The Slugger Digital Lunch…….how can digital journalism ever pay? was quite interesting.
Some points. The much reviled “Mainstream Media” is losing money and has not yet learned how to cope with the competition of “new media” where much content is free. Likewise those who were initially part of the online revolution have not found a way to make Digital Journalism pay.
One of the more interesting aspects of yesterdays discussion was that the much praised Huffington Post pays very little for contributions. I would add that the Leveson Inquiry has brought out that many journalists on the biggest newspapers are paid very little for freelance shift work. In the “old” and “new” Media…its an Employers Market.
Yet if the Huffington Post paid me £20 for an article, Id probably consider it a good pay day. It would be a trip to Dominos Pizzas (without waiting on two-for-one Tuesday). But of course for a freelance journalist……£20 from the Huffington Post is useless.
The Debate/Discussion on Digital Journalism as a profession is on narrow ground. Media moguls anxious to get a market share……journalists who have lost jobs coming “down” to meet “upwardly mobile” digital pioneers who want to get in on the ground floor of …..whatever. And there are tens of thousands of independent bloggers……mavericks……anarchists who still see themselves/ourselves as part of the Revolution. For a silver surfer like myself…..there is a certain attraction in NOT being paid. I dont need £20 from the Huffington Post and I dont see any need to empower other bloggers.
Indeed on principle Id say that independent blogging is simply better than being part of an organisation, where a group-think and and eye to profit is paramount. INDEPENDENT Blogging is simply something that amateurs do best.
Theres a part of “Revolution” where the first generation revolutionaries and the remnants of the old regime attempt to make peace with each other……their common enemy being the folks who are still involved in the revolution.
I am not actually sure that a business case can be made for “digital media” that pays when so much is free.
There is a good business case for setting up a strip club in a buttoned up society.
But if Society is a giant nudist colony, nobody could make a business case for a strip club.
Keeping An Eye On the Czar of Russia 
I see you are not the only one with a problem with Slugger O’Toole..
http://www.politics.ie/forum/northern-ireland/193811-slugger-otoole-discussion-forum-ego-trip.html
How very interesting. Pretty hard to quantify or place a value on what the, and I hate to use this word, ‘bloggerati’ think of poor old SOT, though there is little mentioned in the P.ie link that is hard to disagree with.
Back to FJH’s post, I always find it funny people in ‘New Media’ talking about how they could monetise there output. I think it is safe to say, if you have had a site up and running for more than 5 years and it isn’t bringing in any money it might be because people are unwilling to pay for your output.
With all due respect to Mick, he tries his best to provide a niche site, but there in lies the problem, it’s a niche site. Look at those who blog or comment on a regular basis, they are political nut jobs and that is actually a compliment btw. They are not tweens who spend there parent’s money like crazy on whatever takes there fancy so what will you advertise on to insomniacs and political junkies, some of the most cynical people on the planet?
The ground between Mainstream Media and the Blogger is becoming crowded.
Journalists with a redundancy payout want to get involved and the people who were in “new media” years ago are finding it hard going.
I just cant take Blogging seriously.
Thanks for the link. I never go on Pie. I joined a couple of years ago but it has never interested me. In fact I had only posted 11 times there and it turned out I needed 50 posts to my name to be allowed to post on this thread and I therefore had to post THIRTY NINE posts on Anything!!! before I got to post on the the thread. Im exhausted!
Don’t worry FJH, neither can I take Blogging too seriously. That ‘middle ground’ is insanely crowded out there at the moment, and that’s great! I can read about any and everything I could want with whatever slant I want. And to be honest, you (third person) should not try and monetise this output as there is far too much out there. Just enjoy letting people know what you think, have a conversation, sin e.
As an aside, I see someone suggested on SOT on the new media thread something about you vs Spaceman in some kind of online barney/discussion. Any thoughts on that or something similar?
Ah that was BangorDub who suggested that. It aint gonna happen. No conversation will ever take place between me and Dr Sheldon Cooper. I only speak to people I respect.
Likewise I wont be on Slugger TV. I have a perfect face for Radio. And I want to be able to walk around Belfast unmolested by adoring Sluggerites and Sluggerettes.
I wondered if Mick should perhaps give himself a yellow card for talking about Turgon and me as “Statler and Waldorf”. Mick was not playing the Man but he is certainly playing the Muppet.
But surely if Turgon and I are Statler and Waldorf……that would make Mick …….the hapless Fozzie Bear.
Im thinking I know who Kermit is. And even Miss Piggy.
‘I only speak to people I respect’, oh, how that made my day, and the Sheldon Cooper name drop, par excellence. At least Sheldon has some redeeming qualities, his work is original while Dr. Spaceman’s ‘analysis’ according to Fozzie Bear is interesting and termed analysis, not a mere copy and paste hack job.
No, I’ll just watch the site die a death and burn itself out in vitriol.
Reblogged this on Áine Carson and commented:
Love what FJH is saying here, I too only do this for the craic. It’s a hobby.
I am on the ferry to Cairnryan/Glasgow and it came up as a Facebook “memory”. It seemed appropriate to tweet as it is relevant to your own Blog yesterday.
Obviously I wrote this in 2012 when I was a desperado, an outlaw, a renegade.
I have few redeeming features but one of them is that I will never get sucked into being in the Mutual Admiration Society of Norn Iron Bloggers.
But it is funny how posts written years ago look in 2016.
Even when I give up doing this (fifth anniversary next week is the logical time to retire from Blogging), the archive is well worth preserving. …at least it makes ME think/laugh.