Say Everything
Scott Rosenberg
July 2009
416 pages
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Obligatory FTC crap: I bought it. At Borders. Not that that really helped Borders, but I tried.
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This book traces the history of blogging…from the advent of the internet, to the first blogs, and the beginning of Blogger…then it moves into the impact blogging has had on society, from Dooce’s notorious sacking and resulting fame and discussions regarding the community aspect of blogging. And the best thing about it is that Rosenberg is an advocate of blogging. While the first half of the book is more focused on the evolution of blogs, the second part is more about the evolution of blogging. Rosenberg is upfront about some of the hazards of laying your life out there for everyone to see, but he is also a champion of blogging, especially the community aspect. If you’ve ever tried to explain why you blog to a doubtful audience, you’ll understand how refreshing it is to read something about blogging that doesn’t make you feel defensive.
From the publisher’s website:
Blogs are everywhere. They have exposed truths and spread rumors. Made and lost fortunes. Brought couples together and torn them apart. Toppled cabinet members and sparked grassroots movements. Immediate, intimate, and influential, they have put the power of personal publishing into everyone’s hands. Regularly dismissed as trivial and ephemeral, they have proved that they are here to stay.
In Say Everything, Scott Rosenberg chronicles blogging’s unplanned rise and improbable triumph, tracing its impact on politics, business, the media, and our personal lives. He offers close-ups of innovators such as Blogger founder Evan Williams, investigative journalist Josh Marshall, exhibitionist diarist Justin Hall, software visionary Dave Winer, “mommyblogger” Heather Armstrong, and many others.
These blogging pioneers were the first to face new dilemmas that have become common in the era of Google and Facebook, and their stories offer vital insights and warnings as we navigate the future. How much of our lives should we reveal on the Web? Is anonymity a boon or a curse? Which voices can we trust? What does authenticity look like on a stage where millions are fighting for attention, yet most only write for a handful? And what happens to our culture now that everyone can say everything?
Before blogs, it was easy to believe that the Web would grow up to be a clickable TV–slick, passive, mass-market. Instead, blogging brought the Web’s native character into focus–convivial, expressive, democratic. Far from being pajama-clad loners, bloggers have become the curators of our collective experience, testing out their ideas in front of a crowd and linking people in ways that broadcasts can’t match. Blogs have created a new kind of public sphere–one in which we can think out loud together. And now that we have begun, Rosenberg writes, it is impossible to imagine us stopping.
In his first book, Dreaming in Code, Scott Rosenberg brilliantly explored the art of creating software (“the first true successor to The Soul of a New Machine,” wrote James Fallows in The Atlantic). In Say Everything, Rosenberg brings the same perceptive eye to the blogosphere, capturing as no one else has the birth of a new medium.
This is actually a most excellent synopsis of the book. I first heard about this book after reading Kim’s enthusiastic review (which you should read, because it’s also most excellent). If you are at all interested in the history of blogging, or even an informed discussion of why it matters, you should hunt this book down and read it.
Sorry to hear that you didn’t manage to save Borders!
This does sound like an interesting book – I often get defensive about blogging, as so many people fail to understand why I do it. I’m going to keep an eye out for this one now – thank you for bringing it to my attention.
One of the things I liked about the book was that Rosenberg is a fan of blogging, but that he doesn’t avoid some of the criticisms of blogging and just write about the good stuff. I forgot about the whole story with Dooce, but his point about your personal life online was good without blaming people, I guess. I’m glad you liked it!
.-= Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness)´s last blog ..Audiobook Review: The Zookeeper’s Wife =-.
Oh, fun! I admit that, hearing the premise of this book, I don’t think I’d want to read it. But now, after seeing how much you enjoyed it, maybe I’ll give it a whirl if I see it.
.-= Aarti´s last blog ..Review: Fun Home =-.
What an extremely relevant book for us! I’d love to check this book out. Thanks for the review
.-= A Bookshelf Monstrosity´s last blog ..All Things Kid Lit: Mouse and Mole: Fine Feathered Friends =-.
When I try to explain my blog to non-bloggers, their eyes usually glaze over, so I usually don’t even try. This sounds like something I would enjoy.
.-= Kathy´s last blog ..Review: Push =-.
Sounds like an interesting book. I loved this: “If you’ve ever tried to explain why you blog to a doubtful audience, you’ll understand how refreshing it is to read something about blogging that doesn’t make you feel defensive.” I’ve definitely dealt with that in the past! I’ve noticed that things do seem to be a lot better these days, though (esp. after Julia and Julie came out as a movie LOL).
.-= Belle´s last blog ..My New Disclosure Policy =-.
Thanks for blogging about this book. I think I’d enjoy it, and I’m sure I would have missed this one without you
.-= diane´s last blog ..Tuesday Teaser =-.
wow, i love nonfiction–and this one’s about blogging?!!? sounds swell. my parents have no clue why i love blogging so much; i try to explain about the whole community aspect but they just don’t get it. i sometimes talk more to my book and life blogging friends than i do to my IRL friends.
maybe i’ll put this book in my dad’s christmas stocking!
I would probably never think to pick up a book like this, but you sure make it sound like it would be worth reading. I do sometimes run into those blank stares when I mention that I am a blogger. Most people I know haven’t a clue what it even is.
.-= Literary Feline´s last blog ..Why I Do What I Do – A Guest Post by Author Karen White =-.
I never heard of this book before but it sounds very interesting. I got involved with blogging myself because of my interest in books and I didn’t know much at all about it before I started. Except for my hubby no one around me even knows I do it because they probably wouldn’t be interested. It is hard to explain the awesome community here. Thanks for mentioning this book. I’ll be looking for it!
.-= Wrighty´s last blog ..So, I was just wondering… =-.
I might have to check this out. I remember talking to my cousins this summer and telling them about my blogs and they said “Oh…you’re a blogger.” with this disdainful tone. It really peeved me. We really need to kick Perez Hilton out of the blogging world … he ruins it for us all.
.-= Jenners´s last blog ..Review: Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri =-.
I wonder if someone wrote a version of this for novels when they started becoming popular? That would be awesome.
.-= heidenkind´s last blog ..My Year in Reading =-.