Comments on: SPJ panel on freelancing http://damonbrown.net/2007/11/29/spj-panel-on-freelancing/ Welcome to the portfolio of pop culture author/journalist Damon Brown! Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:59:51 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Damon Brown http://damonbrown.net/2007/11/29/spj-panel-on-freelancing/#comment-27793 Damon Brown Wed, 05 Dec 2007 15:16:58 +0000 http://www.damonbrown.net/2007/11/29/spj-panel-on-freelancing/#comment-27793 Hi Star, Congratulations on doing well within the industry for almost three decades. It's tough. I imagine it gives you a long-range perspective I've yet to develop. From what I understand, the journalism industry, particularly print publications, began to aggressively consolidate in the '80s. Less owners meant less publications, and less words meant less freelancers were necessary. It does seem like a smaller pie. The positive side is that we don't have to fight over print space. The Internet is an infinite world. Podcasts are restricted to the size of your storage. Television, more trend-conscious than ever, needs more experts than ever. There are other mediums now. Good luck with The Writer's Catablog and here's to more success! Hi Star,

Congratulations on doing well within the industry for almost three decades. It’s tough. I imagine it gives you a long-range perspective I’ve yet to develop.

From what I understand, the journalism industry, particularly print publications, began to aggressively consolidate in the ’80s. Less owners meant less publications, and less words meant less freelancers were necessary. It does seem like a smaller pie.

The positive side is that we don’t have to fight over print space. The Internet is an infinite world. Podcasts are restricted to the size of your storage. Television, more trend-conscious than ever, needs more experts than ever. There are other mediums now.

Good luck with The Writer’s Catablog and here’s to more success!

]]> By: Star http://damonbrown.net/2007/11/29/spj-panel-on-freelancing/#comment-27671 Star Fri, 30 Nov 2007 14:32:14 +0000 http://www.damonbrown.net/2007/11/29/spj-panel-on-freelancing/#comment-27671 I am glad you went--but can you provide details...I see this business (I've been in it 26 yrs, fulltime, sole support of my family) as changing rapidly and not for the better. The people who hopped onto Craigs seem to think five bucks is a fair fee for an article. The millenials who run magazines now often never respond to a query, even with a no thanks, or even acknowledge the submission of an assigned piece. The collegiality is sometimes lacking these days. Freelancers are a resource. They provide their own equipment and benefits. They get paid only for the work they do, not for coffee breaks or staring out the window. They have experience in a lot of industries that can benefit your company. They can be a quick, fun break in your office day. Yet, they are treated as sort of a nuisance. Those darn writers--always wanting to be paid. This is why another writer and I created The Writer's Catablog. Come visit: http://www.writerscatablog.com. I am glad you went–but can you provide details…I see this business (I’ve been in it 26 yrs, fulltime, sole support of my family) as changing rapidly and not for the better. The people who hopped onto Craigs seem to think five bucks is a fair fee for an article. The millenials who run magazines now often never respond to a query, even with a no thanks, or even acknowledge the submission of an assigned piece. The collegiality is sometimes lacking these days. Freelancers are a resource. They provide their own equipment and benefits. They get paid only for the work they do, not for coffee breaks or staring out the window. They have experience in a lot of industries that can benefit your company. They can be a quick, fun break in your office day. Yet, they are treated as sort of a nuisance. Those darn writers–always wanting to be paid. This is why another writer and I created The Writer’s Catablog. Come visit: http://www.writerscatablog.com.

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