Emergence of the Progressive Blogosphere

The New Politics Institute recently released The Emergence of the Progressive Blogosphere, a report written by liberal bloggers Chris Bowers of MyDD and Matt Stoller of The Blogging of the President.  Their bottom line?

While progressives may have a marked advantage in overall
blogosphere discourse, it could also be argued that conservatives are
taking a decisive lead in the sort of targeted blogging that will
provide them with real, tangible benefits in the 2005-2006 elections
and beyond.
…
To a certain extent, this is likely the result of
several large progressive blogs offering quick and easy ways to take
part in large communities, a phenomenon that is not found nearly as
often in the conservative online world. Whatever the cause, though,
this is a serious problem that progressives must confront. If
they do not invest time, energy and resources building a local blog
infrastructure superior to that currently possessed by conservatives,
the comparative advantage of progressivesâ?? overall traffic lead will be
significantly reduced. [Emphasis theirs]

Obviously, the authors have a very clear and straightforward political perspective.  But whether or not you share that perspective, the report’s a stimulating read on the state of political blogs and highly recommended for anyone interested in how blogs are affecting the political sphere.  (And in a very user-friendly touch, the report’s available in HTML and PDF versions.)

Hat tip to Beth Kanter for pointing me to Patrick O’Heffernan’s discussion of the report on SocialEdge.

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