Gettin' Paid: A Future for Content Creators?
UPDATE 12/11/04: An interesting conversation has developed in the comments to this post, spurred on by Phil Jones who disagreed with my position. Joshua, Liam and Matt Scofield also contributed thoughtful comments that are well worth reading. I'd like to get other opinions too... do you think there is a future - finally - for writers on the Web? Or am I deluding myself, as Phil suggested (in a nice way!). [end of update]
In all this ballyhoo about monetizing weblogs, the one thing that it comes down to for me is this: CONTENT IS FINALLY GETTING VALUED! I shout that in capital letters, because it's fundamental to my own ambitions and philosophy.
Thanks to Susan Mernit for pointing to this great article from OJR entitled Hold the Froth: MarketWatch, Slate Sales Signal Online Rebound:
"...Talbot says that Salon is looking hard at bloggers as the next great talent pool of writers.
"Salon and any enterprising company has to look where all the voices are coming from to drive you in the future," he said. "We need to find a way to incorporate the best of them. Like everything, there's the good, bad and ugly, and we want to discriminate when picking them."
MSN's Moore also noted that user-generated content was the most interesting area for the future. He floated some ideas of ways that MSN might work closer with bloggers in the future without necessarily buying them out.
"If you're a blogger, MSN might come to you and say, 'We want to distribute you. We'll send you traffic and we want you to run these ads on your site, and you'll get a share of revenues on that,'" Moore said. "That's probably an offer that many bloggers are going to be interested in because they don't want to have to invest in creating that kind of infrastructure, and they would value the traffic.""
Rant Starts Here
My core skills are writing and analysis. And what are the two outputs of those skills? Content. Hopefully compelling content (if I'm any good).
People who've been involved in the Web for a while will know that making money off Web content has long been a dream. Print publishers make money off their magazines or newspapers. Television companies make money off their content. Radio stations make money off theirs. So it's only natural that Web Publishers want to make a living off their content.
Look, here's the thing... I'm not that good at programming and I'm merely competent at web design. I'm not extroverted enough to be in marketing or KM. What I am good at is seeing the big picture, analysing the little details, and writing it all up. That's my niche, but until now I haven't found a way to 'monetize' that - actually I prefer the phrase 'making a living out of it'.
So it heartens me a great deal when I read that major media websites are beginning to seriously look at blogging talent as a source of content for their large audiences. YES! That's what it's all about to folks like me, for whom content is our bread and butter - both philosophically-speaking and (we hope one day) literally!
P.S. I'm not expecting to be the target of a bidding war from any of these media companies (although that would be nice!), but it does give me hope that there is monetary value in Web content after all. Even if bloggers still only get nickel and dimes from the Salons or MSN's of this world, the increased profile and traffic will lead to other avenues of opportunity.
Does this make me a capitalist pig? Nope, just trying to make my way in the world doing what I love...
Comments
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Getting paid for content and not visual design? What a change...and a fantastic one at that!
My feeling is that when the idea of bloggers wearing sleepwear dies down, those who value content, writing, and clear visuals will rise to the top, get paid by some company like Slate, and we'll see that everybody with a passion for what they do, no matter what their education or where they started off, can succeed on the Web.
Don't fool yourself. It's hard to get paid for "seeing the big picture, analysing the little details, and writing it all up"
For one thing, that's the fun part. More fun than trying to line up pixels in Photoshop or debug code or cold-call customers or having a skin thick enough to publicly pose as an expert in something you aren't. And for that reason, it's where we all want to be.
But it's a bit like saying "hey, I no good at this work stuff, but hanging out at cool parties and buying new clothes, that I can do. So thank God, and reality TV, it's finally going to be possible to be a celebrity while being a non-entity."
Sure, it *is* possible. But the competition is vicious. In fact, so vicious that social network (who you know / knows you) effects are far more important than the talent effects.
My guess, if the money starts really chasing the talent in the blogosphere, we'll be back to hit counters and people proudly wearing their audience figures in the side-gutter.
Joshua, that's my view too!
Phil, a couple of responses:
1) although I agree it's harder to get paid for content than say design or programming, I believe that "talent" can and should be paid for it.
2) It may well be "fun", but it's hard work to get it right too. I actually think of web design as "fun", although I don't claim to be an expert at it. I'd need to work a lot harder on design to become an expert. As hard as I work on my content.
