Congressman Ed Shrock quits over weblog accusations

Ed Schrock, United States Congressman for Virginia’s 2nd District, announced yesterday he would not seek a third term in November. He faced homosexual allegations that surfaced on weblogs such as Michael Rogers’ blogACTIVE. He received a 100 percent rating from the Christian Coalition in 2002 and was one of 233 lawmakers who supported the Marriage Protection Act. The 63-year-old Schrock is married and has one son. Ed Shrock not seeking a third term is the first instance I know of where webloggers have pushed someone out of federal office. Trent Lott is often cited as an example of the power…

Wall Street Journal on Republican convention webloggers

The Wall Street Journal profiles the 15 official webloggers attending next week’s Republican national convention. “Asked what they learned from Boston, some of the New York bloggers characterized the Boston coverage as self-absorbed and overly preoccupied with celebrity sightings. The Republican bloggers said they’d stay more focused on the issues and the convention itself — a chance they’ll get next week.”…

Bag Borrow or Steal

Bag Borrow Or Steal is an online handbag exchange that brings some features of Netflix into the fashion world. Monthly fees start at $20 and are as high as $99 for access to the nicest handbags. You can borrow up to 5 bags at a time but each swap will cost $10 to cover shipping. If you like your borrowed bag enough you can buy it. (via BoingBoing)…

Kazaa 2.7 promotes user weblogs

Users of Kazaa 2.7 (currently in beta) can promote their weblog or Web site within search result and traffic panes. Once you enter your Web address through the options menu your user name will be hyperlinked in the search results and traffic display. Interesting feature and it adds accountability. I am guessing this feature will be more useful to distributors than end-users. Independent music distributors can direct users to their Web site for more bands or a rich media presentation. Vendors can offer sample clips on Kazaa and link to their sites where a full-length clip is available for purchase….