Cross-blogging is somewhat like cross-dressing, slightly perverted and rarely entertaining. The Patch “Voices of the People” is becoming community irrelevant. Decisions have been made to “import” blogs from non-Fort Lee residents to apparently “spice” up the blogs. Apparently, Fort Lee bloggers are not prolific or interesting enough for the powers-to-be!
Fort Lee “Voices” in the past few weeks has discussed Fort Lee history; BOE issues; and Fort Lee personalities. In the course of ten days, these local blogs have been quickly displaced by the ludicrously prolific NNJ family blogs on pork chops, Sunday dinners, Zinc mines (repeat blog?) and “A Dutch Farm Adventure in Fair Lawn”, parenting: “leaving your kids alone”, parenting: “the right age for a cellphone”. There is a disguised advertisement by Joseph Young, a chiropractor out of Riverdale, NJ; a plug for a “healing gemstone jewelry” store in Pompton Lakes, NJ; a blatant advertisement by Susan Donnelly, LCSW, a therapist out of Ridgewood, NJ, a major commercial from Tammy Vallar, an interior designer in Franklin Lakes, NJ, and another disguised advertisement from T.J. Spizzo, a financial advisor from Saddle Brook, NJ.
The Fort Lee Patch has now become a “patchwork”, a network of “blogger-salesmen” from all over North Jersey with questionable motives for the writing of their blogs. Are they really giving opinions to stimulate community interest or just trying to enhance public awareness of their profession to increase sales? And if The Patch is going to encourage this type of blogging, should it not be for Fort Lee businesses?
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The real solution may be “Truth in Advertising"! The Patch should seriously consider alternatives such as”: (1) a separate area for this type of “Sales-Blogging”, (2) restricting this type of blogging to “local businesses” or (3) at the very least, label it “Advertisement”, so the reader knows the true nature of the blog.
