Uh oh. Are we about to find out Scanner sucks? From the description:

How to make the most of your blog's "overnight success" (get a book deal! quit your day job!) without letting anonymous commenters make you hate yourself in the process. Panelists: Ben Huh (CEO, I Can Has Cheezburger?), Christian Lander  (Writer, Stuff White People Like), Kerry Miller (passiveaggressivenotes.com), Heather Armstrong (Pres, Blurbodoocery Inc), Ana Marie Cox (Natl Correspondent, Air America).

12:34
After a Palin post, Armstrong got a note "I know where you live and I'm going to come kill you." People didn't want to hear how much she hated America. She didn't take it seriously or give it too much attention. She ignored it.

Miller says she's not so Zen.

12:35
Lander talks about death threats hate meal. Pay extra $50 for anonymizing, he says, when registering a domain. Cox says there are downsides to being Internet famous.  She says none of them thought a career would come from their blogs.

12:38
How did Lander starts? What do white people do instead of watching "The Wire." Started blog in January. Book deal by end of March. He started it as a joke. (Scanner Emily thinks these are the best blogs anyway).

Miller said she'd been working on magazine stories but started this blog because she was living with three roommates, leaving passive agressive notes. She says don't start a blog b/c you want to be internet famous or get a book deal—people can tell. Not that her blog is "sprinkled with authenticy dust," she says. She's talking about the doucebags (I called them that, not her) who start blogs just to get book deals and suck at it.

12:41
Scanner commenter Dippy Gumball asks "how do you know what is a serious death threat vs. someone being dumb? And have you ever received marriage proposals?" Huh says everyone on the Internet is a doucegbag. Amazing how much hate mail I Can Haz Cheeseburger gets! He said they've had people propose to each other on the site! Miller said crazies are easy to write off (true that!). "Sometimes what they say they want is not what they really want." Lander has had three marriage proposals, but is married (damn!). He doesn't engage hate mail. He doesn't give a fuck if people don't like him. Armstrong said ppl have shown up to her UPS address asking if she lives there, but she did get one piece of mail at her home address. Huh got voice mail. "If someone is willing to expose their personal life to hate you, that's something you should take seriously," says Huh.

12:45
Woman asks, you're famous on the Internet... but what about the real world. "How do you deal with meeting people who don't understand Internet culture?" Cox jokes that she wants to start an advice column for people who are internet famous. First problem: people don't know we're famous. Lander said if you get mad at ppl who not knowing who you are.. "come on!" Huh can't walk 5 feet without getting a cat rubbed up against his leg. Cox said he gets a lot of pussy. Laughter ensues. 

12:47
Guy from PETA's blog asks: "how do we be more funny?" The room laughed! Lander says "step one: ease up on the paint." Someone suggested LOLchickens. Huh says make fun of yourself. Huh says "we're internet famous which means we're no better than Steve Erkel. He's more likely to get recognized on the street." Lander points out his name is Jaleel White.

12:49
Someone asks bloggers who are writers: "Does being a blogger change the way you write?" She name checked her blog; self promotion! (I didn't catch them). Armstrong said she started as a blogger, book was to get people to take her seriously. Blog makes much more money. She hated writing the book and doesn't think her marriage could survive another. Book is like running a marathon, blogging is like sprinting. Lander says he's a failed writer in every medium but blogging. Thought "I'll write a book one day..." Cox says you have to stop caring, don't worry about the distinctions, just write. Meanwhile, I'm crushing hard on married Christian Lander. Miller worked as a freelance writer and said starting the blog was really humbling. More people read her cursing and funny pictures than longer articles she spends more time/thought on (I feel you Kerry). She said blogging had made her more ADD (I feel you again Kerry). She says blogging is kind-of like crack, you put it up there and get immediate feedback (I feel you yet again Kerry). 

12:56
Woman asks once the books were published what kind of different reaction did you get? Huh says he has no writing ability and bought the website (that was getting really famous) from somebody else. He says when you get into publishing you are the talent. They want to listen to what you have to say, they have expertise but don't let them change who you are. You can change a little but don't sell out. "Act like a rockstar." Lander says he was lucky, publisher wanted him to keep doing what he was doing, but for them. They gave him control, he barely changed anything. His worked out really well. He wanted it to be paperback all the way, they agreed. All they wanted was to put exclusive content in the book. (Lucky!). Armstrong had a completely opposite experience.She was sued by a publishing company and paid a lot of money to NOT write a book. She says it's been a horrible experience.

