I guess we have officially entered a new age — the Wall Street Journal is feeling the blog love. Search engine watch reports that the WSJ has started to consider restructuring some of efforts to have more dynamic blogs. Half the fun is in the comments and that is what is really defining the new internet age — the breakdown between the vaunted institution and the public it served. In the mass media age there was the official arbiter of information, the might Wall Street Journal, the Times, and its like. Institution < = > Public.

The barriers aren’t real, however, and even these aging print institutions have realized that you have to give into the wave of new media. When there is no longer one authoritative source for news, trying to wall of your content and your voice only guarantees that your voice will dimish. The Wall Street Journal still has a lot to offer, with wonderful resources for getting the right stories and getting them right. Adding in comments from educated readers and keeping the dialogue going will hopefully breed a new standard for quality reporting and debate. These institutions are still relevant, but they have to adapt to this new era if they are going to survive.
Fuller article on the Wall Street Journal’s decision.