in Washington, D.C. Not all of Open Left or TPM Café writers are based in D.C., but most of them are. Blogosphere buzz is thus closely connected to D.C. buzz, too. Only Crooks and Liars is entirely based outside of the beltway.
- The appearance of Blog Hillary in both months is a testament to online buzz about the 2008 campaign matching the Clinton-dominated establishment media buzz on the campaign. This further enhances the research conducted on political blogs and the 2004 primary campaign by a very smart friend of mine. In her master’s thesis three years ago, she found that the online buzz on the campaign matched up to established media buzz at roughly a 99% rate.
- Most of the blogs on this list do not have huge audiences: Kicking Ass, Blog Hillary, Open Left and the Washington Note seem to generate significant buzz despite second or third tier traffic levels. TPM, C & L and Think Progress are, of course, all extremely high traffic websites surpassed only by Dailykos and the Huffington Post
The first three, when combined, are particularly interesting: connections to powerful institutions, lots of people in DC, similar topics of discussion. My gut reaction is that this points to the development of a type of dissident, or “counter-culture” insider, and simultaneously to the blurring of the inside and the outside. I think it is encouraging both that the progressive movement appears to have footholds inside D.C., and a new conventional wisdom has the chance to impact major establishment institutions. At the same time, there is a danger that the progressive blogosphere is apparently being led around by major D.C. institutions, and they are starting to dominate the ‘sphere. I think this conflict between insider and outside, between new CW and old, is one of the most important battles facing the progressive movement. In the end, who changes who more will be one of the largest testaments to the success–or failure–of the contemporary movement.
Chris, as always your analysis is spot-on!
