"Why do you think you're doing so well? That's what some friends, a former therapist, but mostly enemies ask me. To me that's obvious. The era of citizen journalism, as political analyst Dick Morris predicted in 1999 in "Vote.com," is a time when anyone could make it. All it really takes is the courage to develop a strong idiosyncratic voice on a niche subject, care about your audience more than yourself, and be totally OCD about creating value content on the web.
That's not difficult for outliers like myself who are, well, accustomed to being different, not high in the self-esteem category, and ruthlessly hard-working. The first canary in the mine on that was maverick Ana Marie Cox, former Wonkette for Gawker.com. In THE NEW YORK TIMES Magazine article, she was described as having been fired from just about every position she had held. Those had to be fewer than the ones I had lost since she was about half my age. I was a serial job-loser. Those who followed Cox into the mine such as Shel Israel, co-author of "Naked Conversations," had lost his business. The new space was one in which we who hadn't fit now were perfect fits.
Meanwhile, the old guard looked like the creatures they were: Self-important writers, editors, and publishers. Just take a gander at the layout, tone and rhetoric of old-line NEWSWEEK. And that's the result of much much re-invention. They own the media, or assume they do, and let us know that. At Conde Nast, McKinsey and Company has been called in to clue the white middle-aged men like Graydon Carter that we ragtag guerrilla forces have already taken over the fort. It's only a matter of time until they surrender their power and perks.
What amazes my watchers the most is that I haven't become puffed-up, a bully, or even materialistic [in 2003 I took a vow of poverty and have stuck with it] as my digital brandname flourished - here and here are the other two sites. I could have, they assumed.
They assumed wrong. They don't understand misfits. We are incapable of ever morphing into infits. We are outside and outside means not lusting after the conventional goodies, e.g. getting away with grandiosity, pushing around people, and earning tons of money. Get this: We love to work, to create something new, to not be tormented by The Establishment. That's plenty.
Actually, there's more. The digital ethos is here to stay. I will continue to make a living being who I am, doing what I do. That adds up to a sense of safety and security. We outliers never had that and will do whatever it takes to hold onto it.
Here is a complimentary ebook on how the tribes at NEWSWEEK, VANITY FAIR, et al. might find redemption Download SavingSoulsJaneGenova.
Nice to meet you, Jane. I was trolling the Internet for information about Frank McCourt and came across your July 19th post on LawandMore about him being the "patron saint of adversity." I was lifted up by your comment, so I looked for more. You are a fine writer and have put into words much of what I have been thinking about citizen's journalism. Thanks.
Posted by: Alicia Rudnicki | August 31, 2009 at 01:34 PM