Open Source Media

It's been a long time since a mainstream media executive, whose name we can't remember, dissed bloggers as riffraff in pajamas. A lot has changed in the media perception of bloggers since then. And the big thinkers who started out as Pajamas Media are thinking even bigger now, and have officially launched Open Source Media.

OSM’s mission is to expand the influence of weblogs by finding and promoting the best of them, providing bloggers with a forum to meet and share resources, and the chance to join a for-profit network that will give them additional leverage to pursue knowledge wherever they may find it. From academics, professionals and decorated experts, to ordinary citizens sitting around the house opining in their pajamas, our community of bloggers are among the most widely read and influential citizen journalists out there, and our roster will be expanding daily. We also plan to provide a bridge between old media and new, bringing bloggers and mainstream journalists—more and more of whom have started to blog—together in a debate-friendly forum.

So it's not surprising that these leading bloggers at Open Source Media are big fans of blog carnivals like, say, Blawg Review, the official Carnival of Law Bloggers. There's even a special page on OSM's new website devoted to the weird and wonderful world of carnivals!

What is a blog carnival? It's like a great, big blog-in slumber party at which the participants exchange tips, gossip and personal experiences about a shared, burning passion--often trying to outdo one another for supremacy on the topic. How does it work? A blogger somewhere in the world gives a shout-out for submissions from other bloggers devoted to the issue--whether it's investing in stocks, cooking gourmet meals or being owned by a cat.

And isn't this the cat's pajamas. Glenn Reynolds, a law professor who is a big supporter of blog carnivals, is Chair of the OSM Editorial Advisory Board. That's gotta be good for lawyers, law professors, and law students who blog, not to mention Blawg Review. We couldn't be happier. Congratulations on the successful launch, and best wishes to everyone at Open Source Media.