Cranky Trains and the Undead

So I am finally in D.C., after a train 'signaling issue' had us crawling along the tracks just outside of Philadelphia. Fortunately, I was well-supplied with snacks and Mira Grant's Feed, a novel about bloggers and zombies.

Yes, they go together perfectly. And I'm not finished yet, but right now I would highly recommend it.

Books like these are making me think about the new publishing/news paradigm; Grant has created a scenario where bloggers are basically ruling the newsfeeds, largely because of the advantages of a) speed b) first-hand experience and c) lack of a corporate agenda. When the zombie Rising begins, it's the bloggers who first break the news and keep spreading the world, despite the mainstream media's attempt to downplay the incidents (after all, it's just too crazy to be true, right?).

True, there are lots of nutcases out there, and lots of them have blogs. But there are ways to 'triangulate' authentic information, from the 'mass numbers' approach (if enough different sources are saying it, it's probably true) to the 'trusted' bloggers and platforms who have earned reputations of integrity and accuracy.

The model isn't perfect, but it works (for surviving a zombie attack, anyhow). And the Rising, the loss of trust in the mainstream media, and the surge of autonomous investigation and reporting that followed has drastically shifted the balance of influence -- now bloggers have serious clout, even to the point of being invited on the campaign trail on the next presidential race.

What I've found most interesting about this book is that it seems pretty plausible -- substitute 'zombies' for 'widespread disaster' and you can already see similar things happening today. People on the ground, in the moment, are spreading news the quickest ways they can, thanks to technology. And since we're social animals, we're all involved in this transmission of information (and yes, the 'viral' implications are completely apt, here).

I'm really interested to see if I can get in on some of this crowd/social tech action at the conference, from Twitter feeds to blog updates, and see how this changes or enhances my ALA experience.

If I can keep my head attached, anyway. I hear the opening of the Exhibit Hall is more dangerous than a crowd of zombies at a meat market.