It's only been a few weeks since I reopened comments on this blog. I've been happy with the feedback; I've been pleased with the chance to speak more with readers.
But I remain wary. When I was at About and Primedia, monitoring chat rooms and discussion threads was a constant hassle. Folks tended to get nasty, and civilized discourse was often hard to find.
The Ventura County Star has been suffering from this of late, but moved quickly to contain the problem.
Today Vin Crosbie reminds us of Godwin's Law, which says that given sufficient time all online discussions will deteriorate into name-calling foolishness. (Thanks to API's CyberJournalist for pointing me toward Crosbie.)
So I urge B2B publishers to proceed with caution in this area.
On a more optimistic note, the B2B audience tends to be smaller, older and more educated than that of the mainstream media. That makes it less likely that we'll see the sort of ad hominem attacks that plague mainstream media discussions.
Another problem has emerged as feedback functions have grown more popular. Spammers have taken to littering discussion threads with garbage.
It is possible to reduce both spam and fury by requiring registration. Certainly many B2B publishers and bloggers will choose that route. In the meantime, I remain hopeful that the desire of the B2B world to share and learn will outweigh the risks of opening ourselves to feedback.
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Citizen journalism, About.com come full circle
In an announcement that attracted considerable attention in the blogging world, Jeff Jarvis, the noted blogger and advocate for all new media forms, quit his job last Friday. Jarvis will be writing a book, working at the journalism program at the City University of New York and -- of particular interest to me -- consulting for About.com.
Regular readers of this blog know that I was once a producer at About, overseeing content covering small business, careers, automobiles, personal finance and B2B. Regular readers also know I argue that the citizen-journalism movement and its best-known manifestation -- blogging -- began at About.
I've been waiting to see what Jeff plans for About. Now Business Week's Blogspotting has published an interview in which Jarvis says "About starts with this incredible army of people putting out 500 guides. It's my hope that they can become a platform for distributed media. A locus and starting point for new and great things."
Read the entire interview here.
Regular readers of this blog know that I was once a producer at About, overseeing content covering small business, careers, automobiles, personal finance and B2B. Regular readers also know I argue that the citizen-journalism movement and its best-known manifestation -- blogging -- began at About.
I've been waiting to see what Jeff plans for About. Now Business Week's Blogspotting has published an interview in which Jarvis says "About starts with this incredible army of people putting out 500 guides. It's my hope that they can become a platform for distributed media. A locus and starting point for new and great things."
Read the entire interview here.
Tuesday, May 24, 2005
A grab bag of information of interest to B2B media
There are a number of things worth looking at today, so I'm going to point you in several directions.
1) Rex, who is guest blogging at ABM's MediaPace, had some interesting things to say about podcasting and B2B media. Take a look. Make sure you read the comments section, where I mentioned some podcasts of interest to our industry.
2) Speaking of ABM, there's new revenue data posted on the trade association's site. Things have improved for B2B publications.
3) Yesterday I posted some thoughts on changes in advertising and how they mimic changes in editorial. And many have been the days when I've talked about the need for B2B publishers to make their Web content compatible with the Firefox browser. Today Wired magazine has an interesting piece about how Firefox has become a leader in new-style marketing.
4) It's time for another series of awards. Folio's deadline for the Ozzies and the Eddies is approaching. Follow the links here for more information.
5) Advanstar has completed the sale of a slew of properties.
1) Rex, who is guest blogging at ABM's MediaPace, had some interesting things to say about podcasting and B2B media. Take a look. Make sure you read the comments section, where I mentioned some podcasts of interest to our industry.
2) Speaking of ABM, there's new revenue data posted on the trade association's site. Things have improved for B2B publications.
3) Yesterday I posted some thoughts on changes in advertising and how they mimic changes in editorial. And many have been the days when I've talked about the need for B2B publishers to make their Web content compatible with the Firefox browser. Today Wired magazine has an interesting piece about how Firefox has become a leader in new-style marketing.
4) It's time for another series of awards. Folio's deadline for the Ozzies and the Eddies is approaching. Follow the links here for more information.
5) Advanstar has completed the sale of a slew of properties.
Congratulations for a B2B media blogger
One of my fellow B2B media bloggers has reason to celebrate.
David Shaw's newest venture has launched. Take a look at ERI: Extended Retail Industry Journal, a B2B magazine and website that covers the world of retail logistics.
It's too early to say whether the magazine will make it. Lord knows ours is a very competitive industry. But it looks to me like David and his team may have found an underserved niche hidden in what I've said may be the most overserved industry in B2B publishing.
If you've ever been involved in a product launch, you know what an exciting and stressful process it is. The hours are long, but the rewards can be great.
Good luck, David, and congratulations!
David Shaw's newest venture has launched. Take a look at ERI: Extended Retail Industry Journal, a B2B magazine and website that covers the world of retail logistics.
It's too early to say whether the magazine will make it. Lord knows ours is a very competitive industry. But it looks to me like David and his team may have found an underserved niche hidden in what I've said may be the most overserved industry in B2B publishing.
If you've ever been involved in a product launch, you know what an exciting and stressful process it is. The hours are long, but the rewards can be great.
Good luck, David, and congratulations!
Monday, May 23, 2005
Changes in ad world mimic editorial challenges
I don't write a lot on this blog about advertising. That's not my area. But I appreciate the creative efforts and salesmanship that bring in the revenue to fund our paychecks.
