An article on www.slate.com from 2010 explores these questions. At that time, the Gawker was converting from a blog to a full-blown online magazine. Blogs have quickly become an outlet for opinions about any subject you can imagine. I agree with slate that www.gawker.com is still not a magazine even after claiming the status with its own “magazine” website. It’s slogan is “Today’s gossip is tomorrow’s news.” This sounds like a blog.
I contend blogs are not magazines, and nor are they considered professional media. Magazines are a professional medium where journalists publish content. A blog is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a Web site that contains online personal reflections, comments, and often hyperlinks provided by the writer; also: the contents of such a site.” Journalism is defined as “the collection and editing of news for the presentation though the media.”
This does not mean blogs are not written by professionals (this one is). It also does not mean they are not written professionally. Blogs have a function, and that is to editorialize about any subject, ask questions and provide insight that has little boundaries. Do you agree?
In my opinion, bloggers are not journalists. However, journalists can be bloggers. What do you think?
Dan Morris is an Integrated Marketing Expert with a B.A. in Visual Communication and Commercial Art completing his M.S. in Integrated Marketing Communications at WVU. He has worked for two Fortune 500 companies, an advertising agency and managed a newspaper.
The Connected World 
Hi Dan! I meant to vote “No” in your poll, but it would not let me change it after I voted. I do agree with you, however. A blog is not a magazine because it is more personal and allows people to comment, like I am doing now. Blogs are also a powerful tool for building relationships. Since they are written from the perspective of the blogger and are not corporate speak, people feel they can relate to the words better. Great blog post! Enjoyed reading what you had to say.
Dan, Great insight here! One of my favorite website blogs, Fast Company, is also a magazine – so they can be both! They have really created a great platform for a distinct topic – business, innovation, tech, and design. The print publication promotes and encourages interaction with their online content, and visa versa. I’ve fallen in love with the brand, one of my favorite resources.