Also, the process of publishing a blog, via typepad for example, really isn’t that much different from the way newspapers get printed these days either. At the very minimum bloggers learn about modern production processes by doing it themsleves than non-bloggers. By comparison, a Fanzine producer is still in the stone age, even if he’s well flash and uses Quark Xpress.

A journalism student with enough nouse to put together a well written blog that really tackles a particular issue of interest to them would, I think, go down really well with a prospective employer.

If I was an Science/Environment Editor, I’d probably be keener to chat with someone who came to me passionate about their blog delving into the decline in the UK sparrow population than someone who brings in the odd clip from the Canterbury Echo’s ‘Country Diary’ pages.

Just as I did in fanzine days, I could go off and interview people and blog the findings. Maybe try and sell a story or two. Before you’ve finished your journo course, you could well end up a recognised and respected resource on sparrows or whatever.

And I think the difference between fanzines (which you certainly used to be able to use to wangle those scary first jobs) and weblogs is that even the crudest fanzine screamed ‘This person really, really wants to write about stuff! Enough to blow all their money on something twenty friends and a Japanese schoolgirl will read! Give them a chance!’. Weblogs just don’t give off those signals, do they?

Couldn’t agree more on your point though. Blogs are like fanzines without the prittstick and ‘actual’ cutting & pasting and minus the expensive photocopying costs. My fanzine cost me more to produce in 1985 than my blog does today. The blog looks better too.