See… If forum visitors are visiting a text based platform, would not a skillfully written piece provide some welcome variation? Izine may come close to describe this category of mashup.

But for this to work I think journalists may have to dive in and learn about monetizing their work. (via banner ads video ads and text ads surrounding their work).

One could strike a deal with a web publisher like this.

If you want to place my text on your web page – I want you as part of the deal to place this web code into the header of that page. I will then serve banner, text ads or video ads to that page and will collect all revenue generated directly.

Submit written work
Submit own we page “ad code” that you control and earn from

If you wanted to you could control the content of ads served – serve only charitable ads – sell ads directly to ad clients – or use agency services to provide you with ads that you have some degree of choice over. Trade ads at a local cafe for free meals.. (kind of kidding here but barter deals are very easily struck for ‘no money exchanged’ trades I can assure you..)

As I follow various podcasts about the technological frontiers of journalism, a recurring theme keeps popping up. Whenever they get to the part about how a new venture will be funded, the tech pundit journos all chorus at once – ‘advertising’.

You folks may have to manage not just the text you provide web publishers – you may have to learn to manage the ads (your own ads) running around it.

I hope to get a debate / think-tank going on this at one of these upcoming events. http://www.meetup.com/Future-of-news/

All the best,

Jules

I was surprised to read in a Worldwatch paper that most food is raised by women. Flies in the face of common sense, doesn’t it? But throughout much of the world, women work in the fields to feed their families. What they raise isn’t counted in economic analyses because most of it isn’t sold. It’s part of the “informal economy,” which makes it largely invisible.

I don’t know where this leads us, except that I rather like the informal economy. It’s people by folk doing what matters.