tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1538462459035039807.post7995338918884614164..comments2009-11-20T13:39:17.893-05:00Richard Whittallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18267088105544695799noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1538462459035039807.post-37519423862747705782009-11-20T13:39:18.065-05:002009-11-20T13:39:18.065-05:00You&#39;ve engendered in me overwhelming feelings of existential angst after reading this piece, and it&#39;s only part 1!<br /><br />Great piece, although the idea that what we are all doing is ultimately pointless is a pretty depressing one to consider!Just Footballhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01584594025438449317noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1538462459035039807.post-82790035239987199172009-11-18T07:52:32.123-05:002009-11-18T07:52:32.123-05:00How to commodify football journalism in a digital world? Goodness knows.<br /><br />While business will continue to advertise it is generally accepted that the levels of ad spend will not recover to the extent where commercial media will be able to survive in its current state. That&#39;s why Murdoch is erecting a pay wall next year because he knows that even if he was successfull in hoovering up all available ad revenue it would not be enough. Where that leaves quality football journalists like Jonathan Wilson, Tim Vickery and David Conn is uncertain. Where it leaves lone amateur bloggers with big dreams like us is potentially up the creek.<br /><br />I believe that if bloggers are to make the transition to journalism we need to become professionalised. While we blog with passion, knowledge and insight we must do what we do at least part time in order to generate original content. Most content on football blogs is based on the blogger&#39;s perspective on what we already know or can easily find out. Or we turn a spotlight on areas of the game that people may know very little about but is still pretty accessible. A few are able to tap in on professional sources to produce truly original content. However, if I want to actually learn something new about football, I&#39;ll buy a copy of World Soccer or read trusted journos online. Should those organs collapse, what will become of those journalists and my knowledge?<br /><br />The best solution I can think of is to add value to an existing service. ESPN Soccernet recruited a new journalist because their parent company acquire the rights to screen the Premier League in the UK and needed extra manpower to accommodate increased content and traffic. Online bookies employ astro turfers to seed and amateur bloggers with barely related content designed to direct traffic back to the mother ship. I&#39;m not sure how much dignity there is in that sort of work. Aside from that I can&#39;t see any other way of earning a living wage from writing about football. Worse, as &quot;proper&quot; journos get laid off, they&#39;ll set up their own blogs in a desperate attempt to go it alone which will directly affect the traffic of us amateurs.<br /><br />Pretty grim stuff eh? Especially when you consider that now more than at any other time, Football needs to be scrutinised and questioned. Football needs independant journalism at a time when manyu of them are in danger of getting laid off.redduffmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12497567108075601329noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1538462459035039807.post-19724368659928419002009-11-18T03:42:11.959-05:002009-11-18T03:42:11.959-05:00Don&#39;t think I don&#39;t see what you&#39;re doing, smart guy. Convince all the bloggers their futures are doomed, so they all quit, ridding yourself of the competition.<br /><br />:)<br /><br />Brilliant post, sir.Mike Grayhttp://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/blog.php?u=146273noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1538462459035039807.post-79338894144130866682009-11-17T15:31:13.506-05:002009-11-17T15:31:13.506-05:00Well...<br /><br />It&#39;s a self-perpetuating thing in many ways. I need to write and write and write (and talk and talk and talk) to build my &quot;brand,&quot; which may or may not pay off down the road. Meanwhile, by providing what I do for free I can be seen as being part of the problem. But, what&#39;s the alternative? If I don&#39;t write (and talk) all the time then no one knows who I am and there is no chance I&#39;ll ever break out (I didn&#39;t go to j-school at Ryerson, after all).<br /><br />I make money at this. Not a lot, but some. Until there is some way to charge small amounts for content easily (like $0.50/month type subs) then it remains a tough slug. Hoping for one of the big boys to discover you is about all you have to hold on to.<br /><br />Thing is, advertisers still need to advertise. You just have to find a way to convince them that your 1,000 focused readers (or 6,000 iTunes subscribers) a day are more valuable to them then 200,000 distracted readers are at the The Star. It&#39;s not an easy sell. The ad industry is still stuck in pre-90s thinking where pure numbers rule the day. <br /><br />But, I can&#39;t stop now. I have too much invested. I have to believe it will work out one day. <br /><br />See you in Brazil?Duane Rollinshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16512076277116230020noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1538462459035039807.post-16981964718261061182009-11-17T14:27:53.118-05:002009-11-17T14:27:53.118-05:00&quot;Let me know how your education<br />Won&#39;t help you no how<br />You&#39;re gonna wind up workin&#39; in a gas station<br />Wind up workin&#39; in a gas station&quot;<br /><br />Frank Zappaghostfeedhttp://ghostfeed.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1538462459035039807.post-53749680565981723512009-11-17T11:14:49.978-05:002009-11-17T11:14:49.978-05:00Great piece Richard.Ricknoreply@blogger.com