Comments on: Editors and Publishers – In a Battle Against Inertia http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia Journalism is a Process, Not a Product Mon, 30 Jan 2012 12:45:43 +0000 hourly 1 By: Barriers to… Failure – DigiDave http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia/comment-page-1#comment-76803 Barriers to… Failure – DigiDave Tue, 30 Aug 2011 21:42:09 +0000 http://www.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia.html#comment-76803 [...] Dreams of perfection should not stall the launch of something good. If it were perfect you wouldn’t fail early or often. You wouldn’t fail at all. But one could also argue if you were aiming for perfection, you’d end up attempting nothing. At a certain point you have to accept what is and isn’t possible in a reasonable timeline and aim for what is reasonable. The good news is that you don’t have to END there. You are just starting there. In some respects I think that’s the reason so many folks let perfection become the enemy of the good. They are concerned that they’ll never progress after an initial effort. Hence, we won’t start unless we know we can get all the way. This is a great way to invest months into a project that could fall flat its face. Remember: It’s cheaper and easier to try something than it is to debate about whether or not to try some.... [...] [...] Dreams of perfection should not stall the launch of something good. If it were perfect you wouldn’t fail early or often. You wouldn’t fail at all. But one could also argue if you were aiming for perfection, you’d end up attempting nothing. At a certain point you have to accept what is and isn’t possible in a reasonable timeline and aim for what is reasonable. The good news is that you don’t have to END there. You are just starting there. In some respects I think that’s the reason so many folks let perfection become the enemy of the good. They are concerned that they’ll never progress after an initial effort. Hence, we won’t start unless we know we can get all the way. This is a great way to invest months into a project that could fall flat its face. Remember: It’s cheaper and easier to try something than it is to debate about whether or not to try some…. [...]

]]> By: An Ode to Old School…. « DigiDave – Journalism is a Process, Not a Product http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia/comment-page-1#comment-28614 An Ode to Old School…. « DigiDave – Journalism is a Process, Not a Product Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:56:33 +0000 http://www.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia.html#comment-28614 [...] time, I try to keep it constructive. Indeed, I often say “I have constructive criticism for both sides of the old/new conversation.” Along with my criticism, I recognize there are positive [...] [...] time, I try to keep it constructive. Indeed, I often say “I have constructive criticism for both sides of the old/new conversation.” Along with my criticism, I recognize there are positive [...]

]]> By: How the Spot.Us Garbage Patch Story Got to the NY Times « The Levisa Lazer http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia/comment-page-1#comment-26245 How the Spot.Us Garbage Patch Story Got to the NY Times « The Levisa Lazer Wed, 11 Nov 2009 13:56:25 +0000 http://www.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia.html#comment-26245 [...] This pitch excelled where many others have gone awry, and for that I must give praise to the Times. In most Spot.Us experiences, the larger a news organization, the slower it is to get approval to try something with Spot.Us because of our radically different approach. In past attempts with mainstream organizations, I’ve sat in countless meetings only to spin wheels. Those experiences are actually the inspiration for this blog post, “News Organizations In a Battle Against Inertia.” [...] [...] This pitch excelled where many others have gone awry, and for that I must give praise to the Times. In most Spot.Us experiences, the larger a news organization, the slower it is to get approval to try something with Spot.Us because of our radically different approach. In past attempts with mainstream organizations, I’ve sat in countless meetings only to spin wheels. Those experiences are actually the inspiration for this blog post, “News Organizations In a Battle Against Inertia.” [...]

]]> By: The Pacific Garbage Patch: Published | Spot Us - "Community Funded Reporting" http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia/comment-page-1#comment-26142 The Pacific Garbage Patch: Published | Spot Us - "Community Funded Reporting" Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:32:25 +0000 http://www.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia.html#comment-26142 [...] Where many pitches go awry this one excelled and for that I must give praise to the NY Times. In most Spot.Us experiences the larger a news organization the slower it is to get approval to try something with Spot.Us because of how radically different our approach to journalism is. In past attempts with main stream organizations I’ve sat in countless meetings only to spin wheels. Those experiences are actually the inspiration for this blog post “News Organizations In a Battle Against Inertia.” [...] [...] Where many pitches go awry this one excelled and for that I must give praise to the NY Times. In most Spot.Us experiences the larger a news organization the slower it is to get approval to try something with Spot.Us because of how radically different our approach to journalism is. In past attempts with main stream organizations I’ve sat in countless meetings only to spin wheels. Those experiences are actually the inspiration for this blog post “News Organizations In a Battle Against Inertia.” [...]

