The New York Times launched their 500th blog today. This one's called "The Board" and it's written by the Editorial Board, those oft-imitated, oft-equaled authors of liberal conventional wisdom. "The Board" will be the first of the Times' dozen Opinion blogs without bylines, though you can always tell Associate Editor Robert Semple's posts by his use of adorable Japanese emoticons. America needed yet another place to read the thoughts of liberal old white people, and who else but the Times editorial board can provide the opinions of Paul Krugman without the passion, or the arguments of Bob Herbert without the hilarious, disarming wit? The commenters are thrilled! "This is the most exciting thing I've heard in weeks!"

In fact, the commenters' only real complaint seems to be that this "blog" is hosted on "the Internet."

Great idea. I read your two opinion pages every day.... I have the greatest respect for your senior contributors there......and I look foward to what you will put out here. Thank you.

Note: Please make your blogs so I can print them out, as you do with your regular opinion pieces.

I must admit, I'm not too sure what a blog is; but if you people write it... I'll read it.... just let me be able to print them out. Thank you.

— Posted by Bruce Lloyd

Though there are critics:

should increase readership... unlikely to alter opinions.....platonic dialogue is possible only on t.v.....pity,...bob blayney,,,Hamilton Canada

— Posted by bob blayney

Bob Blayney has a good point—the New York Times editorial board might now be too quiet, too online for both its own good and for the country's own good. Opinions that change the world, that inspire change, are really best delivered on television. Specifically on the Fox Business Channel. Or on Flavor of Love Girls: Charm School.

The Board [NYT]