Critics in the Time of the Internet

Last Saturday afternoon at the Miami Book Fair I participated in a three-round
(three ring) discussion on the role of book critics and reviewers in the age of the internet (sounds like Garcia Marquez's
wonderful title Love in the Time of Cholera?)....
The description ran as such: What has happened to book reviews and book journalism with the collapse of local newspapers? An illustrious panel of the Internet’s most prominent book critics, bloggers, and web portal editors discuss the current state of book culture.
Some terrific young critics took part in the discussion, such as Jessa Crispin of Bookslut and journalist Sarah Weinman, the book industry represented by the able Katie Freeman, Leigh Haber, and yours truly among a large cast of characters who read and write for a living--talking, among other things, about whether or not you can make a living at this trade now that so many newspapers have gone dark. And whether or not you can make a mark or make a difference.
Clearly the panel itself, with so many vital intelligent people assembled to discuss the question, suggested that criticism of all levels was alive and well, though probably not paying as well as it used to (which was never a lot).
Where once the field seemed to be dominated by male writers now it shows a lot more diversity, and, to my eyes, speaks of the vitality of the critical trade which is strong, intelligent, and still necessary in a period of tumultuous but interesting transition.
Particularly in an age when everyone, from your pet cat to towering geniuses of academia, and everyone in between, can publish anything and everything about books and life and how they connect, we need critics more than ever. Although most of us seem to stand as gate-keepers when the gates are wide open we're speaking out as writers always have, even in places where no one appears to be listening.
Are you listening?