There Is No Such Thing As A Glass Ceiling In The Blogosphere

by John Hawkins | April 12, 2004 7:49 pm

Michele Catalano of A Small Victory[1] seems to be a touch bitter[2] about Wonkette’s[3] meteoric rise to fame,

“I’m just wondering – how does a relatively unkown person suddenly become the hottest blogger in the political blogger circle when it seems that her column is just a Gawker for the DC crowd?
Not that there’s anything wrong with Gawker – it’s a favorite of mine – but it doesn’t try to pass itself off as something it’s not.

…So now this chick comes along and she writes a couple of half-witty paragraphs every day, most of them dealing with John Kerry’s sexual organ and anal sex, and she’s the hottest thing on the internet. Men love her, women worship her and people quote her like she’s the queen of all that is popular. Including the person who originally wrote me chastising me for my sex talk.”

Honestly, I can’t explain how Wonkette got so big, so fast either. Ana Marie Cox who runs the page is funny on occasion and she updates a lot, but I’d estimate Wonkette is at least 2 or 3 times bigger than Right Wing News and her page got that big in the blink of an eye. But, how did “All Your Base[4]” get so big so fast? How did “Hot Or Not[5]” go from nobody to like a million people a day in about a month? How or better yet, why, did the Hampster Dance[6] become an internet sensation a few years back? That’s just one of those freaky things that happen on the net sometimes.

Michelle seems to think Wonkette blew up because she peppers her posts with talk about “John Kerry’s sexual organ and anal sex” and she goes on to say,

“Many months ago I received an email from a male blogger who told me that if I want people to recognize my writing and if I wanted to make a name for myself, I should concentrate on my serious writing and stop writing about topics such as boobs and sex.”

Psssst Michele? That would have been good advice if you’re trying to get a job writing for the Cato Institute[7]. But, you run a blog. Talking about boobs and sex on occasion is only going to help. But, I digress…back to Michele on Wonkette — no, not literally although I would buy the PPV (just a little sexist humor there, snort, snort)…

“Guys will give you all the props you want as long as you are hot and write about sex. But if you aren’t hot, or if you don’t have a cute little image on your site depciting how adorably cute you are, then just give it up….

This is why guys have an easier time “making it” or being taken serisously than women do. They just have to write. We have to be whores.

I give up. Why bother spending hours doing research and writing, re-writing and editing when tiny little items about Bush’s daughter are what’s making the grade around blogs these days?

You want the big boys to link you, girls? Start undressing. Or get a makeover.”

I fully know that what I’m about to say going to get me into trouble, but I just have call it like I see it. This statement is so bogus….

“This is why guys have an easier time “making it” or being taken serisously than women do. They just have to write. We have to be whores.”

The reality is that women have a much EASIER time making it in the blogging world than men do. The average male blogger will link a piece written by a female blogger, especially one who’s attractive, over an equally well written piece on the same topic by a man, 9 times out of 10.

I know some of you are thinking “BS Hawkins! There’s a glass ceiling out there for women in the blogosphere!” Pshaw! There are at least 5 — AT LEAST — talented and driven male bloggers out there on the right side of the blogosphere for every talented female blogger so it’s much easier for a woman to stand out. Especially if she’s “hot and write(s) about sex”.

Just to show you what I mean, I went back and looked at a post I made last month picking my favorite 40 blogs[8] on the net. Keeping in mind that gender was the last thing on my mind when I made the list, guess what the breakdown was? 35 men to 5 women. To be honest, I’m not even sure there are 35 readable blogs written by women on the right side of the blogosphere. By the time you get that deep — assuming you don’t count male/female group blogs — you’d practically be down to women posting flag cake recipes every two days.

Hey, shoot the messenger if you like, but I didn’t make the blogosphere the way it is, I’m just pointing it out. The truth is: if you’re female and you can write, you can make it just fine in the blogosphere — just like Michele and Wonkette have. And as far as the sex talk goes? Heck, women should just be glad they have the option to use that as a way to pull in extra traffic if they so desire…

Endnotes:
  1. A Small Victory: http://asmallvictory.net/archives/006461.html
  2. touch bitter: http://asmallvictory.net/archives/006462.html
  3. Wonkette’s: http://wonkette.com/
  4. All Your Base: http://www.planettribes.com/allyourbase/
  5. Hot Or Not: http://hotornot.com/
  6. Hampster Dance: http://www.hampsterdance.com/hampsterdanceredux.html
  7. Cato Institute: http://www.cato.org/
  8. favorite 40 blogs: https://rightwingnews1.wpenginepowered.com/archives/week_2004_03_14.PHP#001863

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