So, why am I in school again?

The question of "what is actually journalism" may never be answered, particuarly with the rise of the blogsphere.

But let me throw another wrinkle in there.

I've mentioned before in at least one of my blogs the variety site Cockeyed. I first read it for the "How Much Is Inside?" series, which operate much like photo album meets boredom meets third-grade science fair. What also added interest is the location of most of the site's activity (Sacramento) and a Butte County mention in "How Much Blood Is Inside a Human?"

Then there's also the "Pranks" series, where such jokes as replacing signs at Java City and McDonalds create laughs.

In short, I like Cockeyed. It's one of the main inspriations for my new site, hamstercult.com.

But, when doing a news search on the site and its operator, Rob Cockerham, he was being noted for a series of pages he put together on those "Work from Home!" signs that you see plastered all over telephone polls and fences and bulletion boards. He traced a bulk of them to the Herbalife company, which touts health products, but critics say is run in a pyramid or Ponzi scheme format, which is a extremly high risk investments that gains returns by getting money from subsequent investors.

It was this story on Cockerham that really caught my eye, because, in reference to his Herbalife pages, there were among the feedbacks comments, this:

Herbalife never used “ephedrine”, but did stop using “ephedra” in its products. Sounds like Rob could use a (at least one)lesson in journalism.

And this:

I think you’re wrong, Dave. Herbalife made a big deal out of its new product: “Ephedrine-Free Green.”

Rob’s journalism looks fine to me.

And this:

I wonder where this Cockerham gets all the money to “slam” people about their home-based businesses. It takes some money to post all over google — I wonder if he is reporting his annual income? It would be nice for someone to write an article about him and his “journalism” — I find it insulting! The website that he has constructed just shows what kind of crap this guy is involved in.

Wow, journalism? Can the same guy known for throwing a screwball into Safeway's Club Card system now all of a sudden, become a journalist?

So, after looking up, down and all around Google, I couldn't find anywhere that Cockerham actually called his actions against Herbalife journalism.

But other people did here. And here.

Just because Cockerham doesn't describe his actions as journalism, does that necessarily mean its not?

In inverse, can you necessarily say that everybody who claims to be a journalists is actually a journalist, and not just a lame-ass, smack-talking piece of crap writer who can only rely on trying to better his own pathetic work by ripping on other publications? (primary example)

There's never been a license to be a journalist (which, don't get me wrong, is a good thing.) But these definitions of journalism are kind of lame.

Here's what I know: I just invested the last four and a half years of my life and a boatload of cash to learn how to be a good journalist. Not just a journalist, but a good one. I wanted to learn the best way to interview, how to write a lead, writing in inverted pyramid and hourglass form. I wanted to discover the secret, almost Jedi-like art of copy editing. (the Yoda of the A.P. Stylebook I'm not.)

Was it all for nothing? Was that time and those thousands of bucks spent for nothing?

Back to the original question: Can Cockerham, while not considering himself a journalist, while not trying to pass himself off as a journalist, be doing good journalism? Can a piece on the policies and actions of Herbalife be considered good journalism when not taking space on the New York Times or USA Today's site, but a site that also features the details of a secret plot that placed fake Atkins menus at TGI Friday's?

Guess it's up to everybody to decide for themselves on that one.