I like ‘The Nation’. If I wasn’t a destitute college student unable to afford toothpaste with access to the online version, I may even consider having it sent to our remote hamlet of Ithaca. The only problem is that publications like The Nation are constantly being put at risk of extinction, making me wary of parting with my money for a monthly subscription.
The plan by United States Postal Service to charge more for delivery of smaller magazines threatened to increase their costs and potentially push them out of the market. What makes the actions of this ‘necessary evil’ incredibly evil is that larger publications that fall under Time Warner ownership will not be threatened in the same way. One of the pitfalls of privatization of formerly government entities is that they become self-sustaining, and take on more of a corporate mentality that doesn’t look out for the public interest (or college students who want to enrich their minds but need to buy ramen to survive).
Similarly, the semi-hostile takeover of five indy weeklies by the Hartford Courant is a prime example of another threat to independents. When you’re a small publication with an equally small bank account, you can easily be swallowed up by the bigger journalistic fish. The fact that the Hartford Advocate is now owned by its former nemesis the Courant is an ironic twist in a sad takeover tale. And although those at the Advocate say they’ll still make fun of the Hartford ‘Not-So-Current’, someone has to be just a little bit scared that one wrong move (or overly obnoxious editorial) will incite the owners to pull the plug on their publication.
In a perfect world, we wouldn’t even need independent media because the mainstream media would do their job properly. But if you’ve watched Fox News lately, you’ll know that’s not the case. So in this less perfect scenario, indys will just have to keep on trucking and hope that their loyal followers support them (and that college students would rather have cavities).
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Free speech is cool, as long as you don't make anyone nervous...
The current economic downturn that has proverbially screwed most people in this country and abroad was pretty much ignored by most financial analysts (or at least downplayed). You would think that if someone saw it coming and spoke up about it, they would be considered an economic hero (or at the very least just a tiny bit psychic). That wasn’t the case for South Korean blogger Park Dae-sung, better known as Minerva online.
Minerva predicted the downfall of the economy on his immensely popular blog, even accurately foreseeing the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers. And what did he get for his public service? An indictment.
That’s right, apparently in South Korea taking about an economy going through a rough patch supposedly qualified as "spreading false information with the intent of harming the public interest" (You would think that a gigantic world-wide recession preventing people from putting kim-chi on the table would be slightly more damaging public moral, but clearly South Korea has different priorities).
This naturally caused widespread outcry from human rights groups, who said despite the fact that Minerva’s musings could possibly affect the money markets, his right to free speech was kinda more important. Luckily, once authorities tracked Minerva down a Seoul court found that there was no proof of malicious intent.
While Minerva’s victory has been seen as a victory for freedom of speech, his blog’s popularity has only increased. Not bad for an unemployed 31 year old who picked up his financial know-how from the Web and mail-order textbooks.
Check the original BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8007942.stm
Minerva predicted the downfall of the economy on his immensely popular blog, even accurately foreseeing the collapse of US investment bank Lehman Brothers. And what did he get for his public service? An indictment.
That’s right, apparently in South Korea taking about an economy going through a rough patch supposedly qualified as "spreading false information with the intent of harming the public interest" (You would think that a gigantic world-wide recession preventing people from putting kim-chi on the table would be slightly more damaging public moral, but clearly South Korea has different priorities).
This naturally caused widespread outcry from human rights groups, who said despite the fact that Minerva’s musings could possibly affect the money markets, his right to free speech was kinda more important. Luckily, once authorities tracked Minerva down a Seoul court found that there was no proof of malicious intent.
While Minerva’s victory has been seen as a victory for freedom of speech, his blog’s popularity has only increased. Not bad for an unemployed 31 year old who picked up his financial know-how from the Web and mail-order textbooks.
Check the original BBC article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8007942.stm
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Politics, Pussycats and Perez Hilton...The All-You-Can-Eat world of Internet Blogging
The Internet is like an all-you-can eat buffet restaurant – it’s a place where everyone can find something to suit their individual tastes, can try out different things and (perhaps against their better judgment) can keep going back for more.
It is this eternal and expansive appeal of the world wide web that allows almost anyone, anywhere, to find a niche and even get money for it. Eric Nakagawa’s blog “I Can Has Cheezburger” is overwhelmingly popular, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it only features pictures of cats with humorous captions. The amount of money Nakagawa has made from ad revenue on his site has enabled him to quit his day job and embrace life as a blogger (albeit one that has an unhealthy obsession with all things cat).
