Preview of MSN Spaces "Music Filter" Blog
Sometime in June MSN announced openings for "freelance contributing editors" to write for MSN branded blogs in five topic areas, one of which was music. Apparently these are about to launch because I got a note from the new Music Filter blogger about linking to the blog which is still in beta but looks mostly ready to go. My understanding is that they're still working out some technical issues and this version is billed as a "preview" of MSN Filter.
I actually saw the blog last night when I was checking out links to ProHipHop but didn't realize what it was. MSN launched MSN Spaces, their entry into the world of blogging services, late last year. I haven't checked out reviews of the service but I will be checking out the response to the Filter blogs, especially Music Filter.
Apparently the bloggers will not be identified for now, so I'll hold off on this blogger's identity. I think that's a bad strategy for Microsoft though it kind of fits their corporate personality. But blogging is about personal voice. Launching an official blog without identifying the writers basically reduces it to a content management system and feeds into Microsoft's "you will be assimilated into the cyborgsphere" public image.
It's especially odd because the Music Filter writer has a lot of credibility in both the world of blogging and in the world of print journalism. But I will keep his/her identity confidential for the moment. For various reasons, I don't expect it to stay secret for long but I'm trying to be good about such requests. I will say this. I thought about applying for this position but the person chosen is a much better choice and already doing a better job in beta than I probably would have been able to do at any point.
Preview of Blogs at MSN Filter:
Music Filter
TV Filter
Technology Filter
Sports Filter
Lifestyle Filter
On that note, if you send me early news, be clear about what should remain confidential and I'll do my best to respect that. As you can see, I'll work with restrictions but I'll run with hot news as far as I can. But if I find something on my own through early linkage and so forth, it's my news.
Followup: The man behind the curtain is Oliver Wang!
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