Chris Pirillo and Ponzi told me last night that journalists are begging to be let into Gnomedex now that Senator John Edwards is doing the keynote. They told us that every ticket is a press pass and that they don't give away free tickets and that journalists are welcome to buy a ticket, but one problem, Gnomedex is sold out. So any other journalists who want to come are gonna be forced to sit in the cove. "What about if Steve Ballmer dropped by?" I asked. He said he wouldn't get in either unless he found a ticket on eBay somewhere. He did say that some journalists, like Todd Bishop of the Seattle PI, had the good forsight to buy a ticket before they were sold out.
I'm glad Chris is sticking by his guns and treating everyone equally. I know it's really tough to turn away "big name" journalists.
Scobleizer 
Interesting, though, that your previous post lists what ‘proper’ journalists and publications are saying about you. I think people have to realise that there is still a tangible difference between journalist and blogger. Yes, the line gets thinner every day. But until the BBC or Guardian or Economist picks up a story about a bloggger doing something it remains in the online world, which no matter how much you want it to be is still a small chunk of the audience. By sticking to his guns he’s simply narrowing his audience to people who already know it happening. There’s a reason that companies spend time massaging journalist’s egos (I’ve had mine massaged and it was lovely) and it’s not just because journalists are egomaniacs with complexes about getting free stuff. It’s because they widen the available audience and with the best will in the world there aren’t many bloggers who can do that yet. Journalists should be front and centre with a special coloured pass that makes them feel superior it’s a simple fact of life. Let the journalists spread the word and strangle their own hold on the media.
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Interesting, though, that your previous post lists what ‘proper’ journalists and publications are saying about you. I think people have to realise that there is still a tangible difference between journalist and blogger. Yes, the line gets thinner every day. But until the BBC or Guardian or Economist picks up a story about a bloggger doing something it remains in the online world, which no matter how much you want it to be is still a small chunk of the audience. By sticking to his guns he’s simply narrowing his audience to people who already know it happening. There’s a reason that companies spend time massaging journalist’s egos (I’ve had mine massaged and it was lovely) and it’s not just because journalists are egomaniacs with complexes about getting free stuff. It’s because they widen the available audience and with the best will in the world there aren’t many bloggers who can do that yet. Journalists should be front and centre with a special coloured pass that makes them feel superior it’s a simple fact of life. Let the journalists spread the word and strangle their own hold on the media.
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Chris: the thing is, though, now everyone is a journalist. Especially at Gnomedex. And, being online or offline makes no difference to Chris. He’s already sold out the conference. Giving away free seats would just force him to take seats away from paying customers. And every customer of his is influential.
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Chris: the thing is, though, now everyone is a journalist. Especially at Gnomedex. And, being online or offline makes no difference to Chris. He’s already sold out the conference. Giving away free seats would just force him to take seats away from paying customers. And every customer of his is influential.
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I don’t agree. Everyone isn’t a journalist people just have easier access to media production. I still believe that a journalist can spread the word and influence more effectively outside the the blog world than bloggers themselves can. I’m sure Apple could sell tickets to a Steve Jobs keynote at twenty times the current price and fill the Moscone 100 times over. They don’t though they reserve the first 100 or so rows for the press and give them free tickets.
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I don’t agree. Everyone isn’t a journalist people just have easier access to media production. I still believe that a journalist can spread the word and influence more effectively outside the the blog world than bloggers themselves can. I’m sure Apple could sell tickets to a Steve Jobs keynote at twenty times the current price and fill the Moscone 100 times over. They don’t though they reserve the first 100 or so rows for the press and give them free tickets.
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I still believe that a journalist can spread the word and influence more effectively outside the the blog world than bloggers themselves can.
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Chris: I kinda disagree with this. I subscribe to newspaper feeds and TV RSS feeds and I I have blog feeds. I am finding that blog feed news are even faster to deliver news than traditional journalists are doing.
Another good example that blog news is more effective? Scoble’s move to Podtech. Where did I find the information? Not a newspaper, not the tv. No I found it on the Pirillio.com. I read it first hand from a good friend of Scoble(i hope he is a good friend). A few days later, the news started pouring in from the newspaper and CNet even.
If I relied on traditional media, I don;t think I would have heard the news in time if at all as I am in New Zealand.
The blogsphere creates this community that traditional media cannot replicate. And thats what gets me to focus on blogs and podcasts. I get to read as it happens.
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I still believe that a journalist can spread the word and influence more effectively outside the the blog world than bloggers themselves can.
