This website has a decent amount of information about blogs and the internet. Shirky has a varied and long background and has been on the forefront of emerging media. The website is very up to date and is a good place to find out about the different forms of open source media and their influence upon culture.

This NY times article focuses on the ethics behind blogging.  It examines the if there should be a code for bloggers and if they should be held up to the same standard as other print medias.  Since bloggers are considered amatuers by nature, they fall under the radar.  Shear attempts to consider whether bloggers should be held accountable for their actions because of the surge in the number of bloggers over the past couple of years.

This book is a compilation of many articles concerning blogs. After tracking down a copy, it seems to have a huge amount of information about the influences of blogs upon American culture. With a variety of articles, culture and politics come up in varying degrees. A great place to find out some more detailed information about the influence of blogs upon the American populace.