Perez Hilton’s blog is, according to The LA Times, "like US Weekly, the Star, the Enquierer and Life & Style all rolled into one sweet yet snarky, sagacious yet salacious gay man." Hilton is irreverent, and often downright bitchy about the celebrities he blogs about, and his readers love it. Hilton’s blog is a full time job, and has made him a celebrity in his own right.
On the less ridiculous end of the spectrum, conservative blogger Mark Finkelstein has managed to make a name (and an income) for himself with his blog on Newsbusters.org, even though he is a conservative blogger living in notoriously liberal Ithaca.
There are also blogs and the like that, although they may not allow their creators to quit their day jobs, provide a unique outlet for their authors.
FMyLife.com is an independent outlet for those less fortunate to lambaste their tales of misfortune on a world stage. It is immensely popular, even though the only thing people gain from contributing it is a form of social therapy when other people click a button to agree that their life is well and truly f8%$ed up.
The internet has well and truly down the boundaries of traditional media – it allows anyone, anywhere, to create content about anything they want, and lets everyone else access it. So whatever your poison, from politics to pussycats, there is someone out there writing about it. And for wannabe bloggers, there is always someone there waiting, ready to read your stuff. And maybe, just maybe, the object of your interest (or neurosis) will make you enough money to ditch your horrible day job. Like the metaphorical buffet that it is, the Internet always lets you try everything at least once. And if it fails, you can always write about it on FMyLife.com.
It is this eternal and expansive appeal of the world wide web that allows almost anyone, anywhere, to find a niche and even get money for it. Eric Nakagawa’s blog “I Can Has Cheezburger” is overwhelmingly popular, despite (or perhaps because of) the fact that it only features pictures of cats with humorous captions. The amount of money Nakagawa has made from ad revenue on his site has enabled him to quit his day job and embrace life as a blogger (albeit one that has an unhealthy obsession with all things cat).
Perez Hilton’s blog is, according to The LA Times, "like US Weekly, the Star, the Enquierer and Life & Style all rolled into one sweet yet snarky, sagacious yet salacious gay man." Hilton is irreverent, and often downright bitchy about the celebrities he blogs about, and his readers love it. Hilton’s blog is a full time job, and has made him a celebrity in his own right.
On the less ridiculous end of the spectrum, conservative blogger Mark Finkelstein has managed to make a name (and an income) for himself with his blog on Newsbusters.org, even though he is a conservative blogger living in notoriously liberal Ithaca.
There are also blogs and the like that, although they may not allow their creators to quit their day jobs, provide a unique outlet for their authors.
FMyLife.com is an independent outlet for those less fortunate to lambaste their tales of misfortune on a world stage. It is immensely popular, even though the only thing people gain from contributing it is a form of social therapy when other people click a button to agree that their life is well and truly f8%$ed up.
The internet has well and truly down the boundaries of traditional media – it allows anyone, anywhere, to create content about anything they want, and lets everyone else access it. So whatever your poison, from politics to pussycats, there is someone out there writing about it. And for wannabe bloggers, there is always someone there waiting, ready to read your stuff. And maybe, just maybe, the object of your interest (or neurosis) will make you enough money to ditch your horrible day job. Like the metaphorical buffet that it is, the Internet always lets you try everything at least once. And if it fails, you can always write about it on FMyLife.com.
It's a 'Beautiful Day' for independent media
He has millions of fans that throw money at him and adore his work. He is immensely influential in his field and his efforts have impacted American government and society. No, we’re not talking about Bono (or any other socially conscious musician turned activist). We’re talking about Josh Marshall, the Polk-Award winning journalist whose efforts as an independent journalist have not only gained a large fan base, but incited the dismissal of a US Attorney General.
Independent journalists are fast becoming the rock stars of the media world – they are the ones with the all-access passes, the ones with millions of fans, the one with a support base so strong they are willing to pay them personally to produce their works. Josh Marshall is leading the pack of indy media moguls who embrace their fan base to produce socially significant work that is making an incredible impact. Marshall’s collaboration with his readers allows him to get to the bottom of stories by utilizing the most valuable resource a journalist has – their sources. He is able to produce high quality, in depth reporting in a way that the mainstream journalists can’t (or in many cases, simply won’t.) In fact, his in depth reporting on Talking Points Memo’s Muckracker website has put many a mainstream journalist to shame.
