In the blogosphere as elsewhere, success breeds stagnation and timidity, according to a new book.

From Poynter.org, by Paul Bradshaw:

I've recently been reading Making Online News -- a book of ethnographic studies of online news production. Tucked towards the back of the book is a chapter called "The Routines of Blogging" by Wilson Lowrey and John Latta. This is one of the few studies I've seen that examines the work practices of bloggers (specifically, political bloggers), rather than journalists.

Their findings support what I've increasingly suspected about popular blogs: "The more relevant bloggers become in terms of audience and influence, the more their production routines resemble those of professional journalists."

A few years ago, this would have been touted as evidence that bloggers can compete effectively with mainstream journalists, that "blogging can be journalism." But today, I think it's actually rather disappointing to read that bloggers are not experimenting with exciting new ways of working.

Here's the chapter's central argument: The pressures of being a popular blogger lead to the same routinization that affects mainstream journalism -- as well as to aspirations of professionalism. "More than one blogger said a key turning point in the way they practice blogging was the moment they felt the gaze of the public eye. Realizing that people are paying attention ...has led these bloggers to adopt a more careful, dispassionate approach and tone." ...

The output of print and broadcast media are shaped by restrictions. But according to the study, the lack of similar restrictions ends up similarly shaping the output of popular blogs: "Whereas constraints necessitate routines, so does a lack of limits... Bloggers have developed routine practices that narrow down possibilities."