Generalism

Actually, in the spirit of twittering, tweeting, or whatever the cool cats are calling it now, I’m going to just throw an off-the-cuff post out there, because I can, because I want to, and because I’ve nothing else at this exact moment I need to be doing.

Blogging itself hasn’t become a drag, but I’ve noticed one thing this last couple of weeks: when you’re out of the house ten hours in a day, and spending most of those hours writing, the urge to spend the spare hours, minutes and seconds writing your own material kinda slides. Just how much of the world’s creativity and passion is kept under the blanket of working all hours to pay the bills we shall perhaps never know.

But it’s been interesting times. Within the last couple of months I’ve had the opportunity to write for a couple of excellent news groups, one producing local news, another producing national technology trade news both online and off. I’ve been writing for a while now, so it kinda made sense to see how some of the big boys were doing. And it was certainly an eye-opener.

Because actually, behind the scenes, the big boys were nowhere near as big as I’d imagined. Naivete of youth some (very kind people) would say.Not necessarily a bad thing of course, but it was interesting to me, never having been exposed to such industries before. What was even more interesting though, particularly with the trade press, was how little the guys admitted to actually knowing about what they were writing about, in this case technology.

Now don’t get me wrong, these guys are good at writing. I mean really good. I mean, I can knock out a few words here or there, but when it comes to producing news, I was very much back in junior school. The quality and speed that these guys can knock out stories really is something else. I tried, and failed; it would appear to take a certain skill that I simply don’t have. Oh I’m sure I could learn it, and I’m sure it’s a skill that could be honed over time, but whether I want it is another thing.

But finding out that an interest in writing about technology is not a prerequisite for the job, kinda knocked me for six. Having been in and around the industry for fifteen years, and picking up a thing or two on my travels, I like to think the knowledge is worth something, that it’s worth writing about, and perhaps more importantly worth sharing. The truth is, that it is, but only if you are either a name or a face that people already recognise. It seems opinions carry no weight otherwise.

Perhaps this is as it should be. After all would you rather read an opinion piece by Jimmy Smith, or by Alan Sugar, regardless of quality or content? Well, perhaps a better question for some would be, which is likely to bring more viewers to the page also laden with advertising?

And this is where everything falls into place. The lack of specialist knowledge is actually fantastic, because thinking only slows you down, and faster news equals more views. If you’re lucky, more views then equates to more interest from the advertisers which makes more money for the business. Right now, it’s simply not about the news, not about the quality, the imparting of information or opinion. It’s about money. Everything else is secondary.

The fundamentals of journalism are in the process of being re-written, and everyone I spoke to acknowledged that fact. Most have been touched by redundancies, most equally are doing things that five years ago they would never have thought necessary. Comfort zones are in the process of being stretched, and none of them know where it’s going to end.

From what I’ve read and seen I see news taking a back seat to industry knowledge. I see its raw-materials being moulded and given additional value that will command greater salaries, and consequently new revenue streams. But exactly what all that means, the mediums, the quantity, quality, well, to be honest, I think we’re back at the times of the first printing press. I don’t think it’ll take decades of upheaval as then, certainly not at today’s pace of change, but it’ll take some time for things to readjust and settle into a new direction.

Whether it’s one where both they, and I, can start making a reasonable living again, is anyone’s guess.