Those darn meddling kids

I've written quite a bit about the widening gap between the skills of working journalists and the demands of new media.
Want to see where you stand? Want to see where your publication stands?
Right now, do a quick inventory of your digital skills. Can you shoot and edit video? Operate a digital camera? Edit those photos? Design a site and/or article page? Operate an open-source CMS? Function on any CMS other than the one you're required to use at work? Can you do any coding? Can you read at least basic HTML? Do you know Flash? How about map mash-ups? Ever publish in real time? Ever run a forum or manage a "conversation" through feedback functions? Belong to any online communities? Ever start from scratch and build an online news site?

Now take a look at the future: a news site run by high-school kids.
Not college kids. Not pros. Just a bunch of 16-year olds.
Take a look and ask yourself honestly -- what are these kids doing on this site that I can't do at my publication?
(Thanks to Howard Owens for pointing me to the site.)

Want to see how rare and valuable these digital media skills are in B2B? Read an interview with the CEO of Vance Publishing, in which she says her company has been adding new positions in digital media, but has been unable to fill the slots.

tags: journalism, b2b, media, trade press, magazines, newsletters, business media, journalism education