Jtm-pnw-session-finding-storytelling

• Andrew Satin ○ Would like to create regular funding system for people that produce content for a site - advertising?

• Bill Richards ○ Subscriptions ○ Spot.us model - funding goals for projects ○ Changes role of journalist § Requires journalist to wear a lot of hats (raising funds, cultivating interested communities) ○ Trust will remain in important aspect of assign/accepting material because of legal risks

• Charles Hamilton ○ Traditional jobs allowed for more focus

• Andrew ○ What are the new roles? • Bill ○ There needs to be software/web site to help people understand what they're getting into • Charles ○ Checklist like the web dev project would be useful ○ Maybe he and Bill could be the consults that interface between journalists and clients.

• Bill ○ The transition from web-site to business, citizen journalist to ??? (don't want to become another newspaper and recreate all that) ○ UW should have this course

• Charles ○ SBA (Small Bus. Admin) ○ Never had a 5 yr bus. plan because its too hard to see 6 months ahead ○ Who considers themselves a journalist? Do you?

• Zach Verdin ○ The people decide who a journalist is ○ You have to be a master communicator

• Charles ○ A tech blog asked for writers (bloggers). Charles applied and got a quick response, even though he hadn't been pd to write in 20 years and has a casual style. ○ Getting on the web is easy, getting pd...

• Zach Verdin ○ If we're not writing to get people to do anything, then we're not [successful]

• What is a story? Is it to activate or inform?

• Bill ○ What is a journalist and how has it changed

• Chuck Taylor ○ I don’t think that there ever was one way ○ My def - relaying factual information with or without commentary ○ What's more effective? ○ Biting my tongue about journalists not having emotion or passion nonsense § It not about pretending that you don't have an objective, but if you're biased from the start, how are you going to influence those who feel differently? ○ Seattle Times Mission - Have a point and make it. ○ You're affecting a lot of people ○ Passion drives what journalists do (they choose stories), but they try not to wear it on their sleeves

• Charles ○ What about the audience? ○ I change my style based on audience ○ Political parties cater to the converted

• Chuck ○ We never were in touch with our audience because it was so vast. You were writing for people at each pole. You had to go down the middle

• Andrew ○ People have lost interest in that

• Chuck ○ How passionate and in which way should I go?

• Charles ○ Writing for this blog, picked up a couple of times, even by NYT (no pay…)

• Bill ○ As the blog owner - suddenly have to negotiate price/article

• Andrew ○ Hive Project § Generate revenue in different ways, identify key contributors and kicking back to them

• Charles ○ This is happening, blogs measure comments… may not pay more, but will get more work

• Andrew ○ Createdigitalmusic.com - owner lives on ads and lets other people write ○ Blogs about passions can bubble up contributors

• Bill ○ People quickly will stop contributing if they're any good because although it helps with initial exposure, they don't want the income going to someone else

• Zach - mission accomplished then

• Charles ○ The public pmt for story model is becoming popular

• Bill ○ But that can't fund a 2 yr investigation

• Charles ○ Add on to this the backend support - people give based on enjoyment of story.

• Andrew ○ Create networks based on tagged objects (music, articles, interests)

• Bill ○ That's hard to sustain input ○ Can get a bunch of people to spend a moment identifying interests, but to get them to come back..

• Zach ○ Make money on business profiles that people post

• Grace ○ Who's curating?

• Bill ○ If people can post anything, are you ready to deal with 1st amendment violations for moderating?

• Charles ○ Sounds like linked in groups or facebook - which don't work well for groups ○ The lowest common denominator takes over fast ○ A web site tracking social networks has identified over 3000 recently

• Andrew ○ This would appeal to those who don't want ads and things they haven't asked for.

• [conversation about ways users will crappify the site]

• Zach ○ Our difference - "intention"

• Andrew ○ Is it FUN AND COOL? That's what matters.

• [conversation about how to control what gets posted to the site, and who the real audience is]

• Grace ○ First, collect underpants ○ Second.... ○ Third, Profit!

• Andrew ○ "Good luck is the manifestation of an optimistic attitude"

• The World Social Forum - Detroit - June

Media Literacy - huge problem