One of things that is killing the IT trade press (and as a freelance writer I can assure you it is dying an agonizing death) is the consolidation and continued downturn in the IT economy. But another major factor is weblogs like this. In fact, weblogs and the Web in general can be thought of as opening up the airwaves and media to public publishing and/or broadcasting. Anybody … even a derelict like myself … can get up on their Website/weblog soap box and pontificate to the world. And if they arent half bad and the Google ranking system along with word of mouth plus unbiased links are right – the result can be an audience.
And there are image gallery, animation/cartoon festivities, radio-like sound-sites, writing salons, video parlors, and other free or near free/cheapo sites popping up all over the Web. May I recommend a few:
Sports Pictures in Canada – see images of Dragonboat racing, beachvolley ball, ice skating, etc
Pix of Toronto – artists, events, and places that make HogTown a Think of Beauty
Pics of Detroit – Tigers, cars, and surprisingly striking downtown, Motown art and arhitecture
Bookraft – emerging fiction and non-fiction book reviews
Okay, so I succumbed to a bad case of Vanity Pressitis. But thats the key concept here. The Web can be thought of as Vanity Press Supremo with a builtin Ebert and Roper ranking system. Those are the links to your site if it is more than half decent. And the cost of entry and to participate on a relatively level playing field with the majors is still very modest – less than $100/year plus the blood sweat and tears of writing, image-taking, video-making, sound-shaping, HTML/Coding working capital. So like the Xerox commercial says – “Come on, come on , get with it.”
This is not new News – but is worth-the-while repeating/restating news.
(c)JBSurveyer 2005