Enablers

I had a phone chat with Jeff Jarvis a few months back when we were first out on the collective radar screen. I had the impression he thought I was a bit daft (not his words, but he was one of several inspirations for this post).

While Jeff and countless other media luminati have been confabing on the future (no derision here-- I would have been there if I could), we've been putting the finishing touches on a plan to dig in and find out what's "out there in the future."

Our conclusions are remarkably similar:

Instead of being the gatekeepers of news (controlling it), we become the enablers of news.

Comments

[Bruce]

Peggish ones....

Random thought; surely you've discussed amongst yaselves, but....have you considered how you intend to market to the audience that is techno-adverse?

There is a large segment of society that, let's face it, uses online media primarily for e-mail. Are they as predisposed to give a radically progressive form of media a chance to be their chief source of information. In other words, can old dogs be taught new habits? This as much as anything is what has kept print media alive....some people have yet to fully wrap their arms around the idea of the future and what is possible.

Of course, these numbers are dwindling. AP just last night released a story about the increase in Web readership, especially blogs, especially where politics are concerned. Politics, for all of its divisive features, moreso brings us together to at least snipe at each other. People care about it. Coverage on the local level is shoddy...public meetings and press releases are the overwhelmingly dominant form of information-gathering. But I'm veering into a tangent here....

The real question, for me, is: How do you intend to convert the non-believers into Pegasi? Or are they small potatoes on your radar screen?

[Peg]

It's called a print edition :)

[Bruce]

Ok, wiseacre....but the print edition is secondary, is it not, based upon the bigger goals of the peg-reader relationship?

[Peg]

True. In fact, IF we survive the launch and roll out, an early experiment will be a print-free city.

The key idea is this: We'll distribute by as many means as we can muster. Initially, that's website, email, self-print PDF, tabloid print, RSS, and SMS messaging. If we can pull off smell-o-vision in a couple years we'll do that too.

The main idea is to generate as much unique local content as humanly and mechanically possible and then distribute it by as many media as we can afford. Been thinking about Town Criers for a launch stunt.