March 03, 2007

Blogger Spotlight: The Blogland of Earl Capps

The Blogland of Earl Capps closes out our SC coverage. Next week we will look at the bloggers behind some WH '08 focused blogs before moving out west to California.

What is your full name?

Earl Capps

How old are you?

Just turned 36 this month.

What’s your hometown?

Born in Charleston, SC

Where do you live now?

Summerville, SC

What is your educational background?

Currently working on my Masters in Communication, with several research awards and publications as both an undergrad and graduate student.

What is your occupation?

Corporate Communication and HR for U.S. Group, Inc., one of the state's leading heavy and highway construction general contractors.

When did you first get involved in politics and why?

I was a teenager back in the 80s, and wanted to do more to support President Reagan's agenda, as well as act against the corruption and good-old-boy politics that was then far more common in South Carolina. Back then, being a Republican in South Carolina was about as "anti-establishment" as one could get, and I was pretty anti-establishment back then - and to a point, I still am. But I've come to view the political process as less black and white and much more shades of grey.

When did you start blogging and why?

As a creative outlet and to increase the amount of writing I did as practice for graduate school. My original intent was to use it to explore new subjects outside of politics, to broaden my interests and prove to myself and others that I was not a political hack. As hard as I tried, after a while, I found it impossible not to use it to express my opinions on that front as well. But I still touch on a lot of stuff that is outside of politics, such as music, my work, my academic research, my kids, and my religious faith.

How are blogs changing politics in your state?

Bloggers provide alternative insights into what is going on in government and politics in South Carolina, by getting around the channeling that takes place with traditional media outlets (i.e. newpapers and TV news), often challenging the traditional view that positions on issues are generally arranged along the traditionally-perceived bi-polar right-versus-left, Republican-Democrat divide of politics. We're not out to "fight the power", but we certainly challenge it, often by broadening the range of perspectives on issues by including people who normally would be shut out of the political process in meaningful ways that often contribute to the political process. Bloggers in this state are spread all over the map, from liberals to social conservatives to libertarians - there is no dominant point of political view on most issues, but lots of discussion that gets attention.

Bloggers are part of a new approach to how "new" media looks at news and issues are covered that uncovers information and presents perspectives that in the past would have been overlooked. More than once, what's shown up on blogs has become the stuff of news stories in traditional media, and the incidence of this "crossover" is increasing, not decreasing. I've also found out that legislators and state agencies regularly pass around blog postings, and in discussions with legislators, we talk about some of what comes up on various blogsites, including mine.

I see a growing co-existence between "new" media, such as blogs and websites, are feeding "old" media and vice-versa. Frankly, I think many bloggers appreciate the recognition they've given us by taking what we talk about and making it news, and I know they're grateful for our inputs. The Spartanburg Herald-Journal and Anderson Independent-Mail are probably the two best traditional media outlets in South Carolina, in terms of working with bloggers, as well as giving us credit for our work, but other traditional news outlets are starting to tune in as well.

Posted by Conn Carroll at March 3, 2007 09:23 AM