The Pegasi

When I first started this blog, my partners thought I was crazy. On the one hand, I shouldn't be out publishing our brilliant proprietary concepts to the whole world, or even the couple hundred folks who now read this site. Beyond that, I shouldn't be wasting my time on what could be construed as a vanity project like a blog when there's real work to be done, right?

I didn't have a retort then, but I do now.

To the first point, the reading/linking/writing that regular blogging enforces has improved the plan exponentially. For that, I thank (among others) Hugh MacLeod, Tim Oren, Wired, PaidContent and Russell at The Mobile Technology Weblog. This week's readers will remember casual references to a couple industry muckety-mucks: Having lunch with one next week; already spoke on the phone and discussed The Manifesto with the other.

To the second, thanks largely to this blog, where there once were three, there are now more than twenty. The resonance of the Journalism 2.0 concept has attracted other bright folks who want to be part of a revolution. They're all working on this at various levels, but all for free. Some are hoping that it becomes a job; others just want to see us make a go of it.

Yeah, there's times (like right now) that another activity might empirically be more productive. But if this brings us another twenty folks like the first twenty, it's well worth it.

For the hyper-interested, below is the text of a missive to the team from last week:

My dear Pegasi:

You're on this bcc: email because you're either actively working on or at some point have contributed words (or ears) of wisdom to the Pegasus News plan. There are now around a dozen people "on the team" and another fifteen or so who are acting as friendly advisors. With this many great minds involved, it's getting hard to keep everyone up to speed individually, so I'm going to start issuing periodic updates (of which this is the first) via email.

The first major development is, as noted above, the number and quality of people who are on this distribution list, which includes four members of the Young Presidents' Organization; several award-winning journalists; several of the most prominent business and civic leaders in town; students at the Harvard Business School; one of the Rathergate bloggers; and an assortment of smart media and technology folk. Because of your input and pushback, the Pegasus News concept has made quantum leaps in recent weeks.

When I first came to many of you, I started with the premise that I had a "crazy idea." I don't say that any more, because WE now have a concept that will change The World for the better-- not just the media world. And it WILL happen.

[SECTION REDACTED FOR CONFIDENTIALITY]

If you read the early drafts of "the manifesto," we've come a long way since then. The key concepts are the same, but we're much further along in the execution.

My apologies to anyone whom I may have been slow to respond to via phone/email in the past couple of weeks. I've had to stay very on-task in terms of getting the plan documents refined.

If you want to keep up with current thinking on the concept, be sure to visit the blog at www.pegasusnews.com regularly. A much-needed site redesign is in the works, but for now the words are what matters.

Feel free to discuss what we're up to with anyone you think will "get it" and who might be of help down the road. All I ask is that you not put my name in print, online, or in an email to someone who could/would post it. I'll be sharing my plans with my day-job bosses in good time, but I want them to hear it from me-- not a Google search. Also, as you get feedback that you think would be useful, please share it.

[SECTION REDACTED FOR CONFIDENTIALITY]

I'm very grateful, and a little humbled, that so many folks see the value in what we're trying to do here. Thanks for your help so far-- without your involvement, I'm just a guy with an idea.