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Chris: I kinda disagree with this. I subscribe to newspaper feeds and TV RSS feeds and I I have blog feeds. I am finding that blog feed news are even faster to deliver news than traditional journalists are doing.
Another good example that blog news is more effective? Scoble’s move to Podtech. Where did I find the information? Not a newspaper, not the tv. No I found it on the Pirillio.com. I read it first hand from a good friend of Scoble(i hope he is a good friend). A few days later, the news started pouring in from the newspaper and CNet even.
If I relied on traditional media, I don;t think I would have heard the news in time if at all as I am in New Zealand.
The blogsphere creates this community that traditional media cannot replicate. And thats what gets me to focus on blogs and podcasts. I get to read as it happens.
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I think both comments above this one I am posting bear merit. In some ways, I wish more journalists were attending, but not just because of John Edwards. While I am a regular One America Committee (http://blog.oneamericacommittee.com) blogger and chatter, I feel strongly that some of the 4th Estate do not understand the 5th Estate, which is us.
Not many journalists attended the 3rd annual Personal Democracy Forum last month to see Elizabeth Edwards, who spoke on the same topic her spouse will be doing next week at Gnomedex. It’s really too bad because she was fantastic in describing the tools she’s used over the years. She is her spouses’ biggest influence in creating their site, and encouraging many of us to be engaged and being in on conversations that many of us would have not had unless we paid big bucks for a politican’s ear.
Where I agree with Robert (and btw, I just picked up your book recently in the library as I work in a library) is that they should pay to attend. This is not a political convention, and a lot of the time, we how to pay for their content, so their companies should pay. And they should have signed up sooner. Hell, if I had known about this conference sooner (I’ve only been a blogger for 2 years), I would signed up too, regardless if Edwards was the keynote or not.
Thus, treating everyone equally is important, which is what we try to do in the 5th Estate. It’s the only democracy have left, which is a bit more transparant, and thankfully, Net Neutrality was omitted in the Senate bill last week.
You can bet that one of Edwards’ assistants will be setting up live chat on his site in addition to the live stream promised. I hope there will be a podcast too.
Cheers…Benny
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I think both comments above this one I am posting bear merit. In some ways, I wish more journalists were attending, but not just because of John Edwards. While I am a regular One America Committee (http://blog.oneamericacommittee.com) blogger and chatter, I feel strongly that some of the 4th Estate do not understand the 5th Estate, which is us.
Not many journalists attended the 3rd annual Personal Democracy Forum last month to see Elizabeth Edwards, who spoke on the same topic her spouse will be doing next week at Gnomedex. It’s really too bad because she was fantastic in describing the tools she’s used over the years. She is her spouses’ biggest influence in creating their site, and encouraging many of us to be engaged and being in on conversations that many of us would have not had unless we paid big bucks for a politican’s ear.
Where I agree with Robert (and btw, I just picked up your book recently in the library as I work in a library) is that they should pay to attend. This is not a political convention, and a lot of the time, we how to pay for their content, so their companies should pay. And they should have signed up sooner. Hell, if I had known about this conference sooner (I’ve only been a blogger for 2 years), I would signed up too, regardless if Edwards was the keynote or not.
Thus, treating everyone equally is important, which is what we try to do in the 5th Estate. It’s the only democracy have left, which is a bit more transparant, and thankfully, Net Neutrality was omitted in the Senate bill last week.
You can bet that one of Edwards’ assistants will be setting up live chat on his site in addition to the live stream promised. I hope there will be a podcast too.
Cheers…Benny
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Chris: I agree, and I hear CNN will be there too, but I think you aren’t understanding just how powerful the bloggers are and are becoming. I didn’t talk to a “big-town” journalist when I broke my news. I talked with about 20 bloggers and vloggers and the story evolved from there.
Stories can start in the blogs and go big time. Why? Cause the big-name journalists are reading the blogs too.
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Chris: I agree, and I hear CNN will be there too, but I think you aren’t understanding just how powerful the bloggers are and are becoming. I didn’t talk to a “big-town” journalist when I broke my news. I talked with about 20 bloggers and vloggers and the story evolved from there.
Stories can start in the blogs and go big time. Why? Cause the big-name journalists are reading the blogs too.
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That’s just crazy, so much for all his marketing jizz jazz, you don’t make enemies of the press. The A and B list of Press guys should of had invites from get-go, making them pay and dive-tackling them like that in public is an unpardonable sin. Looks like your Microsoft era lunacy has been rubbing off on Chris Pirillo. Don’t get smug, don’t get blog arrogant. You do know what goes after a haughty spirit doncha?
