Comments on: The War Against Mediocre Online Editorial Content http://danblank.com/blog/2008/01/01/the-war-against-mediocre-online-editorial-content/ Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:47:06 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.2 by: Dan Blank http://danblank.com/blog/2008/01/01/the-war-against-mediocre-online-editorial-content/#comment-41539 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:54:15 +0000 http://danblank.com/blog/2008/01/01/the-war-against-mediocre-online-editorial-content/#comment-41539 Jeremy, Great points. I think I was responding more to the echo-chamber effect of the web, where there are so many sites that simply "comment" on the same story. Gawker is looking for more original reporting - more breaking news. To me, that does take a step in the right direction. But to your point - there is still a big gap between a blogger who gets paid for traffic, and a journalist who gets paid to cover the war. Thanks - have a nice day. -Dan Jeremy,
Great points. I think I was responding more to the echo-chamber effect of the web, where there are so many sites that simply “comment” on the same story. Gawker is looking for more original reporting - more breaking news. To me, that does take a step in the right direction. But to your point - there is still a big gap between a blogger who gets paid for traffic, and a journalist who gets paid to cover the war.
Thanks - have a nice day.
-Dan

]]> by: Jeremy Brosowsky http://danblank.com/blog/2008/01/01/the-war-against-mediocre-online-editorial-content/#comment-41532 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:18:09 +0000 http://danblank.com/blog/2008/01/01/the-war-against-mediocre-online-editorial-content/#comment-41532 Dan, your headline is tough not to love, because we’re all sick of the flotsam and jetsam that pollutes the web’s waters. But I think you may be stretching with your assertion that “Gawker is taking a measured step to bridge the gap between blogger and journalist.” Professional journalists don’t get paid individually based on circ numbers. That doesn’t mean the occasional rock star journalist won’t make bank. They will; but it’ll be on the back end of building an audience, and come in the form of higher salaries, book deals, etc. But these are the exceptions to the rule. It’s not the same thing as Gawker’s traffic-bonus model. Denton and company are doing something interesting, but it’s almost the complete antithesis of bridging the gap between bloggers and journalists. Dan, your headline is tough not to love, because we’re all sick of the flotsam and jetsam that pollutes the web’s waters. But I think you may be stretching with your assertion that “Gawker is taking a measured step to bridge the gap between blogger and journalist.”

Professional journalists don’t get paid individually based on circ numbers. That doesn’t mean the occasional rock star journalist won’t make bank. They will; but it’ll be on the back end of building an audience, and come in the form of higher salaries, book deals, etc. But these are the exceptions to the rule. It’s not the same thing as Gawker’s traffic-bonus model. Denton and company are doing something interesting, but it’s almost the complete antithesis of bridging the gap between bloggers and journalists.

]]> by: Paying Writers Based on Traffic Is (Mostly) a Race to the Bottom « http://danblank.com/blog/2008/01/01/the-war-against-mediocre-online-editorial-content/#comment-41530 Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:11:53 +0000 http://danblank.com/blog/2008/01/01/the-war-against-mediocre-online-editorial-content/#comment-41530 [...] Dan Blank’s headline, The War Against Mediocre Online Editorial Content, is tough not to love, because we’re all sick of the flotsam and jetsam that pollutes the web’s waters. He rightly points out that “[t]he recognition that the web is is now littered with news and commentary is the key here.” But I think he’s stretching with his assertion that “Gawker is taking a measured step to bridge the gap between blogger and journalist.” [...] […] Dan Blank’s headline, The War Against Mediocre Online Editorial Content, is tough not to love, because we’re all sick of the flotsam and jetsam that pollutes the web’s waters. He rightly points out that “[t]he recognition that the web is is now littered with news and commentary is the key here.” But I think he’s stretching with his assertion that “Gawker is taking a measured step to bridge the gap between blogger and journalist.” […]

]]> by: The First Linkbait of 2008 - Talking About Linkbait http://danblank.com/blog/2008/01/01/the-war-against-mediocre-online-editorial-content/#comment-41388 Wed, 02 Jan 2008 16:23:23 +0000 http://danblank.com/blog/2008/01/01/the-war-against-mediocre-online-editorial-content/#comment-41388 [...] More: Dan Blank, Mathew Ingram, Scott Karp. [...] […] More: Dan Blank, Mathew Ingram, Scott Karp. […]

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