Jeff Jarvis, a media critic, consultant and blogger, has a must-read (at least for me) article in yesterday’s Guardian (Use BugMeNot to get around the annoying registration):
[M]ainstream news is under assault by scandals, declining credibility, shrinking audience, disappearing advertising dollars, exploding online competition … and those darned bloggers.So newsrooms are at last getting serious about plugging into the internet. Last week, the New York Times announced it is merging its print and online news operations. In their staff announcement, executives said this ends a separation that “allowed our digital operation to flourish, to experiment”, so now they can “raise digital journalism to the next level” – and, one hopes, so they can electrify old journalism as well. At the same time, CBS News has decreed that all its 1,500 journalists will now feed the internet. Take it from me: that’s easier announced than accomplished.
Traditional journalism’s gradual merging with online journalism is inevitable. People are plugged in to computers, and wireless will only become cheaper. Old school journalists have little choice in the matter, so Jarvis gives seven suggestions on how to be a “digital” journalist. I agree with all except the first: burn the business cards.
He may be referring to an attitude more than cards per se, but they’ve proved invaluable for me as I visit blogger conferences and meet others. Instead of scribbling blog URLs on pieces of paper, people can hand out basic business cards containing the information. Some like to include e-mail and physical addresses and phone numbers; others list only their names and URLs.
Get 250 for free at Vista Print. All you pay for is shipping.
(Cross-posted on The Language Artist)
{ 11 comments }
For the price you pay for the cards, no doubt they are a worthy investment. It sure beats using a half-shredded napkin and a bic that is almost out of ink, and you have scribble back and forth for several seconds before you get writing capability.
Glad to see Jarvis is getting with the program. This is the same stuff Dan Gillmor and others have been talking about for quite some time.
Love your blog.
AC
Just curious: What does the NYT call its on-line effort—”Professional Annointed Jounalists Rant and Attack Pond Scum Bloggers”?
As journalism in MSM goes digital, it will be interesting to see if all of the “establishment” journalist begin to change thier tune about outsourcing being good. Because once you have a vitual newsroom, any job in the physical newsroom can be outsourced for less cost.
This is going to be funny to see some of these people served notices of eviction from thier ivory tower…
You should start blogging, MW.
I actually want to, but for now demanding job and new bride (1 year in October) are taking up most of my time…hopefully I can break away from the rat race during the next 12 months.
But, I do like practicing on LBC!
Congratulations on the nuptials! I hope you soon hear the pitter-patter of little feet, blessed with an abundance of babies!
Thank you…and in due time…
I do so enjoy the mental (and spiritual) workout I get participating in this website, it won’t be long before you are getting even more calls (or emails) to contribute to some of these digital newsrooms…and I know you will make all of us proud!
Slightly off-topic:
Speaking on media, John H Johnson, who founded Johnson Publishing Company, which publishes Ebony and Jet magazines and gave many black journalists their start back in the day, died yesterday at age 87.
Thank you for free enterprise and people like John H Johnson who benefitted and helped others prosper within the capitalistic system.
I only wish that he was able to leave ALL of his wealth to those he wished to leave it to versus the government taking half with the Estate (death) tax.
Good idea on blog business cards… should do that soon.
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