And it's worth noting that our brothers on the other side of the divide in journalism are experiencing the same sort of new-media upheaval that we're seeing on the editorial side.
In today's New York Times there's a fascinating look at how advertising clients -- concerned by anti-corporate sentiment, blogging, ad-skipping technologies such as TiVo, etc. -- are demanding new approaches from advertising agencies.
Check out these quotes, and note the similarity to issues in editorial: "The advertising business is undergoing an upheaval, forcing executives to radically change how they do business" and "It's unclear if the traditional agencies will be nimble enough to halt a slow decline" and "The big agencies also face a throng of hip new rivals, which have pounced on the opportunity and are looking to steal business" and "'There's an incredible ability to cling to what's been done because there's a comfort in that."
Take a look at the article. Strike up a conversation with someone from the advertising staff. Ask them if they are hearing dissatisfaction with traditional B2B ads. If they haven't heard a complaint yet, let them know they will soon. Sophisticated advertisers, just like sophisticated consumers of news, are demanding new ways of doing business.
And it's worth noting that our brothers on the other side of the divide in journalism are experiencing the same sort of new-media upheaval that we're seeing on the editorial side.
In today's New York Times there's a fascinating look at how advertising clients -- concerned by anti-corporate sentiment, blogging, ad-skipping technologies such as TiVo, etc. -- are demanding new approaches from advertising agencies.
Check out these quotes, and note the similarity to issues in editorial: "The advertising business is undergoing an upheaval, forcing executives to radically change how they do business" and "It's unclear if the traditional agencies will be nimble enough to halt a slow decline" and "The big agencies also face a throng of hip new rivals, which have pounced on the opportunity and are looking to steal business" and "'There's an incredible ability to cling to what's been done because there's a comfort in that."
Take a look at the article. Strike up a conversation with someone from the advertising staff. Ask them if they are hearing dissatisfaction with traditional B2B ads. If they haven't heard a complaint yet, let them know they will soon. Sophisticated advertisers, just like sophisticated consumers of news, are demanding new ways of doing business.
Converged news, standalone journalists and pay
Fellow journalism blogger Doug Fisher posted a comment this weekend regarding my recent post about the converged newsroom. Doug wanted to point out the work being done at the Ifra Newsplex at the University of South Carolina. And Doug is right. If you're looking to build a multimedia newsroom for the future, take a look at the Newsplex.
Speaking of converged newsrooms, there was an interesting post in the blogsphere this weekend about editorial staffers in the new, multimedia environment.
At Businessweek's blog, they seem to be worried that the demands of producing content in a variety of media formats may lead to the "death" of the beat reporter. Their thinking -- born of a lunch with an unnamed media executive -- seems to be that multimedia skills are so time-consuming, difficult and specialized that some new breed of highly paid super producer must emerge. Such people would have little time for traditional reporting.
That's nonsense.
Multimedia is not difficult. It's not time-consuming. Any knucklehead can master these technologies. You can't demand a salary premium for skills that are in abundance. I'd predict that within another year or so almost every entry-level journalist you could find will have the skills to work with audio, video, digital photos, etc. etc. etc. If anything, that would push salaries lower. There is one core journalism skill that determines salary -- storytelling. If you can acquire information and then present it in a compelling fashion, you are worth more than the person who cannot. That is true regardless of medium.
On the other hand, I think Businessweek's Stephen Baker is dead right about the type of person who can succeed in this new environment. "They will know how to harvest the knowledge of experts and citizen reporters alike, and will fashion new journalistic products out of various media. They will have entrepreneurial skills and many will create their own brands," Baker said.
That's as good a description as you'll find of the standalone journalist. And as I've said before, B2B journalism is particularly vulnerable to competition from such people.
For another look at Businessweek's take on the converged newsroom and the reporters of the future, check out Jeff Jarvis' post.
Speaking of converged newsrooms, there was an interesting post in the blogsphere this weekend about editorial staffers in the new, multimedia environment.
At Businessweek's blog, they seem to be worried that the demands of producing content in a variety of media formats may lead to the "death" of the beat reporter. Their thinking -- born of a lunch with an unnamed media executive -- seems to be that multimedia skills are so time-consuming, difficult and specialized that some new breed of highly paid super producer must emerge. Such people would have little time for traditional reporting.
That's nonsense.
Multimedia is not difficult. It's not time-consuming. Any knucklehead can master these technologies. You can't demand a salary premium for skills that are in abundance. I'd predict that within another year or so almost every entry-level journalist you could find will have the skills to work with audio, video, digital photos, etc. etc. etc. If anything, that would push salaries lower. There is one core journalism skill that determines salary -- storytelling. If you can acquire information and then present it in a compelling fashion, you are worth more than the person who cannot. That is true regardless of medium.
On the other hand, I think Businessweek's Stephen Baker is dead right about the type of person who can succeed in this new environment. "They will know how to harvest the knowledge of experts and citizen reporters alike, and will fashion new journalistic products out of various media. They will have entrepreneurial skills and many will create their own brands," Baker said.
That's as good a description as you'll find of the standalone journalist. And as I've said before, B2B journalism is particularly vulnerable to competition from such people.
For another look at Businessweek's take on the converged newsroom and the reporters of the future, check out Jeff Jarvis' post.
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