Re: Gardening Blogs In Newspapers

**"DGreen" d*@kingston.net**

Jeff Ball wrote, "If it is one of the deals where "you do it free, but you
can promote your books"; thank you very much I don't think so.
Still it is an interesting development."

As many of you know, I do a fair amount of Internet writing and publishing.
So here's my warning to you all.  I give it freely with a huge grin.  And
while this post could be misinterpreted (I just reread it) I offer it only
with the best of intentions.  But it really is my own .02 and I hope you
ignore it. (insert another grin)

It is estimated there is currently one new blog being started every second
of every day somewhere in the world. The number of blogs is almost as high
as the number of websites and it is a race to the finish.  This means that
unless you are a "name" ending in "Stewart" or cover a subject that nobody
else does - your blog is one of billions (yes, that's a "B")  Being one of
billions means that this writing has virtually no value.  With billions of
"free" to choose from, why would any business person pay real money?  

And while you can decide not to do the work for free - somebody else will do
it gladly for the exposure.

There is a sea change in publishing going on right now. Publisher's Weekly
has written about it and even said the gardening genre has "gone to seed".
Jeff knows this and many of you on this list know it.  The trick here is to
do what you do (photographers and writers) but get paid for it in the face
of massively increasing competition from the digital hordes.  Give a person
a blog and a digital camera and they become as powerful as anybody else on
the face of the planet in communicating their interests/agenda no matter
what the subject matter.

The trick now is that somebody (read big publisher) is NOT going to pay you
for your interests/agenda. It is now up to you to get paid for that effort.
Call it the democratization of the Net - call it what you will but
information is now everywhere and at a very low cost (I don't care whether
you are talking digital images or digital words) or free.

So those two gardeners in Houston have done an interesting thing on their
new blog and time will tell if they continue, whether they can figure out
how to monetize that information or whether they're happy doing it for a
hobby.  

This is one of the those interesting business decisions and my .02 on it is
that you had better get a blog and you had better get it up on all your
local media to protect your own turf.  If you're the writer in your area -
offer your newspaper your free blog - otherwise somebody else will.  And
then that somebody else is sharing your reader's attention. At that point,
it's anybody's game.

So why do I hope you ignore this post?  Because my friends (and many of you
are my friends) I'm the guy who's coming to a newspaper near you. My new
blog (see below) and lens and any other web2 development will be used as
part of my internet business. You either carve out that space or I will (or
another person like me will) and I'll figure out how to use it to make
money.  

That's all our problems now.  As writers, we need to figure out how to
change course in this sea of changing winds. And we need to figure out how
to make money doing it in the face of massive "free" competition. 

It isn't easy but welcome to the world of web2.  Web2 is second generation
web information sharing systems including things like flickr.com, blogs,
podcasts, etc while the old website info is web1.  

If you're still worried about creating web1 developments, (like personal
websites) you're already behind. 

As I said however, this is just my .02 and you're free to ignore it. :-)

Doug

Doug Green SGF Communications: e-publishing content
Home: http://www.simplegiftsfarm.com
Blog: http://doug-greens-gardening.blogspot.com/

-----Original Message-----
From: gardenwriters-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[g*@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Jeff Ball
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 9:58 AM
To: Garden Writers -- GWL -- The Garden Writers Forum
Subject: [GWL] Gardening Blogs In Newspapers

There are two garden bloggers living in the Houston area that have  
been signed up by the Houston Chronicle to do a garden blog for  
them.  They have done six posts so far at http://blogs.chron.com/ 
greenspace/ .  It is an impressive blog.  I'm trying to find out from  
them what their deal is.  I'm assuming they don't get paid for  
writing the blog, but do they get any percentage from the ads on  
their blog?  In one of their blogs they list the plants in one of  
their gardens.  Each plant name is linked to an Internet source to  
buy that plant. Who pays for that link?

Does anyone on the list know of any other garden blogs attached to  
newspapers?  Our Detroit News is adding blogs every week and we have  
inquired about the deal and asked if they were interested.  If it is  
one of the deals where "you do it free, but you can promote your  
books"; thank you very much I don't think so.
Still it is an interesting development.

Jeff Ball
jeffball@usol.com
810-724-8581
Check out my daily blog at www.gardeneryardener.blogspot.com
Check out my extensive web site at www.yardener.com

_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
&quot;Gardenwriters on Gardening&quot; &lt;gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org&gt;

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters

_______________________________________________
gardenwriters mailing list
gardenwriters@lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/gardenwriters

GWL has searchable archives at:
http://www.hort.net/lists/gardenwriters

Send photos for GWL to gwlphotos@hort.net to be posted
at: http://www.hort.net/lists/gwlphotos

Post gardening questions/threads to
&quot;Gardenwriters on Gardening&quot; &lt;gwl-g@lists.ibiblio.org&gt;

For GWL website and Wiki, go to
http://www.ibiblio.org/gardenwriters