Thursday, November 10, 2005
Print Blogs
Certain industries have embraced the weblog, most notably the IT industry where you can find blogs on just about any topic related to information technology, computer programming, and other bytes and bits related subjects.
While the tech industry is saturated with blogs, the graphic communications industry seems to be behind the curve when it comes to using blogs as a communication tool. In my search to find print media blogs, I came up with only a few (see below).
The Print Blog Pioneers
While my search was not exhaustive, I did spend some time searching Google, Google Blog Search, and Technorati with the keywords: 'graphic communication blogs', 'print media blogs', 'print industry blogs' and so on.
... and here's what I found:
Jim Raffel's Golden Nuggets - A blog on color measurement by Jim Raffel of ColorMetrix Technologies. Jim's blog is the only vendor blog I found. If you're interested in color measurement and proofing, Jim's blog is a must read.
Dr Joe's Printing Industry Blog - Dr. Job tags his blog as "A discussion of the goings-on of the printing industry and its new media competitors." Dr. Joe also publishes articles at WhatTheyThink on "marketing and management strategies for print buyers, printers and suppliers." Joe offers a good look at the economic side of the print industry. He's also the only person I know of that has a PhD in Graphic Communications (Super Cool!).
Blogito Ergo Sum Or: Put Descartes Before the Horse. Only a Romano could come up with a name like that for a print blog. In this case, it's Richard Romano, graphic communications industry writer and analyst. Richard writes about print industry issues and other random topics such as: JPF - Just Plain Freakish.
Print On Demand.com - The format the POD.com site is blog-like, but the content is mainly repostings of print industry press releases. The site also includes an e-community of digital printers. This site has been at the top of my NetNewsWire list for a few years. They keep me updated on the latest vender news.
A Book Publisher Blog - This blog is authored by Joe Wikert, Vice President and Executive Publisher in the Professional/Trade division of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Joe writes about "Book Writing, Publishing and Technology Perspectives." While Joe's blog wasn't what I was looking for when searching for print media blogs, his writings give some insight into one of the print industries largest customers.
The Print Advertising Blog - A "proxy-blog" that points to various news stories about print advertising.
PDFX.ORG - "A site about PDF/X and it's use." The site is new and only has one post, I hope the author sticks with it and provides worthwhile writing on this very important workflow subject.
Ink Splatter - Another "proxy-blog" authored by "Ink Man" points to other sites that have written about printer technology. The postings revolve around desktop printing/proofing systems. Hasn't been updated since September 27. Might be dead.
I should mention that all these site provide RSS or ATOM syndication so they can be read in your favorite newsreader.
So that's what I found. Not a big list, but at least the print industry has some representation in the blogsphere. If you know of print media blog that I missed, please let me know. And if you're a print geek, what are you waiting for? Share your knowledge, start blogging today.
Posted in: Printing Industy Blogs | Weblogs
No Comments Yet