tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270024178512866290.post3297296607495831666..comments2023-10-27T07:29:26.285+00:00Comments on Polyolbion: Bloggers are killing criticism?Matt Merritthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12371656447328595720noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270024178512866290.post-27340427319662919722012-09-26T20:40:09.401+00:002012-09-26T20:40:09.401+00:00No, bloggers are not killing criticism but an edit...No, bloggers are not killing criticism but an editor who is, in effect, calling bloggers plebs might not bring the TLS many new readers.<br /><br />As the other commentators here have said, there's a world of difference between paid criticism and wanting to share the things that you love. Blogging probably does have a spirit of philanthropism which is at odds with professional reviewing. Just look at how many of us reply to comments posted on our blogs.<br /><br />If a blog manages to tempt a single reader to try something new, then we're creating the TLS's precious audience for them.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270024178512866290.post-71312407899071835972012-09-26T16:02:27.320+00:002012-09-26T16:02:27.320+00:00Yes, I think you're dead right on both counts,...Yes, I think you're dead right on both counts, David. I'm the same - I tend to read all the reviews, if possible.<br /><br />I think you're second point is even more pertinent. As you say, even poetry mags only manage to scrape the surface, if they're to do the books justice (Magma and Tears In The Fence are two favourites of mine on that score), so blogs have a role to play in filling the gaps.Matt Merritthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12371656447328595720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270024178512866290.post-19080590048514290522012-09-26T15:58:04.266+00:002012-09-26T15:58:04.266+00:00This is a strange argument. Is he suggesting that ...This is a strange argument. Is he suggesting that people will only read one review of a book and therefore choose between a printed and an on-line source? When I'm interested in a book, I'll happily read several reviews from various sources.<br /><br />Also, blogs are quite often in the business of plugging the gaps. Mainstream publications like The Guardian or TLS publish few reviews of poetry, for example, and even specialist journals such as Magma can't cope with reviewing all the titles that come out. Sometimes, a mention in a blog represents significant extra exposure for a book that might well deserve it.David Clarkehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00656839468664945706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270024178512866290.post-10255855657034745132012-09-26T09:40:07.040+00:002012-09-26T09:40:07.040+00:00I don't even have a problem with him wanting t...I don't even have a problem with him wanting to protect a source of income, if that's what it's about. But surely the answer is to make sure that the journals and newspapers raise their standards and make their criticism both indispensable and significantly different to what you're getting on the blogs. As editor of the TLS, he's in a position to do something about that.Matt Merritthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12371656447328595720noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3270024178512866290.post-11668617375713805792012-09-26T09:31:21.587+00:002012-09-26T09:31:21.587+00:00He means, of course PAID criticism. Those of us wh...He means, of course PAID criticism. Those of us who are doing it for love are just killing it for people who want money. But I'd rather read a critique by someone who does it for love, although it does mean, as they mentioned on the Magma blog, that people only review stuff they like!Forthvalley scribehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05128591514560815991noreply@blogger.com