12:59
Cathy Erway asks if you feel like you're endlessly committed/married to your blogs? Would you get death threats? Huh makes another funny. Armstrong says one of the drawbacks to doing it professionally is that you do not get to take a break. Ever. Lander says people always tell him what white people like. It's never going to go away. He'll take it to his death. He says if that's the worst thing he has to do it's a fair price to pay. Cathy asks, are you fine doing it for the rest of your career? Lander says, we'll see. Kerry said she started hers very not goal oriented. She'll do it as long as it's still fun and she's getting something out of it. She admits it's getting harder to make the same kinds of things funny. She said if it was her whole life she would kill herself. Cox quit because it was too much. She said not so much negativity, but the ability to leave the house. It becomes something you have to do all the time. She says if you want to quit do it. She traded something she loved and didn't get to leave, for something she doesn't love as much but she's out in the real world. Huh says people mistake blogging with themselves. Get other people to blog. Separate who you are from what you do. Plug in somebody else to run your blog for you, take the money and pay them. "It actually works, it's called a business." (Good question, Cathy!)

1:04
"Drunk" girl asks, how do you determine your boundaries of what you will and won't write about? Lander says the truth is where all the humor comes from, his one boundary is abortion. Cox jokes that her next book is going to be all about her abortion. Armstrong doesn't write about sex life (I think? I missed it a little). Cox says there's nothing she won't write about. "Nothing is sacred."

1:06
Guy points out, all of you made the jump to print. So how is print dead? (It's not).

1:09
Another guy asks: great idea vs. great voice? (Stuff White People Like vs. Cox). Can you speak to the difference? Do you need a great idea to turn your blog into a book? Yes answers across the panel. Does voice matter? Lander says it's idea and execution, be able to sum it up: what is this about in a short amount of time. Blogs that do everything (hello, Scanner!) no book deal (good thing!).

1:11
Woman asks "how do you deal with the spewage of AOL speak without wanting to hurt these people?" Huh says he knows how to write. Woman brings up people who can't spell, can't write but CAN leave nasty comments. Tidal wave of bad English is the future says Huh. Lander says it's not just the commenters on blogs. College freshman still can't get you're vs your. He says you have to let it go in a sense (Never! says Scanner Emily). Miller says commenters had declared themselves kings and hated new commenters, then others who were racist, homphobic and she had to think a lot about how to take control back. She decided to feature one GOOD comment of the day, instead of people who comment most. Then they saw that those were the kinds of comments she wanted, it helped "self police" the commenting/community. And she started another part of the site for off topic conversations. Lander said if you write about race in any capacity the "your" problem is the least of the problems. 

1:17
Guy says he has a shitty blog with huge readership. Should he sell out now? Panel says aim higher than being on the other side of the microphone. Lander says if it's what you love, don't stop. Huh says if people hate you, you've made it. He says being hated by mainstream media gives you street cred. Armstrong says if you're okay with therapy get a therapist, it will happen. Moral of story: ignore the comments.

1:22
Guy asks what small changes can you make to make the community a little better? Huh says it's understanding your audience.

1:23
Guy named Miles asks about people who are unhealthily attracted to you/think they know you? Cox says if you write about a certain kind of sex, you get a lot of weird kind-of email, some weird proposals. Armstrong says while there is negativity, there is so, so, so much good. She said her readers saved her life, encouraging her to check into the hospital with PPD. She said because she writes about being crazy she attracts the crazy.

1:26
Guy says do you/will you find yourself gravitating toward more serious material? Lander and Cox say no. Huh says again, blogging is not a cult of personality. It doesn't have to be just your voice. Encourage people to participate with you and you'll develop a filter to figure out the bullshit from the good stuff. Lander says he gets lots of terrible unsolicited entries.

1:28
Miller asks the money question. Advertising money sucks right now. She said if she started her blog today, would she be sitting here three years from now. "Huh says know where you spend your money and count every fucking penny of it... live frugally." Cox says the only industry in America that has a more fucked business model than blogging is book publishing. Huh explains how book deals/advance works. (Scanner Emily is still waiting for royalties. Buy my book! Pretty please!)