Like Bono would not insult his fans with a rap album or all of a sudden embrace country music, Marshall gives his audience what they want. Unlike many mainstream outlets, Marshall caters to his fans, his readership – he doesn’t try to be all things to all people. In exchange for catering to their needs and addressing the issues they find important, Marshall’s fans are willing to finance his work. It is this community involvement that enables independent media outlets to address the “creative destruction” of traditional media.
Like many rock stars, Josh Marshall’s work may gradually decline in popularity. But for now, this award-winning journalist is leading the way for indy media moguls everywhere, and is truly a journalistic Bono in a sea of Journey coverbands.
Independent journalists are fast becoming the rock stars of the media world – they are the ones with the all-access passes, the ones with millions of fans, the one with a support base so strong they are willing to pay them personally to produce their works. Josh Marshall is leading the pack of indy media moguls who embrace their fan base to produce socially significant work that is making an incredible impact. Marshall’s collaboration with his readers allows him to get to the bottom of stories by utilizing the most valuable resource a journalist has – their sources. He is able to produce high quality, in depth reporting in a way that the mainstream journalists can’t (or in many cases, simply won’t.) In fact, his in depth reporting on Talking Points Memo’s Muckracker website has put many a mainstream journalist to shame.
Like Bono would not insult his fans with a rap album or all of a sudden embrace country music, Marshall gives his audience what they want. Unlike many mainstream outlets, Marshall caters to his fans, his readership – he doesn’t try to be all things to all people. In exchange for catering to their needs and addressing the issues they find important, Marshall’s fans are willing to finance his work. It is this community involvement that enables independent media outlets to address the “creative destruction” of traditional media.
Like many rock stars, Josh Marshall’s work may gradually decline in popularity. But for now, this award-winning journalist is leading the way for indy media moguls everywhere, and is truly a journalistic Bono in a sea of Journey coverbands.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Big Brother a problem for bloggers
It’s not news to anybody out there with an online persona and a snappy blog title that they may be being read by their employers. But now large companies and government departments in Australia are actually hiring professional to find excuses to fire you.
Sydney-based company SR7 specializes in "online risk and reputation management" and claims to be the only company in Australia that actively monitors sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Blogger and YouTube.
The company uses both automated tools and human analysis when searching out unfavorable comments or postings. Once SR7 has met with the client and discussed potential risks, an automated system searches social networking sites and blogs for certain keywords. Results are then analyzed by staff members, who can provide reports to the client on a weekly or daily basis.
Sites like Facebook are scoured by human analysts due to the more nuanced nature of the conversations that take place there. Staff members can have their profiles and groups searched for postings that may, in their employer’s opinion, reflect badly on them.
But all slandering of your workplace aside, where does this leave bloggers whose political or other views are not in line with those of their company, or even just their boss? Should someone’s opinions on an unrelated topic influence their employment at their company if it has nothing to do with the nature of their work? When should the First Amendment kick in and protect people from being cyber-hunted by professional trackers?
Personally, I think that if people do as two ex-Domino’s employees did and post video of themselves purposefully stuffing cheese up their noses and then putting it into sandwiches then you maybe have getting fired coming. But, if you’re simply voicing your opinions on something unrelated to your work, then where, really, is the relevance to your employer?
On the other hand, even employees who choose to comment about their employers can be treated a little too harshly, and all too often it seems that a remark made online can be cause for unnecessary action by employers. In March this year an upset Philly Eagles fan Dan Leone expressed his anger about the Eagles letting player Brian Dawkins go, and changed his Facebook status to ‘Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver. . .Dam Eagles R Retarted!!’ Passionate yes, incorrectly spelled perhaps, but really no big deal right? Well unfortunately Leone was an employee of the Eagles, and lost his job over his opinion.
This is a sad event for anyone, but particularly for Leone, a lifetime Eagles fan whose job was working 16 days a year as the ‘west gate chief’ on game days. And considering the reaction the rest of the city had on Dawkins’ departure, and the criticism that the team received from mainstream media outlets, it seems unfair that such a small fish like Leone was targeted for his disgruntled status update. Really, were the Eagles harmed by this one update? And was Leone’s feeling that different from a million other Eagles fans? I doubt that any of the Eagles lost any sleep over this, and were just making an example of an otherwise dedicated fan.
The battle for free speech and actions without consequences online marches on…and with professional trackers and apathetic image conscious corporates on the rampage, will we ever be able to go back to being bloggers AND employees, rather than one or the other? Because let’s face it, even those guys at Dominos need to eat (just maybe not any sandwich they made themselves).
