Standalone Journalism
Sep 3rd, 2006 by Dan Blank
Now, there has been a lot of talk about readers/customers/users now expeciting/choosing/demanding to be involved in the process, to be able to create content, be given some control, or be part of a community.
However, Paul Conley looks at things differently:
“We will soon see a slew of standalone, online, B2B publications being run by recently retired journalists. Those folks who have been working in your newsroom for 10, 20 or 30 years will no longer have to surrender a lifetime of industry knowledge when they walk out your door.”
On the flip side, there can be real danger in letting your ego get the best of you, feeling as though you can find easy success on your own. Chris Garrett thinks that independent journalists/bloggers can have some unrealistic expectations about success on their own.
Going it alone requires you to focus on your business acumen as much as your writing. There is no shortage of advice on how to make it on your own:
- Top 10 Blogging Lessons Learned on Traffic, Monetization, and Life
- Sailing vs Rowing (or how to get your Blog going when it loses Momentum)
- 21 Tactics to Increase Blog Traffic
However, many writers that I have known have a passion for writing, a passion for journalism, and a passion for knowledge that does not include any passion for business or selling. To assume that people can take their talent from a larger infrastructure and still pay the bills, may be assuming too much. That said, I do feel that you may see more blog moonlighting going on, as writers pursue their interests free from the business backbone, and stretch their legs a bit online.