Blogroll

Bloggers, “buzz marketing” and the FTC

Book bloggers, including those who simply post reviews at Amazon, get blasted occasionally. Sometimes mainstream media reviewers assert that internet-only reviewers simply “enjoy shooting off their mouths” and their work amounts to “the degradation of literary taste.” Even some book bloggers themselves raise questions about whether there is an ethical obligation to disclose whether the […]

Helping pick a national award

I know my role will be minimal — and even that may be giving it too much credence. Still, I get a little bit of a kick out of the fact my membership in the National Book Critics Circle gives me a small voice in selecting its annual book awards. How small? Well…

NBCC voting […]

When the authors weigh in

It’s always interesting to see how people respond to criticism, constructive or otherwise. Some authors who feel stung publicly blast reviews of their work. Or you could be like Michael Crichton, who has set the book blogging world abuzz. Reportedly, his new book gives a child rapist with a small penis the same name as […]

But will it change the Herseth searches?

This post initially started as a result of my review of search terms for the recent installment of search follies. But the public announcement that Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth is engaged makes it more timely.

I’ve always been suprised by how many people come here via Herseth web searches. As you’ll see, virtually all deal with […]

Historical hockey homage

First off, a big tip of the hat to Chris at his new Western College Hockey II blog for leading me to Hockey: Canada’s Royal Winter Game. Published in 1899, it is thought to be the first book ever written about the sport. And the author, Arthur Farrell, came with pretty good credentials for time. […]