The big mistake was dropping trou

Pretty in pink and blue, bright lights of the former Pajamas Media say cheese at the launch of the new, improved Open Source Media the other night. The stunningly beautiful Pamela of Atlas Shrugs (right) provides the photo and a suitably provocative and mysterious caption: "Claudia Rosett, Cliff May (on my left) has the best intelligence on the web, Foundation for the Defense of Democracies." No word about the other two fellows on her left (right?).

"Nobody asked me -- even though my buddies at PJM profiled me early on -- but in my view the big mistake was dropping trou (PJ bottoms) and going with the generic-sounding OSM," we wrote in the comments at James Joyner's Outside the Beltway post, "Open Source (Pajamas) Media: An Early Assessment":

It’s poetry vs. bureaucracy. I’m still in the blogroll and glad to be, but it’s too bad they forgot that the iconic magic of words is where it’s at.

Lots of other interesting takes on OSM's launch Wednesday and what it all did mean. For the best pictures -- TigerHawk and VodkaPundit are there! -- and great on-the-spot commentary, check out Pamela of Atlas Shrugs. More psychologically true cameo insights from our blogfriend neo-neocon, who was there (you had to be). Back to James Joyner at OTB:

The thing bloggers most like to blog about is blogging itself, especially the hypothesis that blogging will one day transform the global media -- if it already hasn't. Thus, it's not surprising that yesterday's launch of Open Source (nee Pajamas) Media is among the hottest topics in the blogosphere. Of course, if you just like to read blogs, it may be the most boring topic in the blogosphere.

That's where we stand. 'Tried to listen to the livestreaming of the event the other day but started yawning.  For sure you had to be there to shmooze. Some of our faves were, and we surely would have loved to have met them in person, but wouldn't you know?  We were still in our pajamas and didn't have a thing to wear.

Update:  Evan Coyne Maloney of brain terminal explains why Open Source Media is the perfect name after all:

But over the last decade, a new media has emerged online that functions in the same way as the open source software model. And, ultimately, the open source media model will produce a news product that has fewer flaws and represents a more accurate approximation of the truth. There will undoubtedly be mistakes -- humans are still involved in the equation, after all -- but those mistakes will get corrected faster than ever before. No longer will the media's portrayal of truth be determined solely by the editorial boards of a few big media conglomerates.

We especially loved his on-the-scene take of Wednesday's proceedings:

Yesterday's launch of OSM felt like a turning point. Standing in a roomful of media revolutionaries, there was a palpable electricity in the air -- even before the open bar at the W Hotel started handing out free drinks.

We'll drink to that.

Technorati tags:  open source media, osm

Comments

[Teresa]

Well - I pretty much lost interest in the proceedings after I was informed that my blog was too small to really join in the fun. So, while I didn't withdraw - I'm simply watching to see what happens.

I figure if it's a success I'll get nothing out of it - and if it's a failure... I'll still get nothing. So I'm not losing out either way. I hope they succeed - I certainly don't wish failure on them. It might only be a rocky start - or it may be that the core group won't be able to keep things together, only time will tell.

Although I must admit I was surprised to see Ann Althouse and (in her comments) Steven Den Beste expressing the view that they were invited to join up only because of their "name cred". It brings on the stifling notion by us little fry out here in blogland - that the only interest we find in the big bloggers is their usefulness in linking to us. (a rather distasteful notion)

Like I said I'm waiting to see - but however it turns out - it won't effect me in the least.

[Sissy Willis]

This whole thing has become quite distasteful. I used to enjoy Ann Althouse big time but now dread visiting her blog. Too many bodily fluids -- can you say spleen? --for my taste.

I think the best part of blogging may now be history.

'Am working feverishly to blog something about it. Got the cutest email from blogger Martin Lindeskog of Ego -- http://egoist.blogspot.com/ -- who asked "Sissy, am I a wingnut?"

I replied that yes, you and I are wingnuts in the alternative world where genuine wingnuts live.

This maybe isn't so much fun any more. Breathe deeply, deeply . . . At least Tuck and I had a great WSJ online puzzle date and then a great Sissy supper.

Tomorrow is another day.

[Laura Lee Donoho]

A great photo. Thanks for writing all about the big doings. I am not much of a joiner and like to be aloof from such things but love to read about people who do.

[Donna B.]

I was (of course!) very upset they dropped Pajamas Media, though I can in some way understand why. It is a narrow name, restricting in some ways.

I've thought about changing the name of my blog, but haven't yet come with anything better. Would it make my blog a better one? After all, what's in a name?

...that which we call a dodo
By any other word would smell as fowl.

[Barry Campbell]

Teresa, I'm on their blogroll as a "contributor," having been involved from the start, but my few-hundred-unique visitors a day didn't interest them much, either.

When they sent me the invite to the big do in NYC, I couldn't stop laughing. Judy Miller as the keynote speaker? What, Jayson Blair wasn't available? Good God, how tone-deaf can you be?

Sissy, the best part of blogging hasn't even begun. "OSM" doesn't know whether it wants to be an ad network or a news network, from the looks of things, and the people running it don't seem to have enough of a handle on it to do either very well at all.