But John Edwards? Talk about has been already, some stupid droneish lawyerish stump speech, that been given a million times over, only now with a slight geek twist. He’s an empty blow-dried suit, of the minority party no less, just peddling his own self-ego power trips. What news is there in that? (But gosh what a perfect profile for a blogger, he should blog).
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That’s just crazy, so much for all his marketing jizz jazz, you don’t make enemies of the press. The A and B list of Press guys should of had invites from get-go, making them pay and dive-tackling them like that in public is an unpardonable sin. Looks like your Microsoft era lunacy has been rubbing off on Chris Pirillo. Don’t get smug, don’t get blog arrogant. You do know what goes after a haughty spirit doncha?
But John Edwards? Talk about has been already, some stupid droneish lawyerish stump speech, that been given a million times over, only now with a slight geek twist. He’s an empty blow-dried suit, of the minority party no less, just peddling his own self-ego power trips. What news is there in that? (But gosh what a perfect profile for a blogger, he should blog).
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Christopher, are you Ann Coulter’s brother?
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Christopher, are you Ann Coulter’s brother?
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Sorry, that reference is totally lost on me. Is she someone famous in America?
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Sorry, that reference is totally lost on me. Is she someone famous in America?
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Chris, I think the adjective for AC is infamous, rather than famous. http://tinyurl.com/mjafv or http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/coulteriffic.php
She never learned any manners, I’m sorry to say, and makes her living by making incendiary remarks on Fox News and occasionally, on the Today Show or Jay Leno, recently.
Christopher’s comment about Edwards being an empty suit pales in comparison to what she says, but most of the time I find those who haven’t met Edwards drank the kool-aid and often are critics. Well, I don’t see any statues being erected for Ann Coulter anytime soon.
For those attending the conference, ask Edwards about the GCast (by Garage Band, not to be confused with garage band stuff on Apple) system he has on his blog to take questions for his podcasts. I’ve used it, and it’s really cool.
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Chris, I think the adjective for AC is infamous, rather than famous. http://tinyurl.com/mjafv or http://www.rightwingnews.com/interviews/coulteriffic.php
She never learned any manners, I’m sorry to say, and makes her living by making incendiary remarks on Fox News and occasionally, on the Today Show or Jay Leno, recently.
Christopher’s comment about Edwards being an empty suit pales in comparison to what she says, but most of the time I find those who haven’t met Edwards drank the kool-aid and often are critics. Well, I don’t see any statues being erected for Ann Coulter anytime soon.
For those attending the conference, ask Edwards about the GCast (by Garage Band, not to be confused with garage band stuff on Apple) system he has on his blog to take questions for his podcasts. I’ve used it, and it’s really cool.
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There’s no reason this should be considered “making enemies of the press.” Those who have tickets are welcome to cover the event. Those who want to read all the live blogs and feeds and everything else coming from Gnomedex can generate coverage based on that. Those who want to hang around outside the event can ask questions there.
In a way, it’s like covering any other private meeting or conference, except that the press can actually GET ALL THE INFORMATION over the web while it’s happening. That doesn’t seem like such a bad deal.
And hey, maybe they’ll sign up early next year.
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There’s no reason this should be considered “making enemies of the press.” Those who have tickets are welcome to cover the event. Those who want to read all the live blogs and feeds and everything else coming from Gnomedex can generate coverage based on that. Those who want to hang around outside the event can ask questions there.
In a way, it’s like covering any other private meeting or conference, except that the press can actually GET ALL THE INFORMATION over the web while it’s happening. That doesn’t seem like such a bad deal.
And hey, maybe they’ll sign up early next year.
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It’s funny to watch the old guard get in a tizzy over this. We made the same decision to treat everyone equally at Webzine 2005 last year. Sure, we didn’t get much mainstream press coverage as a result, we were fine with that. I think it all comes down to what your goals are for your conference and whether you think you need traditional journalists to get you there.
To address Chris Brennan’s Steve Jobs comparison: That’s quite different. When Jobs is keynoting Macworld, he’s really addressing the world. He wants the widest possible audience for his message so he can sell more iPods and Powerbooks. Chris Pirillo is not selling a product to the world or necessarly trying to get the widest audience for his message so there is no need to give “the media” special access.
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It’s funny to watch the old guard get in a tizzy over this. We made the same decision to treat everyone equally at Webzine 2005 last year. Sure, we didn’t get much mainstream press coverage as a result, we were fine with that. I think it all comes down to what your goals are for your conference and whether you think you need traditional journalists to get you there.
