Pitching the Welcome Project to Jarvis, Rosen, Shirky & Co.
February 7th, 2012 by bruno boutotOf course I am pitching this project to news media publishers, so if you are interested feel free to contact me at any time: bruno (at) boutotcom.com. #
I am also pitching it to the explorers of the Internet who have recently inspired me. #
The Internet is the ideal tool for studying the Internet. #
I live in an ideal time, which is a statement I’d never thought I would make. #
Once upon a time, journalists who were interested in the mechanisms of media would have been lucky just to find an eye-opening book once every few years. Then, at best, they would have had to wait another two or three years to catch another glimpse of the entrails of the beast. These days, I feel I am lucky just to read the observations, the questions and the exchanges among the best minds of my time in my field. #
The leap from Gutenberg to the Web is so immense not because of technology but because of the people with whom we can constantly be in contact. The old image evokes shoulders and giants; on the Web, it is more like bouncing on an energy field generated by great minds. :-) #
(Another difference with books is that, on Twitter, most of these people have the opportunity to display their terrific sense of humor. Daily interactions are serious—even dramatic at times—but there is always room for lightness, comedy, and the human touch.) #
All this work would not have been possible without the uplifts I receive from the following people, and this is why. #
Clay Shirky, Jeff Jarvis, and Jay Rosen make up my McLuhanian trinity. Nowadays, Shirky is more focused on the Web’s socio-political consequences, Jarvis on the value of sharing, and Rosen on the truth imperative in journalism. #
But all three understand media to be social machines that can be observed, described, and operated. Furthermore, they have observed, described, and promoted the notion that the people formerly known as the audience are now the most critical component of the new media landscape. #
I have followed Steve Buttry since he developed A Blueprint for the Complete Community Connection. He applies everything we know about the role of a news media in its community. And he generously shares what he and his colleagues are learning from their experiments. He has continued to be an innovator at TBD and is now at Journal Register Co. #
I can’t ignore that John Paton has hired Steve Buttry and Jim Brady at JRC and that Jeff Jarvis and Jay Rosen are on his advisory board. What Paton has done by imposing “digital first” at JRC is nothing short of revolutionary. His audacity— and the results he obtains—has made him a beacon for all news publishers. Paton and Brady don’t write much, but I follow their interviews and their talks. #
Steve Yelvington is also a hands-on journalist. His insights on the future of news media stem from his passion for the craft and his knowledge of the market place. #
At MediaCamp Montreal in 2010, I was asked why most people I had quoted had backgrounds in print journalism and not in radio or television. I don’t remember what I answered then, but the question stayed with me for several days after. The people I quote are on the frontline. Through their blogs and their daily practice, they exchange directly with their readers. That’s the new imperative: the readers as individuals, not as statistics. Nothing like living it for grokking it. #
I go through my RSS reader three times a day; I participate in unconferences; I have just installed the plugin Winerlinks (that adds permalinks to paragraphs) on this blog; So Dave Winer is part of my life and his view of the Web from the perspective of a programmer is irreplaceable. #
I also benefit from the original observations of investor extraordinaire Fred Wilson. He generously shares his knowledge and he provokes stimulating exchanges of ideas. #
Then there are the “embedded” new media journalists Patrick Laforge, Zach Seward, Tim Carmody, Alexis Madrigal, Jeremy Zilar, Megan Garber. And of course I have been reading Scott Rosenberg since Salon and Dan Gillmor since the San Jose Mercury News. #
If I miss anything in the Web media world, I can always count on Mathew Ingram. He has managed over a few months to become the most active reporter in the field. The great people at Nieman Lab have eyes everywhere. Paul Bradshaw surveys digital journalism from the UK, Benoit Raphael and Philippe Couve from Paris. #
I know where marketing is going because Seth Godin breathes it, John Battelle runs on it, Mitch Joel questions it and Ben Kunz calls it as it is. #
David Weinberger has antennas. #
Besides their area of expertise, most of these people are generous and care for the greater good, as Tim O’Reilly and Craig Newmark show so well. #
I will let you find on your own what the other common point is between Bruce Sterling, Cory Doctorow, Warren Ellis, Charles Stross, Rudy Rucker, and William Gibson—but the main one here is that they are avid practitioners of new media. Sterling and Doctorow are masters of blogging, Ellis has gathered a very original and passionate community, the discussions on Stross’ blog fly high and bright, Rucker knows the simple power of images and Gibson’s interactions on Twitter are one of a kind. They have more insights on communicating with readers than many social media specialists. And they write better. #
As for communities, the people I have learned from the most since Stewart Brand and Howard Rheingold are creators of communities (more on them later). But they don’t write much about it. The great Matthew Haughey occasionally shares his experience on his blog and at conferences. But the clearest and most knowledgeable writer on creating and managing communities today is Rich Millington. His blog is recommended reading for anyone who has to build a community. #
In Montreal, I have the privilege of exchanging ideas with the very best of geeks: Philippe Martin, Mario Asselin, Michelle Blanc and my WebCamp accomplices Sylvain Carle, Martin Lessard, Patrick Tanguay, and Seb Paquet. The advantages we have IRL (in real life) are, of course, bandwidth and the opportunity to enjoy a drink together. #
If you think that I am invoking the spirits of all my “gods”, you are probably right. But these are gods who read a lot and share a lot, so we are in contact with whole networks of other creators, explorers and analysts of new media on the Web. #
This work is dedicated to you. #
Your comments and questions are very welcome. #