The overall feeling I'm receiving is that critical response to the work of "blogger-peers" is best left in the magical world of "real life" and for private consumption.
My guess is that as the blogosphere expands, and includes more peope like Garrett, the measured self-discipline of journalism will become more necessary.
About Me
- Freeman
- Matthew Freeman is a Brooklyn based playwright with a BFA from Emerson College. His plays include THE DEATH OF KING ARTHUR, REASONS FOR MOVING, THE GREAT ESCAPE, THE AMERICANS, THE WHITE SWALLOW, AN INTERVIEW WITH THE AUTHOR, THE MOST WONDERFUL LOVE, WHEN IS A CLOCK, GLEE CLUB, THAT OLD SOFT SHOE and BRANDYWINE DISTILLERY FIRE. He served as Assistant Producer and Senior Writer for the live webcast from Times Square on New Year's Eve 2010-2012. As a freelance writer, he has contributed to Gamespy, Premiere, Complex Magazine, Maxim Online, and MTV Magazine. His plays have been published by Playscripts, Inc., New York Theatre Experience, and Samuel French.
1 comment:
Matthew-- thanks for what I assume(!) is a very nice complement.
To weigh in myself on the whole question of bloggers reviewing bloggers...My personal feeling is that I just don't want to go there. I guess I see other bloggers (that is, those with whom I correspond and link back and forth with, etc) as "virtual" colleagues. So just as a major media outlet like the Times or Time Out hires an outsider to review staff writers' work... I guess I recuse myself in similar fashion.
But aside from trying to be all "professional" like that, I also don't want to get into any prolonged public back and forth with another blogger over what I might say about their work. I actually had never thought about this problem till now, but my gut tells me to just say I'm applying that rule to all in "our" blogging community, to be on the safe side.
What I don't have a problem doing, though, is simply plugging your shows, as I did with George & Isaac's, and just being up front about our blogging relationship. (Whatever that means!)
Now, having said all that... I see this as purely my own subjective approach to the question. It relates to my personal goals for my blog, as opposed to what others' want out of theirs.
I admire those--like George, Isaac, yourself--who use the blog to work through your process in a public way. I, on the other hand am not a playwright and not currently a practitioner, and so have clearly different goals, having set up Playgoer purely to give myself a platform for criticism and commentary.
I don't necessarily see myself as "journalistic" (or even a journalist!) in a restrictive way, but I suppose I find myself looking to journalistic guidelines as a model....However--I don't think that's what all theatre blogs should be, and I don't think that's what they WILL be in the future.
I feel very, very strongly that what's vital about the blogosphere is that THERE ARE NO RULES. Which is different from saying the individual blogger might self-impose rules to guide him/herself on a daily basis.
So, in sum, I'm glad people are taking different approaches to the question, and I hope at least some bloggers will find a mutually satisfying way to comment on each other's work. I for one look forward to reading such conversations!
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