Blogcritics

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Blogcritics

Blogcritics logo
Website blogcritics.org

Blogcritics is a popular online magazine of news and opinion. The site — a self-proclaimed "sinister cabal of superior writers" — was founded in 2002 by Eric Olsen and Phillip Winn.

Blogcritics features hundreds of original articles every week and maintains an archive of all published content.[1] [2]

Contents

[edit] History

Beginning with only fifty members, Blogcritics has since gathered over 2000 contributors who work to provide original content.[2] Perhaps the distinction that most sets Blogcritics apart from other online magazines is the democratic nature of the site; anyone with a personal blog is eligible to contribute. This is evident in the Politics section where one can always see a wide range of political views represented (and often hotly contested). One regular contributor even used the site as a platform to document his Libertarian candidacy in the Indiana Senatorial race in 2004.[3]

At the forefront of the Blogcritics enterprise is site publisher and co-owner, Eric Olsen, who was recently named to the AlwaysOn/Technorati Open Media 100—a "power list of bloggers, social networkers, tool smiths, and investors leading the Open Media Revolution." Working alongside Olsen is a team of over twenty editors—many of whom are scattered across the country and have never met face-to-face—who offer their time and energy to the management of the ever-growing site. These editors review every article prior to publication on the site, to ensure that a high standard of quality writing is maintained.

Since the site's inception in 2002, Blogcritics has picked up a strong popular following and garnered critical acclaim. As of August 2007, the site currently receives approximately 60,000 visitors a day.[4] [5]

It has won several Blog awards including a Bloggie and a Forbes.com Best Media Blog. In addition, the site is an accredited news source for both Google News and Yahoo! News.[2] [6]

[edit] Sections

Music

The major focus of this section is reviews of newly-released albums. Regular Features include:

   * Retro Redux by Big Geez
   * Band of the Week by A.L. Harper
   * Liner Notables by Gordon Hauptfleisch
   * Blues Bash by Richard Marcus
   * One Track Mind by Pico
   * Daily Music and Tech News by Katharine Donelson
   * Friday Morning Listen by Mark Saleski
   * New Indie CDs by Jon Sobel
   * The Rockologist by Glen Boyd
   * New CDs by Al Barger
   * Marty's Musical Meltdown by Marty Dodge
   * The Breakdown by Tom Johnson
   * Re:Collection by Tom Johnson
   * Jazz Workshop by Michael J. West
   * Tuesday Morning Purchase by Mark Saleski
   * Vinyl Tap by Gordon Hauptfleisch

Science / Technology - Regular Features include:

   * The Enlightened Image by T. Michael Testi
   * The Healthy Skeptic by Sal Marinello
   * Countdown to 165 by Phillip Winn

Politics - Dave Nalle is the Politics Section Editor.

The main attraction of the Politics Section at Blogcritics is the diversity of views that are represented. There are Republicans and Democrats, liberals and conservatives, Bush-supporters and Bush-haters, supporters of Israel and supporters of the Palestinians, and so on. There are also several international contributors, from countries such as Canada, Australia, the UK, Spain, and Israel.

Gaming

The main focus of this section is reviews of newly-released video / computer games. Regular Features include:

   * Friday Flash by Phillip Winn
   * Game du Jour Deals by Ken Edwards
   * Retro Corner by Matt Paprocki
   * Virtual Console Releases by Brian Szabelski
   * Xbox Live Arcade Games by Matt Paprocki

TV / Film.

Television and Film reviews are the main focus of this section. Regular Features include:

   * Making the Rounds at General Hospital by Connie Phillips
   * I Don't Buy It by Geeves
   * Reality TV Casting Call by RealityWanted
   * The Night Shift by Connie Phillips
   * PBS in Primetime by Josh Lasser
   * Movie Media by Chris Beaumont
   * New Movies by Chris Beaumont
   * Sci-Fi TV Films by Matt Paprocki
   * Visiting K-Ville by Josh Lasser
   * New DVDs by Ray Ellis
   * Box Office Update by Chris Beaumont
   * DVD Pick of the Week by Chris Beaumont
   * House by Diane Kristine
   * The Uber-Indie Project by Lucas McNelly
   * TV Raves And Rants by Josh Lasser

Culture

Regular features include:

   * Cafe Con Lupe by Ann Hagman Cardinal
   * Mind Tricks - Astrology In Real Life by Elsa
   * The NUBIANO Exchange by Clayton Perry
   * The Shanghai Diaries by Mat Brewster
   * The Great Cafes by Terence Clarke
   * StageMage by Cristofer Gross
   * Really, Really Good by Laron Cue

Books

The main focus of this section is book reviews. Regular features include:

   * The Early Word - New Books of Note by Gordon Hauptfleisch
   * DC Comics 52 by Vichus Smith
   * Scott Butki's Book Time: Interviews with Authors by Scott Butki
   * Pulp Pages: Hardboiled and Noir Fiction by Gordon Hauptfleisch

Sports - Regular Features include:

   * BC Tailgate
   * Batting Around by Matt Sussman
   * NFL Picks of a Thoughtful Fool by David Mazzotta
   * RJ's NFL Picks by RJ Elliott

Tastes - The main focus of this section is reviews of restaurants, wines, cigars, and recipes. Regular Features include:

   * Central Texas Barbecue by Dave Nalle

[edit] Affiliated Sites

Blogcritics also has a number of affiliated websites. These sites are maintained by current members of Blogcritics, but are separate from the Blogcritics enterprise. These include:

Desicritics - Published by Aaman Lamba, Desicritics is an online magazine that explores the world from the perspective of people from South Asia, or Desis.

Blogcritics Goodie Bag - Published by Anna Creech, Blogcritics Goodie Bag is a site where interesting audio and video files are posted.

Confessions Of A Fanboy - Published by Josh Hathaway, Confessions Of A Fanboy is a site about contemporary rock music.

GlossLip - Published by Dawn Olsen (the wife of Eric Olsen), GlossLip is a celebrity gossip site, similar to Perez Hilton or The Superficial.

Online Media Cultist - Published by Eric Berlin, Online Media Cultist is a site dedicated to the discussion of internet media in all its forms.

Blogcritics Forums - A moderated discussion board for Blogcritics, Desicritics, GlossLip, and BlogCritics Goodie Bag writers and editors to discuss issues.

[edit] Senior Editors

  • Publisher - Eric Olsen
  • Technical Administrator - Phillip Winn
  • Executive Producer / Public Relations - Eric Berlin
  • Executive Editor - Lisa McKay
  • Managing Editor - Natalie Bennett
  • Comments Editor - Christopher Rose

[edit] References

  1. ^ Blogcritics about page
  2. ^ a b c Media release about Blogcritics redesign
  3. ^ Al Barger - Candidate for the U.S. Senate From the Great State of Indiana
  4. ^ Truth Laid Bear Traffic Rating
  5. ^ Extreme Tracking Summary
  6. ^ "Online Magazine Blogcritics Redesigns, Streamlines, Redefines What It Means to be Superior"

[edit] Related Links