To address Chris Brennan’s Steve Jobs comparison: That’s quite different. When Jobs is keynoting Macworld, he’s really addressing the world. He wants the widest possible audience for his message so he can sell more iPods and Powerbooks. Chris Pirillo is not selling a product to the world or necessarly trying to get the widest audience for his message so there is no need to give “the media” special access.
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Eddie, I think he should be pushing the message to as many people as possible. I realise that not everybody is bothered about coverage for this or that and it depends upon your product. However, I think that at the moment everything in stuck in the ‘circle of blog’ where bloggers know what’s going on inside the bubble but outside that bubble there are many more people who still don’t even know what a blog is. News reports do use blogs for leads and information but I still think that while it’s a phenomenon and journalists are clamouring for stories it’d be foolish to forgo that publicity.
Perhaps Robert is right and I underestimate the power of bloggers but guess what? I think he over-estimates the power of blogging. Ironic that. But then again I’m British so Irony is my stock and trade (that and still believing we rule the world and beer is best served warm)
I don’t think there’s an old versus new argument to be had here. I think the two spheres could be combined powerfully to compliment each other.
One thing the blog world has over print or television media is what we’re doing right now. Discussing ideas, agreeing, disagreeing and that’s really powerful. You can look at a newspaper and say to yourself ‘that guy’s wrong’ but you can’t tell him and then have a bunch of other people (including the author himself) tell you where your argument is flawed.
What the ‘traditional’ media has though is audience. I’m not talking about the ones who know. I’m talking about the ones who don’t know. Those people that have web access but don’t use RSS, don’t have their own blog, couldn’t tell you the difference between a blog and Amazon. The people who exist outside the circle of blog and are oblivious to it. The kind of people we rarely meet because we exist inside the bubble. I think there’s a much bigger bubble outside ours and we should do as much as possible to burst that bubble and reap the rewards. Even if that means whoring out to ‘journalists’ when the opportunity arises.
That Ann Coulter woman looks and sounds like a very pleasant person. Whoops there goes that Irony again…
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Eddie, I think he should be pushing the message to as many people as possible. I realise that not everybody is bothered about coverage for this or that and it depends upon your product. However, I think that at the moment everything in stuck in the ‘circle of blog’ where bloggers know what’s going on inside the bubble but outside that bubble there are many more people who still don’t even know what a blog is. News reports do use blogs for leads and information but I still think that while it’s a phenomenon and journalists are clamouring for stories it’d be foolish to forgo that publicity.
Perhaps Robert is right and I underestimate the power of bloggers but guess what? I think he over-estimates the power of blogging. Ironic that. But then again I’m British so Irony is my stock and trade (that and still believing we rule the world and beer is best served warm)
I don’t think there’s an old versus new argument to be had here. I think the two spheres could be combined powerfully to compliment each other.
One thing the blog world has over print or television media is what we’re doing right now. Discussing ideas, agreeing, disagreeing and that’s really powerful. You can look at a newspaper and say to yourself ‘that guy’s wrong’ but you can’t tell him and then have a bunch of other people (including the author himself) tell you where your argument is flawed.
What the ‘traditional’ media has though is audience. I’m not talking about the ones who know. I’m talking about the ones who don’t know. Those people that have web access but don’t use RSS, don’t have their own blog, couldn’t tell you the difference between a blog and Amazon. The people who exist outside the circle of blog and are oblivious to it. The kind of people we rarely meet because we exist inside the bubble. I think there’s a much bigger bubble outside ours and we should do as much as possible to burst that bubble and reap the rewards. Even if that means whoring out to ‘journalists’ when the opportunity arises.
That Ann Coulter woman looks and sounds like a very pleasant person. Whoops there goes that Irony again…
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Benny, nah, no relation whatsoever to Ann. Tho gosh wish, she’s what a zillionaire? Never mind the politics. Can I be adopted?
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Benny, nah, no relation whatsoever to Ann. Tho gosh wish, she’s what a zillionaire? Never mind the politics. Can I be adopted?
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Why does he need the press? The conference is already sold out. By the time any press published their stories, the conference would be over. John Edwards may need the press, but why does gnomedex? It seems to be doing fine just the way it is. It isn’t about the bloggers vs. journalists. It is about journalists only caring once a politician is there. I’m sure if Edwards would have said, “I’ll only appear if you let the press in” then something might have been done, but the press wouldn’t do anything for gnomedex except get in the way.