]]> By: Chris Anderson http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia/comment-page-1#comment-70 Chris Anderson Fri, 09 Jan 2009 11:18:00 +0000 http://www.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia.html#comment-70 <p>This is one of your best posts Dave, nicely done. A couple thoughts.</p> <p>First, while the ideas of the 19th century sociologist Max Weber are "old hat" to most people studying organizations in the 21st century, his notions about bureaucracy and "means-ends" rationality as making up the foundations of the modern world carry a ring of truth, even today. In other words, I want you to be aware of the stakes of what you're struggling with: not just a tendency in old media organizations, and not just a tendency in organizations in general, but a pretty fundamental part of modern life. Which doesn't mean it shouldn't be struggled against, only that the struggle is very hard. This became chrystal clear to me during a part of my PhD research when I noticed that the exact same organizational intertias faced by "change leaders" at the capitalist media organization Philly.com were faced by volunteers at the radical Philadelphia Indymedia Center. Two organizations that seem totally different, and yet ... this strikes me as an insight into a larger systemic problem.</p> <p>The other comment I'd make is that, while organizational bureaucracy is to be fought against tooth and nail, one of the insights of early journalism institution builders was that, to properly cover and monitor bureaucracies (like the government or like businesses) it was best to build a bureaucracy of your own. The existence of the beat system, in other words, parallels the existence of the governmental subcommittee. Can we have nimble, non-bureaucratic news organizations that adequately serve as a "check" on powerful bureaucratic systems like government and business? I don't know, but I hope spot.us is going to help figure it out!</p> <p>Finally, not sure if my new blog shows up on this log-in, but I write about a lot of this stuff at:</p> <p><a href="http://journalismschool.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow">http://journalismschool.wordpress.com/</a></p> This is one of your best posts Dave, nicely done. A couple thoughts.

First, while the ideas of the 19th century sociologist Max Weber are “old hat” to most people studying organizations in the 21st century, his notions about bureaucracy and “means-ends” rationality as making up the foundations of the modern world carry a ring of truth, even today. In other words, I want you to be aware of the stakes of what you’re struggling with: not just a tendency in old media organizations, and not just a tendency in organizations in general, but a pretty fundamental part of modern life. Which doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be struggled against, only that the struggle is very hard. This became chrystal clear to me during a part of my PhD research when I noticed that the exact same organizational intertias faced by “change leaders” at the capitalist media organization Philly.com were faced by volunteers at the radical Philadelphia Indymedia Center. Two organizations that seem totally different, and yet … this strikes me as an insight into a larger systemic problem.

The other comment I’d make is that, while organizational bureaucracy is to be fought against tooth and nail, one of the insights of early journalism institution builders was that, to properly cover and monitor bureaucracies (like the government or like businesses) it was best to build a bureaucracy of your own. The existence of the beat system, in other words, parallels the existence of the governmental subcommittee. Can we have nimble, non-bureaucratic news organizations that adequately serve as a “check” on powerful bureaucratic systems like government and business? I don’t know, but I hope spot.us is going to help figure it out!

Finally, not sure if my new blog shows up on this log-in, but I write about a lot of this stuff at:

http://journalismschool.wordpress.com/

]]> By: Tim Lesle http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia/comment-page-1#comment-69 Tim Lesle Fri, 09 Jan 2009 02:10:00 +0000 http://www.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia.html#comment-69 <p>Right on. This kind of institutional inertia is pervasive, and corrupting. I am a recent j-school graduate and was surprised at the diversity of people I met who preferred old over new, security over risk. The tried and true is, well, tried and true--fair enough. But in journalism today, who knows how long that will last?</p> <p>I've helped trained journalists in multimedia and online tools and it's kind of sad to hear about how frustrated some become when they return to their newsrooms. (Some simply find jobs elsewhere.) But what can I say? I'm freelancing in San Francisco, and while I've talked about trying new things online with editors, reactions have been mixed, and always very cautious. New methods or media is a tough sell, because you're trying to sell it to editors who work at, you guessed it, an institution. </p> <p>We've all got a lot of work to do.</p> Right on. This kind of institutional inertia is pervasive, and corrupting. I am a recent j-school graduate and was surprised at the diversity of people I met who preferred old over new, security over risk. The tried and true is, well, tried and true–fair enough. But in journalism today, who knows how long that will last?

I’ve helped trained journalists in multimedia and online tools and it’s kind of sad to hear about how frustrated some become when they return to their newsrooms. (Some simply find jobs elsewhere.) But what can I say? I’m freelancing in San Francisco, and while I’ve talked about trying new things online with editors, reactions have been mixed, and always very cautious. New methods or media is a tough sell, because you’re trying to sell it to editors who work at, you guessed it, an institution.

We’ve all got a lot of work to do.

