Archive for business
Learning From Each Other.
Posted by: | CommentsA few months back a came across the Independent Fashion Bloggers. While, I have no shot at becoming a fashion blogger, I do enjoy reading them. As I started digging through the content I started realizing that fashion bloggers were having many of the same conversations that Mom Bloggers had been having for a few years now.
Fashion bloggers were trying to figure out the best way to monetize their blogs. They were making sense of campaigns in which they took part and were never compensated for and now they are discussing widget campaigns and the issues that come along with them.
Each blogging community as well as each specific blogger holds their own desires, values, and ways in which they will work with brands. Mom bloggers and Fashion bloggers share quite a few similarities however, their backgrounds and situations are often quite different.
Most (please realize I have stated most not all) mom bloggers began blogging as a hobby. A way to record their child’s moments and connect with other mothers that hopefully share the same challenges, emotions, and fears that they have. The mom blogging space began as a way to connect with other mothers for the purpose of community and support. Most (again, I said most) did not begin their blog with the intention of starting a business. The problem we found was that when brands first began reaching out to work with mom bloggers neither party knew what to expect. After a couple of years of a very delicate dance (and many failed campaigns) mom bloggers and brands have now found methods that work extremely well and other methods that don’t.
Most fashion bloggers seem to have a background or long history in fashion. Having either worked in the fashion industry or a deep desire to work in the industry. Most fashion bloggers began their websites with intention of starting a business and monetizing. Most fashion bloggers began blogging assuming they would monetize their blogs in the same way that Fashion magazines monetize.
The problem is that most mom bloggers and fashion bloggers do not run in the same circles. They do not manage their websites in the same ways and they do not always hold the same interests. So, often messages get lost.
Recently, Stephanie wrote a great post about how we could take the model that we have used when working with mom bloggers in the past and apply that to the fashion blogging space. To any fashion bloggers looking to monetize I would highly suggest looking into the ways that mom bloggers have chosen to monetize and figuring out what might work for you.
The most important thing for brands to remember when working with bloggers of any type is to forge good relationships and to find ways to accomplish your campaign goals that align with their values and desires.
I am so glad that this conversation is starting to happen. As the internet continues to grow I think we will see more and more genres joining the ranks and many of these conversations taking place. This is a good space to be.
Old Media Bailout?
Posted by: | CommentsApparently there is discussion happening within the political world about bailing out “old media” journalists.
Please excuse my over use of the word Old Media. It was the best way to distinguish between traditional and digital.
The business insider quoted Obama saying:
“I am concerned that if the direction of the news is all blogosphere, all opinions, with no serious fact-checking, no serious attempts to put stories in context, that what you will end up getting is people shouting at each other across the void but not a lot of mutual understanding”
“Obama said that good journalism is “critical to the health of our democracy”
So here are my issues in nice organized bullet points for your enjoyment.
1. Old Media is not mistake proof
The quotes above gives the illusion that journalists supply fact and truth while bloggers are shouting out their opinions effortlessly. How many times in our history have reporters made mistakes? Sometimes they don’t get the exact facts. Sometimes they spin a story in a negative light in order to attract more readers. No article in ANY media is written without leaning towards some sort of conclusion. Supporting some kind of opinion. We are humans. Even history books can be distorted.
2. Old Media is censored information
How many times has old media been behind in reporting information? There is only so much room in a newspaper for stories. There is only so much time within a news segment to deliver information. Often, stories get un-told. Often content is censored for political or financial reasons. Journalism is a business like any other. They have editors and publishers and advertisers.
3. Arguments exsist. And that is ok.
I have seen enough criticisms of news channels for being “too conservative” or “too liberal.” I have looked at enough comic strips filled with donkeys and elephants to know it is not just bloggers yelling at each other. Since when is having an argument considered bad? How many philosophers argued about the meaning of life and the purpose of humanity? How many religious leaders have argued for their beliefs? It is in these “arguments,” these discussions that we find truth and answers.
4. Bailout because new technology exists
Imagine if letter couriers asked for a government bailout when the telegraph machine was created. Would it have happended? I am not trying to say that old media is as outdated as letter couriers. Journalists are still extremely important and extremely valuable. However, people are choosing to access information in different ways. Journalism is not dead. Journalists do not need to be bailed out. There will always be space and NEED for journalism. However, traditional print media is in need of a makeover. Can we said digital?
5. When will the bloggers get bailed out?
Magazines and Newspapers are hugely profitable corporations. Well, they used to be. The government is offering to bail out an industry because they went from being work millions upon millions to millions less. Most blogs are a one man show. Few blogs could pull in a million dollars in a year. When is the government going to bail out bloggers?
I would love to hear your thoughts/concerns. This is not to meant to talk badly about journalism and old media. I read magazines consistently. I love holding a crisp newspaper in my hands. I think that journalists are needed. That fact checking is important. But a bailout? Bad Idea.
