WHEN everyone can join the media, nothing is special.
In a world full of words, what value the writer? As blogs and Twitter grow, the value of what is said diminishes, and the audience fractures into cultish splinters. We are all hacks now, and none of us secure.
As our industry transforms, more of us will find old revenue streams drying up and joining a crowded marketplace for new work.
Hacks should be good entrepreneurs as we are resourceful and creative. However, we are also argumentative and distracted. Most journos in the corporate world are unimpressive, in my experience.
Worse still, the old lines of work are drying up.
Who needs a consultant to advise on public image when when the media carries less power? Why bother training people for TV when YouTube might be all they need? Media jobs are dying out but so to the associated roles.
So much for the glum wisdom. Here’s the stupidity: in 2007, I sold up my share in this site to join an even more beleaguered trade – publishing.
Next month, my first book comes out. It’s a look at the world’s water crisis and how it came about. Despite the odds, I can’t shake the belief that people still want interesting tales, well told.
Next week, I’ll tell you how the live, Edinburgh Fringe show, based on the book goes. But before I move on, I would like to recognise the many readers, sources and supporters who made this website so successful.
Thank you.
Alex Bell is a co-founder of allmediascotland.com. His book, Peak Water, is out this September. His Edinburgh Fringe show, Water Wars, is free at 1300 at The Schop, St Mary’s Street, Edinburgh from August 10-14 and 17-21.
