Chris Brogan isn’t — and as far as I know has never been — a journalist. He’s a new-media marketing consultant and the founder of Podcamp (his bio is here). When I saw that he had written a blog post about what a “new media” company of the future might look like, I confess that I was expecting something with a focus primarily on marketing (perhaps that was unfair, but there it is). What Chris came up with, however, is very similar to what I see when I think about the future of the online media business — a business that takes advantage of what the online world allows, rather than treating it as an afterthought. Among other things, Chris says such an entity would realize that:
- Stories are points in time [and] don’t end at publication.
- Curators and editors rule, and creators aren’t necessarily on staff.
- Media cannot stick to one form. Text, photos, video, music, audio, animation, etc.
- Everything must be portable and mobile-ready.
- Everything must have collaborative opportunities.
- Advertising cannot be the primary method of revenue.
Be sure to read the whole thing. A good debate is already emerging in the comments.