But because Valleywag was a blog rather than a newspaper, and did not adhere to any sort of objective standard of journalism, the writers were encouraged to put themselves into the stories. As a result, their opinions and beliefs became part of the story and the brand. Since most of the Valleywag staff were freelance writers, they too engaged in micro-celebrity practices such as frequent twittering, maintaining personal blogs, talking to fans, and so on.

Alice E. Marwick, Status Update, loc. 352