Sydney-based company SR7 specializes in "online risk and reputation management" and claims to be the only company in Australia that actively monitors sites such as Twitter, Facebook, Blogger and YouTube.
The company uses both automated tools and human analysis when searching out unfavorable comments or postings. Once SR7 has met with the client and discussed potential risks, an automated system searches social networking sites and blogs for certain keywords. Results are then analyzed by staff members, who can provide reports to the client on a weekly or daily basis.
Sites like Facebook are scoured by human analysts due to the more nuanced nature of the conversations that take place there. Staff members can have their profiles and groups searched for postings that may, in their employer’s opinion, reflect badly on them.
But all slandering of your workplace aside, where does this leave bloggers whose political or other views are not in line with those of their company, or even just their boss? Should someone’s opinions on an unrelated topic influence their employment at their company if it has nothing to do with the nature of their work? When should the First Amendment kick in and protect people from being cyber-hunted by professional trackers?
Personally, I think that if people do as two ex-Domino’s employees did and post video of themselves purposefully stuffing cheese up their noses and then putting it into sandwiches then you maybe have getting fired coming. But, if you’re simply voicing your opinions on something unrelated to your work, then where, really, is the relevance to your employer?
On the other hand, even employees who choose to comment about their employers can be treated a little too harshly, and all too often it seems that a remark made online can be cause for unnecessary action by employers. In March this year an upset Philly Eagles fan Dan Leone expressed his anger about the Eagles letting player Brian Dawkins go, and changed his Facebook status to ‘Dan is [expletive] devastated about Dawkins signing with Denver. . .Dam Eagles R Retarted!!’ Passionate yes, incorrectly spelled perhaps, but really no big deal right? Well unfortunately Leone was an employee of the Eagles, and lost his job over his opinion.
This is a sad event for anyone, but particularly for Leone, a lifetime Eagles fan whose job was working 16 days a year as the ‘west gate chief’ on game days. And considering the reaction the rest of the city had on Dawkins’ departure, and the criticism that the team received from mainstream media outlets, it seems unfair that such a small fish like Leone was targeted for his disgruntled status update. Really, were the Eagles harmed by this one update? And was Leone’s feeling that different from a million other Eagles fans? I doubt that any of the Eagles lost any sleep over this, and were just making an example of an otherwise dedicated fan.
The battle for free speech and actions without consequences online marches on…and with professional trackers and apathetic image conscious corporates on the rampage, will we ever be able to go back to being bloggers AND employees, rather than one or the other? Because let’s face it, even those guys at Dominos need to eat (just maybe not any sandwich they made themselves).
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
To Tweet or Not to Tweet?
Twitter, one of the latest independent media trends that has made many people embrace micro-blogging, apparently makes you devoid of morals. At least, that’s what a study from USC claims. According to the study, speed-tweeting leaves no time for compassion. (Whether or not Tweeting at a slower pace still leaves you with the ability to be warm and fuzzy is yet to be determined).
And Twitter is not the only new technology that has come under fire. A survey by Ohio doctoral students maintains that Facebook users get inferior grades in school. (This could be due associated conditions such as Facebook stalking, which can be lead to debilitating symptoms including obsessive-compulsive checking of Faceboook updates, sleeplessness and an undeniable urge to ‘like’ everyone’s status).
I don’t think that these websites will suffer greatly from the results of these studies. But at least now immoral, unintelligent social networkers have an excuse.
And Twitter is not the only new technology that has come under fire. A survey by Ohio doctoral students maintains that Facebook users get inferior grades in school. (This could be due associated conditions such as Facebook stalking, which can be lead to debilitating symptoms including obsessive-compulsive checking of Faceboook updates, sleeplessness and an undeniable urge to ‘like’ everyone’s status).
I don’t think that these websites will suffer greatly from the results of these studies. But at least now immoral, unintelligent social networkers have an excuse.
Friday, March 27, 2009
Wanted: Someone to scuba dive, sunbake and get paid thousands of dollars. Oh, and you have to blog about it...
Tourism Queensland is currently on the search for someone to fill what they claim is "the best job in the world" - which just so happens to be as an independent journalist.
The six-month-long position is based on Hamilton Island in the Great Barrier Reef off the north-east Australian coast, and requires the applicant to do weekly blogs, a photo diary, video updates and ongoing media interviews on their adventures. The job also comes with a handy $150, 000 salary (albeit in Australian dollars, but its still a pretty sweet deal).
It just makes the prospect of becoming an independent journalist all the more appealing, doesn't it?
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