Thoughts on content.

November 27, 2002 | 1 Comments

I found Briefing for a Decent into Heck by Adam Greenfield (who I’ve been reading quite a bit lately and find a bit abrasive for some reason, but still interesting and worth reading) a good read that brings up an interesting topic.

Should those “independent content providers” get paid for their hard work? It’s a tough question with no easy answer. I certainly don’t expect to get paid for the writings on this site, but if I was a better writer and if I provided more valuable content, I certainly would appreciate it. The goal of this site is to work through issues, improve my writing, build community and connections and grow as an internet professional. But I’m not Jeffrey Zeldman or Adam Greenfield, or Eric Meyer, or Josh Davis, etc.

I would pay any one of those individuals for their efforts, if I had the money and opportunity, but I can’t say I’d pay them all if I had to. They bring quite a bit to the table and all the insight and entertainment I get from them is definitely worth something but when weighed against the other things I spend my money on I doubt more than one or two of them would make the cut.

That said, I’ve bought books by a few of the above, and others that I first discovered as an independent content provider. I’m not sure how much they make of these books, but I can safely say that I would not have bought Eric Meyer on CSS (which is a great book and sitting on my desk right now) or Flash to the Core by Josh Davis if I’d not been familiar with their work.

I think it’s fair to say that there is value in being an independent content provider, whether or not you see a dime as direct compensation for your efforts. The opportunities it opens up can be well worth the effort. Personally it’s I think it’s more than ok to ask for a donation if you want, or heck, if you want to try a pay-per model, go ahead — it’s your right to try and make a buck. I can’t see that model succeeding at this point, and maybe not ever.

Tad Williams tried it with Shadowmarch and realized early on that it wasn’t working. For the record I put down my $17 and thought it was money well spent. I can’t wait for the books to come out, and maybe that is ultimately what many Web writers should strive for. I don’t think the Web will ever replace books. I know I’ll never give them up. Somethings are just easier to read on paper. Like Mr. Greenfield’s article - I printed that sucker up, as I do with most of his stuff. It’s fairly complex and wordy and my eyes tend to stray on the screen.

In any case it’s an interesting topic and one worth talking about.

What do you think?

Filed under: Web General