It’s entertaining to watch smack-talkers smack talkers, if you know what I mean. At the blogging level, XXL’s Elliott Wilson has destroyed whatever credibility he had the chance to develop. And I agree with a lot of Jimi Izrael’s statements on the matter. [Update: I should clarify that I agree that Wilson should deal with bloggers honestly rather than trying to use us for a cheap early boost for his website plans. As should be obvious, Jimi's more personal observations are Jimi's own.]
In any case, I’m finding that not only do a lot of writers in the print game not want to attack anybody that might pay them but some of what’s happening is that Elliot’s part of an old boy network within hip hop writing that also strongly affected the early phases of hip hop blogging. When he, or certain other writers act out, folks that knew them from back in the day just kind of chuckle and go along. But, you know what? That happens everywhere.
We’re going into a phase where hip hop magazines will be reaching out more and more to build their web presence and establish ties with bloggers and other hip hop sites. The smart ones will either copromote as peers or buy ads straight up. The dumb ones will piss on the field before joining the game and set themselves up for surprise hits.
Of course, one question is whether or not XXL even knows what they’re doing. In the XXL email I reprinted they mention that the new online editor is Brendan Frederick. I know very little about him but, from the bits and pieces I’ve gathered, my understanding is that he’s more from a writing/editing background than a tech background. Brendan, please correct me if I’m wrong, but did you get the job cause you talked tech or talked journo?
I just have this feeling that, instead of bringing on people who know what’s up online, Elliot’s bought into the nonsense that content management system providers put out and has underestimated the difficulties ahead. Or he handed it off to one of his underlings that made the same mistake and then enthusiastically pitched it to Mr. Wilson.
Based on the email mentioned above, the new site should be launching next week. Like Vanessa said, this should be fun. Especially if it doesn’t launch till April or May.
Related ProHipHop Coverage:
Clearing Up Nondisclosure Issue With XXL’s Bloggers
Early Look at XXL Online Columnists/Bloggers
Congratulations to Brightman & Chan on XXL Launch!
XXL’s Big Web Plans from Deputy Editor Vanessa Satten