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Why does he need the press? The conference is already sold out. By the time any press published their stories, the conference would be over. John Edwards may need the press, but why does gnomedex? It seems to be doing fine just the way it is. It isn’t about the bloggers vs. journalists. It is about journalists only caring once a politician is there. I’m sure if Edwards would have said, “I’ll only appear if you let the press in” then something might have been done, but the press wouldn’t do anything for gnomedex except get in the way.
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I don’t think you understand what a journalist is. You can tell stories all day long but that doesn’t make you a journalist. It makes you a storyteller.
And there may be many bloggers in the world but they are not credible sources. Even if a journalist does read a story off of a blog, they can’t just run with whatever the blogger said. They can’t say “according to this blogger”… because that’s not a true sourse.
Some journalists don’t even credit the blogger because they have to backtrack the information from the beginning. Checking to make sure each fact is correct. Because that’s what a *journalist* would do.
So basically the blogger is just like the person who decided to pick up the phone or email a story idea. Just another unaccreditable sorse.
Bloggers are not the go inbetweens. Bloggers have their own interests at heart, and a true journalist doesn’t. Bloggers don’t have to be balanced, and a true journalist may be bias but at least s/he’s fair and has to be balanced.
Bloggers don’t have to face scrutiny like journalists. That means they don’t have that added weight to make sure everything is correct.
I read blogs and enjoy commentaries but I think its water-down “reporting” at best. I think that’s what wrong with the business. So many journalist have forgot their training and their learned skills and styles and their ethics… to move on to this train of thought… which ultimately leads to bad journalism.
If he doesn’t want journalsts at his gathering. So be it. But don’t act like they’re not needed. That shows to me, he already has a nitch audience and doesn’t want to spread it. And doesn’t want to face any questions or scrutiny from those who aren’t apart of that audience.
Because if he really wanted to spread his message, he would have got off that high horse and brought his nose out of the air… and made sure true journalists would be there.
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I don’t think you understand what a journalist is. You can tell stories all day long but that doesn’t make you a journalist. It makes you a storyteller.
And there may be many bloggers in the world but they are not credible sources. Even if a journalist does read a story off of a blog, they can’t just run with whatever the blogger said. They can’t say “according to this blogger”… because that’s not a true sourse.
Some journalists don’t even credit the blogger because they have to backtrack the information from the beginning. Checking to make sure each fact is correct. Because that’s what a *journalist* would do.
So basically the blogger is just like the person who decided to pick up the phone or email a story idea. Just another unaccreditable sorse.
Bloggers are not the go inbetweens. Bloggers have their own interests at heart, and a true journalist doesn’t. Bloggers don’t have to be balanced, and a true journalist may be bias but at least s/he’s fair and has to be balanced.
Bloggers don’t have to face scrutiny like journalists. That means they don’t have that added weight to make sure everything is correct.
I read blogs and enjoy commentaries but I think its water-down “reporting” at best. I think that’s what wrong with the business. So many journalist have forgot their training and their learned skills and styles and their ethics… to move on to this train of thought… which ultimately leads to bad journalism.
If he doesn’t want journalsts at his gathering. So be it. But don’t act like they’re not needed. That shows to me, he already has a nitch audience and doesn’t want to spread it. And doesn’t want to face any questions or scrutiny from those who aren’t apart of that audience.
Because if he really wanted to spread his message, he would have got off that high horse and brought his nose out of the air… and made sure true journalists would be there.
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Wow, that last poster I think was really missing the point. Can people really be that brainwashed? Does she really think the truth is what we get out of the mainstream press? Well, anyway, I personally just figured out Gnomedex existed, and here in Seattle to boot. Too late to pine now I suppose.
You know this may sound pretty basic, but you know Chris is Gnomedex, without him, it wouldn’t exist. So, what he decides to do with his baby really isn’t up to anyone but Him. I have known so many people who had to start compromising their dreams because everyone else threw a fit. Good for Chris for making a stand!
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Wow, that last poster I think was really missing the point. Can people really be that brainwashed? Does she really think the truth is what we get out of the mainstream press? Well, anyway, I personally just figured out Gnomedex existed, and here in Seattle to boot. Too late to pine now I suppose.
You know this may sound pretty basic, but you know Chris is Gnomedex, without him, it wouldn’t exist. So, what he decides to do with his baby really isn’t up to anyone but Him. I have known so many people who had to start compromising their dreams because everyone else threw a fit. Good for Chris for making a stand!
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