The JBlogosphere and The Blog Gap

Closing the Blog Gap is the name of a piece written by Gary J. Andres for The Washington Times. In it, the gap he is dealing with is the one that exists between conservatives and liberals. Thus far, he claims--and it would be difficult to argue the point--the liberals have made much better use of the internet...and of blogs. Andres reports that while there are a number of liberal blogs that are getting over one million views each week, no conservative blogs can reach those numbers.

The question is why:

Why the blogosphere became such a popular tool among Democrats is a complicated topic, but several factors deserve mention. First, liberal bloggers share anger toward the war in Iraq and President Bush. Rage is their organizing principle, a focused wrath not evident among conservatives. Second, with Republicans controlling the White House and both houses of Congress after 2002, bloggers on the left rallied with one mission — to beat the Republicans. Third, most liberal bloggers consider themselves activists, engaged in a cause, rather than pundits analyzing policy. The conservative side of the blogosphere is populated with more thoughtful commentators who make detailed arguments about ideas. Readers of liberal blogs get a feast of ad hominem argument, vulgarity and raw anger. Finally, liberal blogs publish more online diaries by ordinary citizens and encourage local involvement and commentary. On the conservative side, content is more national in scope and written by "front-page" bloggers with fewer opportunities for readers to take action.

It is not that hard to translate the conservative vs liberal comparison into one that applies to the JBlogosphere. While the JBlogosphere concerns itself with all things Jewish, Israel is naturally a major focus--regardless of one's political orientation. Using Andres' argument, just what are we up against when we write in defense of Israel?

1. Those who blog against Israel, whether they be Muslim or of the West are filled with anger and rage--often without supporting arguments; the 'facts' are taken for granted and all that is required is to take to the soap box and spew condemnations. Wit and sarcasm is no substitute for rage when it comes to energizing the readership.

2. Bloggers against Israel have a similar mission: destroy Israel, boycott Israel, or isolate Israel--or all three. That puts JBloggers in something of a defensive position since we tend not to advocate the destruction of Arab or Muslim countries--nor even of Palestinian Arabs.

3. We tend to focus on what we believe are rational arguments and on history and statistics and the like, as opposed to the latest rallies, demonstrations, and letter writing campaigns. Other than Rabbi Avi Weiss, how many Jewish leaders consistently organize rallies in defense of Israel and Jewish interests?

The issue at stake is more than just the numbers--getting more hits. There is also the question of how to have an impact. Andres writes:

Republicans and conservatives need to find their own niche in this space that fits the temperament and style of their activists and fully support these projects.

Where do we start? One way may be to catch the attention of the larger general blogs. Based on the admittedly small universe of general blogs that I read regularly, there are only a handful in the JBlogosphere that are doing that, and even they are not quoted regularly.

So what is the niche for the JBlogosphere--assuming there is one out there at all?

Technorati Tag: JBlogosphere.