Blogs & Stuff. Revisted.

We spoke before on blogs, and social media taking hold in 2007 in several posts that I am too lazy to link. We wanted harness racing to get rolling on that. Harnesslink wrote an excellent article on it.

We are really seeing this idea stoked the past while. Outside of racing, in politics, there were some blog posts stating that Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin's down syndrome child, was actually her daughters'. This was the sad side of social media - it was hogwash and a terrible abuse of blogging. But it took hold. A couple of news organizations and some influential political columnists reported it. This despite the fact that there were pictures of Palin for anyone to see with a simple google images search, pregnant with a child dated 2008. It has become the story this past week, and the word 'blogging' has been used on network TV a heck of a lot more times than I have seen. That kind of stuff annoys people who are out there speaking opinion on any subject, and why I at least try to make sure most of the opinions here are linked, in at least some way, but it is representative that this is a medium that is one to be listened to.

Back in reality, we see pressure on Somebeachsomewhere's owners to enter the Jug. Andrew Cohen threw it down, a la Easy Goer and Sunday Silence today.

Is it right that fans should have an opinion? Youbetcha. Is it right to pressure people to enter their horse in an event? Yes, surely it is. It shows the sport has heart, and has fans. The next time Tom Coughlin calls a play action on fourth and one and it fails, he will hear it. God knows, being in New York, he'll hear it with some profanity. But that is passion, that is sport.

For the record, and after Art won yesterday by a diminishing neck, beating a challenger Beach beat by two football fields in their meetings, I do not think Joe Seekman will have Andrew on the holiday card list :)

Regardless, this is only the beginning. Some might not like it, some will. But know one thing: Smart companies and businesses will embrace and exploit it. And good bloggers, people like Alan and Valerie et al we link, respect their place in this game.