We’re a Blogger’s Union Just By Saying So

One of the weirder ideas to float out of Daily Kos has been the idea of a blogger’s union:

In a world as diverse, vocal and unwieldy as the blogosphere, there’s no consensus about what type of organization is needed and who should be included. Some argue for a free-standing association for activist bloggers while others suggest a guild open to any blogger — from knitting fans to video gamers — that could be created within established labor groups.

Others see a blogger coalition as a way to find health insurance discounts, fight for press credentials or even establish guidelines for dealing with advertising and presenting data on page views.

“It would raise the professionalism,” said Leslie Robinson, a writer at ColoradoConfidential.com. “Maybe we could get more jobs, bona fide jobs.”

News credentials could be nice (not that they’d be guaranteed), but as for the other stuff, forget about it. Though working together in private association might be a good idea. For Conservative Christian bloggers, these could be virtual Claphem Sects. Unions present a problem in that bloggers have a cashflow issue:

Few bloggers are paid for their posts, and even fewer are able to make a living doing the work. But many say they often devote as much energy and time to their online musings as they do to their salaried careers.

Some people spend hours building model planes, playing Pokemon, and other such activities, should they form unions too? The fact is that for most people, blogging is going to be a downtime activity from their day job, not something that they’re going to actually spend their lives at and to spends hundreds of dollars in Union dues seems to be a diminishing return. Off this blog, I earn around $40 a month and that’s probably above average. Of course, conservative bloggers have generally been down on the idea though in a humorous way. Glenn Reynolds provided his summary: “BECAUSE THE THOUGHT OF A BLOGGERS’ STRIKE MAKES “THE MAN” TREMBLE.” This idea’s not going far, at least not on the right.

Hat Tip: Jodi