By SIERRA JIMINEZ
The UNITY News

You don’t have to dig deep to find out all you need to know about a presidential candidate.

Look to almost any political blogging site and you’re bound to find the news or information you’re looking for. You may also come across some Web sites that try to influence your political decisions one way or another.

Call it a sign of the times, if you will.

Political blogging sites such as the Daily Kos, The Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo and others have become increasingly influential in U.S. politics, according to some political experts.

In fall 2006, political scientists from about 30 universities conducted a nationwide study of 16,000 Americans regarding politics and blogging, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Cooperative Congressional Election Study, or CCES, asked participants if they read blogs, and if so, which blogs they frequented.

The results suggested that blogging may affect the political decisions people make, from local to presidential elections. According to responses, about 34 percent of participants read blogs, and 14 percent of those read at least one political blog.

Of the 14 percent of participants who read politically-based blogs, most readers visit blogs that share viewpoints similar to the reader, the study reported.

Some experts said that while political blogs may not affect the opinion or party affiliation of consumers, they could encourage consumers to become more actively involved in politics beyond voting. These blogs become commonplace especially during election years, experts added.

A UNITY convention panel will explore the relationship between blogging and politics. The discussion, “Politics Nonstop: Blogging, Covering, Investigating the Government,” was organized by Sharon Chan, a city hall reporter for The Seattle Times, and will be 3 p.m. Saturday in McCormick Place West, Room W181.

Chan said blogging and other social media sites lead more people to watch and pay attention to politics. Chan, who is also running for president of the Asian American Journalists Association, will be joined in the panel discussion by Sewell Chan, a reporter for The New York Times, and James Grimaldi, investigative reporter for The Washington Post.

Social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace have also become tools for voters and a potential source of influence.

Facebook users can elect to receive up-to-date information and the latest blog entry from a presidential candidate or mark a political candidate as a virtual ‘friend.’

“It’s in its nascent stage, and we’re just beginning to see the impact of it,” said Antoinette Pole, professor of political science at Montclair State University in New Jersey.

Pole said social networks Web sites are part of the reason that more people may be paying attention to this year’s presidential election than in previous years.

Kim Pearson, an associate professor of English at the College of New Jersey, said Web sites and blogs may bring more young people to the polls, but added that they may also raise credibility issues that voters should keep in mind.

“I think it reflects the power of social media,” said Pearson. “You have people making decisions based on what they hear from their virtual friends … whereas 10 years ago the friends would be people in their physical network.”

By Amy Phan
The UNITY News Online

Looks like bloggers have one more reason to continue down the niche market path. The New York Times reported on a blogger whose site generates enough traffic to pull in a six-figure salary.

Arnold Kim’s blogging Web site Macrumors.com amasses more than 4.4 million people and 40 million views per month, according to the article.

Kim quit his day job earning close to the same amount—as a doctor—this month. A 14-month old daughter and a “lucrative” career in blogging made for an easy switch from medicine, according to the article.

Working at home and making the same kind of money kills two birds with one stone. One blog at a time. Write on.

What about yourself? Do you blog regularly? If you could be a full-time blogger, what would you write about?

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