Jayvee Fernandez, b5media’s technology channel editor asks on his blog: If a network problogger left the blogosphere, would anyone care?

Jayvee compares network bloggers to editors of magazines. Jayvee comes from the print/publications industry (a fact I know), and I can surmise that he has quite some experience with the inner workings of print magazines. And in these, the editor in chief plays a big part in terms of the creative direction of the publication. So whenever there is a change in the editor, everything also changes.

So then the big question mark: what happens when the EIC leaves the magazine, taking with him all the personality and direction he set up throughout the many months, years and yes, even to the very point of taking the entire magazine staff with him?

The publisher is stuck. The staff becomes confused. Morale is low.
In the new media publishing business, can the same be said?

So same with editors in print outfits, many things change whenever a blog changes hands.

So when a problogger leaves the networked owned blog, the blog manager of the network has to find a new writer through word of blog, personal recommendations, advertising, and email blasts. A new blogger eventually comes who is fit to take over the content. Now here’s the thing. There are several things happening between the time the original blogger leaves and the time the new blogger makes his first few posts …

I have seen this happen myself, and not only with blogs of small audiences. I have seen quite popular blogs (like the Blog Herald and 901am, for instance; you can even include JOAB, Wisdump, and even this very blog.) go through a change in ownership and change in authorship. And in these instances, it’s the community built around the readership that notices the changes almost immediately.

So to answer Jayvee’s question, yes people would care. Some might even feel strongly against the change in authorship. I’ve quite a number of “I’m unsubscribing from your feed” comments on some blogs after being sold or after changing authors.

But then the point here is not to keep things static, is it? The great thing about a changing of the guard (so to speak) is that the incoming blogger or editor of a blog can make changes for the better. You don’t have to try too hard to become the blogger that once handled a blog that you inherit. You should establish your own voice and identity.

And to answer yet another question, yes network bloggers are sometimes like magazine editors.

One of the main differences between professional bloggers and journalists (and this is never highlighted) is that bloggers have that extra task of plotting a the direction, voice, and focus of his site. This is what differentiates a good problogger from a so-so one.

Whew, that’s a big responsibility!