Podcamp 2007

Originally posted at Blog for Democracy on 20 March, 2007.

I've been a little reluctant to step into this debate, since it's clear I'm in the minority, but this recent post from GriftDrift has pushed me over the top. Granted, I was a little slow catching on to the whole unconference thing, but even so, playing the contrarian in a room full of strangers isn't my style. So here's my take:

The conventional wisdom in the local blogoshere seems to be that the MSM, or at least the local MSM, just doesn't get it when it comes to new media or, if you prefer, web 2.0. While I can't completely disagree, I'm pretty sure this condition is temporary. Big media has never lacked the resources to make major leaps in technology (when needed or mandated), they've only occasionally lacked the will. I think this is about to change.

The same companies that lay out huge capital expenditures for digital presses or new HDTV control rooms and digital towers are beginning to take to the web in earnest. If they don't "get it" now, they'll just buy it later, and you'll foot the bill. And if you blog, podcast, vlog, or engage in an online community, you are their unpaid, unacknowledged and highly unappreciated R&D staff. They're going to school on you.

Here in Georgia, some of us watch with amazement as the AJC flails about in search of a clue. But to extrapolate the AJC's problems to all MSM is to miss the larger picture. Although the AJC and other Georgia news sources are farther behind the National curve than most, my guess is they won't stay that way for long. I know of several projects currently underway by large media companies that will indeed revolutionize the way people get their news. One such project is Rob Curley's retool of the behemoth Washington Post. Newsweek Interactive, aka WPNI. Others are currently in beta and still tightly under wraps.

As much as we might enjoy poking sticks at the MSM, without them there wouldn't be much to chatter about. Yes, some original news content occasionally surfaces in the 'sphere, but it's spotty and highly situational, such as first hand accounts from New Orleans, Iraq or even HB 1 hearings. Most independent news content (like bad cable news), is opinion based and relies on the reporting of others. Like it or not, with very few exceptions, original, consistent, relentless reporting is still the purview of major news outlets. The future of news isn't the indy web, it's hyper-local, multiplatform publishing. Mainstream media outlets in local markets are uniquely suited to make the transition.

Even if the FCC doesn't repeal the newspaper broadcast cross-owership ban this year, it's probably only a matter of time. The venerable old National Association of Broadcasters is even in favor of repeal and has stated "The Complete Prohibition on Newspaper/Broadcast Cross-Ownership Is Anachronistic". When and if this happens, look for Gannett, Scripps Howard, Cox and every other media company with radio, television and publishing interests to combine forces internally. Even if the ban isn't repealed (some think it will be "leap frogged"), media companies like Cox are still uniquely situated to create whole new entities that combine the best of print, television and radio into a new web-based product not subject to FCC oversight.

Whether or not Cox has the will or even the inclination to retool in time, it's a sure bet others will. Content is king and newspapers and television news organizations have it in spades. Frankly, with circulation and viewership dropping by the minute, they have no other choice. And should ISPs get into the content business, it's game over for the indy web. In the most capitalist society on the planet, long term net neutrality will be difficult to maintain. Instead, the inevitable outcome will be a ghettoization of the indy web. In other words, a two tiered delivery system: premium content and everything else.

My best guess is there is about a year left to (in the words of Andy Warhol), "do everything". Anything you want to try, every idea you've ever had, anything you think might work, do it now. The window of opportunity for micro content providers isn't closing, but the best of you are about to be co-opted (at worst), and assimilated (at best).

Finally, I also have to dispute the claim that MSM folk don't get the idea of reciprocal linkage. Maybe this only happens in the political sphere, but the AJC PI guys routinely link to original content here and on other political blogs. So do the IA guys, but we hate it when that happens.

Comments

[Lynn Winters]

Reciprocal linking is very time consuming and discouraging. Back links are important to page ranking and getting traffic and is a chore that must be done. Article submission is a great way to get back links out there, and probably doesn't take any more time that e mailing web sites administrators.
Fast way to do it is with a fast article submitters. check out http:www.backlinkingsoftware.com
for software that works.