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January 25, 2006
Another one bites the dust
First Margo Kingston runs up the white flag, having paid WAA-aay too much for too little. As a result of which she's even more penniless. Now another bold experiment in citizen journalism has failed, with Dan Gillmor announcing he's calling it a day at Bayosphere.
It was quite a learning experience for Dan, who gave up one of the cushiest jobs in journalism for the venture: "A more personal lesson also emerged: As an entrepreneur, let's just say I wasn't in my element. The relentless focus on a single, limited project for long periods of time, combined with the inevitable compromises inherent in for-profit decision-making, turned out not to be my best skills. For almost 25 years I'd thrived on the constant deadlines and competition of journalism. So I assumed I'd easily handle the pressures of trying to create a business from scratch while also keeping my reporting and writing skills intact and helping other people join in. In reality, I was unprepared for what proved to be an entirely different kind of pressure, and didn't handle it nearly as well as I'd expected. I allowed myself to get distracted, moreover, by matters that were not directly relevant to the project."
Rings a bit of a bell here at Bleeding Edge. Journalists who like writing tend to put off doing important stuff. We've still got to get around to that re-design. We've GOT to get some ad revenue going. [Maybe we should write an article teaching blog readers how and why to read the Google ads, and click on the ones they find interesting.] We MUST do something about patrons. In the meantime, we'd better get that column written.
Posted by cw at January 25, 2006 12:46 PM
Comments
Don't get me wrong, Charles, I'd miss the blog terribly. But if it's such a financial burden, flick it. Keeping the wolf from the door is far more important.
Posted by: Richard at January 25, 2006 04:22 PM
Google Ads... Hmmm let me see.
iPod battery related ad, another iPod battery related ad, business card on a CD ad, you guessed it, another iPod ad (accessories this time).
I think it's safe to say that if you had a more diverse range of ad's then people are more likely to click on them.
Not everyone own's a iPod.
Posted by: Brad at January 25, 2006 08:50 PM