Another Rant
Sure blogging has opened up writing to everyone and it's a lot of fun. But not everybody is a born writer and talent does count for something.
I'm not one of those people who sees blogging purely as conversational or as a form of communication. It *is* those things to a lot of people - and good luck to them.
But for me, writing is what I do and I'm arrogant enough to believe I do it better than most people. Just like Dave Winer is a born programmer and Zeldman is a born designer. I'm a born writer.
Now as you correctly point out, it's a very difficult challenge for people to get paid for writing. But I'd like to think talent counts - that it's possible for writing talent to be rewarded in the marketplace.
ps I may well be deluded about my own talent, but hey you've got to believe in yourself right?
I'm happy to see writers getting paid for their content. I, like Richard, can't design or code but I can write and I see no reason not to capitalise on that talent.
Among many things, a weblog is just another form of publicity for a writer and if renumeration comes in the form of selling books through Amazon or google ads or a commission from Slate, then good for the writer.
The tricky part, in my mind, for the writer is to keep their integrity while generating income. Will you write a post about laser eye surgery just because you know the associated google ads will bring $2.00 a click?
Content is king, but it should also be the driver. If the content is honest and genuine, then the money will follow.
It's too early for writers to rely solely on blogs and the web for income. But a mix of traditional media and online writing will bring benefits in the long run, IMHO.
Thanks for your thoughts Liam. As a person who is "walking the talk" in being a writer in your career - it's good to get your advice on these things.
Interesting that the word "integrity" comes up a lot in this monetization debate. I agree, but I also put a lot of responsibility on the reader to judge if what they're reading has integrity... whether they can trust the writer. There's a lot of things to weigh up, on both sides (writer and reader).
I came to this post a bit late (you posted on the 10th which was my bday so I was celebrating away from my computer) but lemme say I am right there with you and I want to be doing the exact same thing.
My doubts are reflected somewhat in Phil's comments, as if this somehow isn't real work. My girlfriend chides me in a friendly manner about the idea of "blogging" for a living. Well of course it'd be nice, we'd all like to have what seems to be an easier job, but I've got a good talent for writing and that's how I want to make a living. Different strokes for different folks and all that.
Plus, writing something well ain't easy work. And, personally speaking, my format would have to change from lil' snippets and half-baked prose (which my girlfriend also chides as not "real" writing) to more prepared pieces of prose, multimedia (short movies?), etc. I have hope, as just the other day I posted a poem that I did craft and put much time into, and was happy with, and then the response a few days later was another well-put poem, from a reader in my comments section. To me, that is the essence of what blogging should be. It satisifies philosophically as you mentioned, but it'd be great to get paid for it!
I'd classify my IT skills the same level as yours (discounted for experience you possess) and my plan is to get a new degree that UT-Dallas is offering in Arts & Technology, so I can further prepare myself to be a content provider with courses in rhetoric, poetry and digital media creation. Who knows...maybe I'll have to take on a part time job while I do this. Wallace Stevens worked his way to the top in an insurance company while being an accomplished poet, so why not? (Incidentally that is how I stumbled across your site, I was searching around for stuff on Stevens & Kierkegaard and, like me, they are favorites of yours. In light of that it is interesting that we have different politics...)
I can't say, tangibly, how it all will happen, but because of that I know there is some leeway for me to define it as in the end, something will happen. The Old media is falling away...
Ohh, let's not talk politics then Scof ;-) But seriously, thanks a lot for your thoughtful comments.
For the record, I probably understated my web design and development skills (just like I probably overstated my writing skill!). I'm a Generalist actually, although I really want to be a Specialist - because those people seem to cope with the world somewhat better :-)
there are a ton of writers in the world.
and a lot of them are excellent writers.
and many of them will work for peanuts.
if you build an audience, you will have
a chance to make money. but only then...
-bowerbird
replace 'writers' with 'developers':
"there are a ton of *developers* in the world.
and a lot of them are excellent *developers*.
and many of them will work for peanuts."
It's the same thing. And re your second comment, see my recent posts: it's up to the writer to get the content right, media companies can bring in the audience.
But sometimes I wonder if I'm wasting my time...
...other times I see light at the end of the tunnel.