]]> By: Zac Echola http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia/comment-page-1#comment-68 Zac Echola Thu, 08 Jan 2009 18:27:00 +0000 http://www.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia.html#comment-68 <p>Excellent observations. You're spot on about corporate inertia. It isn't just the newspaper industry. All large companies operate like this to some degree.</p> <p>But newspapers need to think agilely. If bureaucracy stands in the way of getting something done, consider spinning off another company or division with no formal ties to the legacy systems that constrain business.</p> <p>It worked well for Fox and NBC with Hulu.</p> <p>Unfortunately, the decision to create a division would take months worth of meetings. That's newspaper culture.</p> Excellent observations. You’re spot on about corporate inertia. It isn’t just the newspaper industry. All large companies operate like this to some degree.

But newspapers need to think agilely. If bureaucracy stands in the way of getting something done, consider spinning off another company or division with no formal ties to the legacy systems that constrain business.

It worked well for Fox and NBC with Hulu.

Unfortunately, the decision to create a division would take months worth of meetings. That’s newspaper culture.

]]> By: Carrie Brown http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia/comment-page-1#comment-67 Carrie Brown Thu, 08 Jan 2009 16:01:00 +0000 http://www.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia.html#comment-67 <p>Great post. This is what inspired me to study what other industries and non-journalism experts know about organizational change for my research and dissertation (I'm an assistant professor at the University of Memphis). What has always struck me is that there is no lack of willingness or even ideas, but trouble with the execution. Working on getting what I've learned so far out on my blog changingnewsroom.wordpress.com .</p> Great post. This is what inspired me to study what other industries and non-journalism experts know about organizational change for my research and dissertation (I’m an assistant professor at the University of Memphis). What has always struck me is that there is no lack of willingness or even ideas, but trouble with the execution. Working on getting what I’ve learned so far out on my blog changingnewsroom.wordpress.com .

]]> By: Daniel Poynter http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia/comment-page-1#comment-66 Daniel Poynter Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:16:00 +0000 http://www.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia.html#comment-66 <p>Wow Dave. Keep up the sincerity. I got a lot of inspiration from your post.</p> <p>I graduated from college last spring (studied Philosophy as well), and my friends and I created a startup ( <a href="http://gnic.org" rel="nofollow">http://gnic.org</a> ) to change libraries for the better. We won a competition as well (much smaller, though, an entrepreneurship one for $7,000).</p> <p>I just discovered you and your projects yesterday. It seems that we're doing similar things in different worlds. I'm working with libraries.</p> <p>Remember not to get disheartened. If you feel that way, it's because you have a strong expectation and vision for the way things should be. If anything, getting disheartened should remind you of that and how blessed you are that you have a unique perspective and drive.</p> <p>You've seen this video I'm sure ( <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE</a> ), and while I take the Web 2.0 hype with a grain of salt, the premise is still true. Ours is the first generation to go through puberty and develop immersed in cyberspace. We can satiate curiosity instantly -- what has that done to our minds ( <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google" rel="nofollow">http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google</a> )? We have to rethink commerce, relationships, love, identity, privacy, religion, governance, etc... This is on the personal scale, let alone the institutional scale. Think of the work to be done! =)</p> <p>I'll definitely keep up with your blog. Keep up the good work.</p> Wow Dave. Keep up the sincerity. I got a lot of inspiration from your post.

I graduated from college last spring (studied Philosophy as well), and my friends and I created a startup ( http://gnic.org ) to change libraries for the better. We won a competition as well (much smaller, though, an entrepreneurship one for $7,000).

I just discovered you and your projects yesterday. It seems that we’re doing similar things in different worlds. I’m working with libraries.

Remember not to get disheartened. If you feel that way, it’s because you have a strong expectation and vision for the way things should be. If anything, getting disheartened should remind you of that and how blessed you are that you have a unique perspective and drive.

You’ve seen this video I’m sure ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gmP4nk0EOE ), and while I take the Web 2.0 hype with a grain of salt, the premise is still true. Ours is the first generation to go through puberty and develop immersed in cyberspace. We can satiate curiosity instantly — what has that done to our minds ( http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200807/google )? We have to rethink commerce, relationships, love, identity, privacy, religion, governance, etc… This is on the personal scale, let alone the institutional scale. Think of the work to be done! =)

I’ll definitely keep up with your blog. Keep up the good work.

]]> By: Daniel Victor http://blog.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia/comment-page-1#comment-65 Daniel Victor Thu, 08 Jan 2009 14:42:00 +0000 http://www.digidave.org/2009/01/editors-and-publishers-in-a-battle-against-inertia.html#comment-65 <p>You just wrote my TNTJ entry for me. This month's topic asked us whether it's wiser to invest your time and energy in a startup or an established news organization, and as part of the latter I've been wondering how I'd make my defense. This is a core part of it.</p> You just wrote my TNTJ entry for me. This month’s topic asked us whether it’s wiser to invest your time and energy in a startup or an established news organization, and as part of the latter I’ve been wondering how I’d make my defense. This is a core part of it.

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