Re: Self-Syndication

From: Michael Martinez <michael.martinez2_at_eudoramail.com>
Date: Fri 08 Jun 2001 11:27:19 -0500

MICHAEL MARTINEZ <Michael_at_xenite.org> WROTE:

>Most of the people who don't write well enough to get
>paid aren't being paid. Hence, their syndication efforts,
>if any are making them (and I've only seen a few who are),
>are limited to their own distribution networks.

TO WHICH BRANDI JASMINE <brandi_at_brandijasmine.com> REPLIED:

>I was nominated for a national magazine award but I guess
>I don't write "well enough" because I have had zero
>interest from the syndicates <g>.

I get offers to write for other people (syndicates,
magazines) all the time. I don't submit my work for
awards. I turn down most offers, however, because I
don't have sufficient interest in any specific topic
(that I'm not already being paid for) to keep writing
about it week after week.


MICHAEL MARTINEZ ALSO WROTE:

>The majority of original content on my site is written
>by me (outside of what's posted to the forums, of course).
>I would have to constantly update remote feeds and I

TO WHICH BRANDI JASMINE THEN REPLIED:

>I have a JavaScript that does that automatically and
>rotates my daily content.

That's a remote feed. However, ROTATING content doesn't
bring in as many people as simply creating new content
and leaving the old stuff in place to be indexed by
search engines and read by curious visitors.

MICHAEL MARTINEZ THEN WROTE:

>just don't have time for that. But I doubt anyone would
>pay for most of it, since my news articles eventually get
>reposted or duplicated on other sites.

TO WHICH BRANDI JASMINE RESPONDED:

>I suspect your content would not sell well because fan
>fiction and even fan reporting does not sell well.

Fan fiction doesn't sell at all. It would be illegal to
try and sell it and no one who is professionally engaged in
publishing would touch it without demanding significant
changes (in fact, SOME fan fiction does sell well, once
it's rewritten as standalone or unique fiction with no
ties to existing trademarked worlds and characters).

MICHAEL MARTINEZ ADDED:
>I do
>fan art myself - couldn't sell it to save my life. There
>are some things people won't pay for.

I've seen fan art selling for thousands of dollars at
various science fiction conventions. You just have to know
where to sell it. Of course, the highest priced fan art
does tend to come from the established, professional
artists. But they like to dabble in fanly productions just
like the amateur artists (and that, of course, is where many
of the pros started out).

MICHAEL MARTINEZ WROTE:

>essays for another site, and have republished some in a
>book that is selling well, if not burning up the besteller
>lists. But then, I didn't set out to make money off what
>I write. That's not a loss. It's a gain.

BRANDI JASMINE THEN REPLIED:

>That's "basic" Xenite economics I guess?

Bad guess. If you're intentionally confusing my personal
book project with the objectives established for Xenite.ORG,
your motive escapes me. If you're just confusing the book
with the domain, then you're really unaware of what
Xenite.Org is about.

>Newspapers on the other hand make a pretty good game out
>of cobranding and syndicating their content, because
>that was built into their world-view to begin with.

TO WHICH MICHAEL MARTINEZ WROTE:

>If that were really the case, the major newspaper sites
>wouldn't be cutting back on their staff or shutting down
>their online operations altogether.

BRANDI JASMINE ADDED:

>The major newspaper sites just might have OTHER issues to
>contend with right now

Like most people following the Web site shutdowns, I only
have what these organizations tell us publicly to judge by.
The news organizations which have been cutting staff or
shutting down Web sites claim they tried to make the sites
pay for themselves and failed.

Take that for what it's worth. The bottom line is the
content didn't pay for itself. Period.

MICHAEL MARTINEZ WROTE:

>I've worked with a lot of small businesses. <snip!>
>...Lots of personal anecdotes clipped ...

TO WHICH BRANDI JASMINE REPLIED:

>That's YOUR experience. You keep forgetting that there is
>a "rest of the world" out here,

I haven't forgotten about "the rest of the world" at all.
Apparently, you feel your assumptions about me and the real
world are self-validating.

I'm backing up what I say with references, facts, and
anecdotes. I can be VERY detailed if necessary, but obviously
the details and facts are getting in the way of the discussion.

MICHAEL MARITNEZ ALSO ADDED:

>But I'm pretty sure the local hardware store can only tell
>you how to hammer a nail so many times.

TO WHICH BRANDI JASMINE COMMENTED:

>Boy talk about a bad example! There are magazines galore
>on the topic of home improvement.

All of them published by local hardware stores, I'm sure. I'll
stick with the "bad" example, thank you. It's at least relevant
to this discussion, and doesn't introduce any unnecessary
digressions.

MICHAEL MARTINEZ ENDED WITH:

>You're right about one thing. It's NOT rocket science.
>It's basic economics.

That bears repeating.

Michael Martinez
 Worlds of Imagination on the Web
  info_at_xenite.org
   [http://www.xenite.org/index.htm]
    XENITE.org..Watch Free Internet TV at Xenite.Org



Received on Fri Jun 08 2001 - 11:27:19 CDT