BrooWaha

I planned to share a quote or two about what citizen journalism “really” means and whether BrooWaha represents “true” citizen journalism.  Wikipedia says it does.   That’s some proof that it is.  However, Wikipedia fails to recognize BlogCatalog as a blog directory and blogger social network,  despite it being one of the first and foremost cited blog directories and blogger social networks in the world.     In fact, it is the largest social community of its kind.  So I’m not certain that looking to Wikipedia to prove the truth of something is of sufficient evidentiary value to lead to conclusion.

Crowdsourced online publications, when they grow large, or think they are large,  tend to fall into the “DMOZ trap” of having “powers that be” use emotional bias, and power, to determine  what is worthy for encylopedia 2.0.    

UrbanDictionary,  now that  is citizen journalism at its finest.   It is what it is.   Citizens decide.  No ivory towered, veto powered egos.

The entire subject of  Citizen Journalism  has an air to it that seems so vital, critical and crucial to our future, that I, feel, like many,  a driving need, to try to define it. Why?   Perhaps, so that professors and others, particularly @ J schools (yes they call them that) can feel significant?    Or is it because I feel significant trashing J Schools and professors —  I didn’t particularly care for them at school — and Wikipedia and other established enterprises? Probably.  

Today there is a new movement.  It’s called the movement of the “J School.”   It’s not the movement of any part of your body. That will be with us forever.     J schools are beginning to see themselves as the saviors of our society.    They have done such a fine job of creating journalists for mainstream media, that I feel truly confident in their abilities to create new media for us. Don’t you?   If citizen journalism is where we are headed, do we really need J schools?

Ok, so you don’t believe me.    Here’s proof.   Conferences such as creating the 21st business model for new media is what CUNY in NY is focused on.   They’re asking questions such as, “How can old media survive in this new environment with business models that don’t work?”    In fact, they’re using old media assumptions and spreadsheets, to create a future new media model.    It makes no sense.    It’s nonsense. The point is, they wont.

When a paradigm shift occurs, everything goes to zero.  You don’t get to move from old to new.  You go out of business.   In geek lingo :  FAIL.   

That’s not all.  People are becoming famous for establishing themselves as the oracles of the future of journalism.   Disguised as journalists,  perhaps because entrepreneurship feels dirty to them,  they are taking the brightest minds from these J Schools and launching business models, to save us from citizen journalism.   They’re asking big and important questions,  such as “where is the $7.5 billion in local ad revenue going to go?”   

The problem is these questions are smart.   No question is dumb.  Though J School is not business school.   Furthermore, no one every really learned business in business school. How do J School’s think they are going to teach  business and entrepreneurship? They can’t.  That’s what business schools attempt to do.

The way to learn entrepreneurship is to go out and open up a lemonade stand.   Hang out for a day or two.   The cops will arrive.  They’ll tell you to move.  You’ll have a challenge to address.  How you solve that challenge will determine whether or not your remain in the lemonade business.   This will be your most valuable lesson in entrepreneurship.   

Like economists most J School profs will be wrong.  The one’s who “guess” right,  will be based on the randomness of success.    Read Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s book, Fooled by Randomness, and you’ll understand.   The truth is humans have a passion for debating the meaning of words.    It’s a fun past time, that so many of us enjoy.   It’s positive effects on society are not to be underestimated.    These debates, like those around religion, sports and politics typically lead  to strong, deeply connected relationships between lovers, readers and writers.  

As a true “self proclaimed” Citizen Journalist,   my first search result — evidence that I truly am a citizen journalist —   turned up a series of great articles on, you guessed it, citizen journalism.   Thank googlness for this because my head is still hurting from time spent last night on Broo.  

Patrick Hanlon, the blogger, I found —- that’s without clicking “Im Feeling Lucky,” Patty for short I suppose, provides plenty of fodder for us wannabe  ”talking heads” who find major significance in debating what “CJ” (citizen journalism)  is and should be; as though it’s really going to matter.      

Patrick thank you for writing a great blog on the subject and freeing me up on a beautiful Saturday afternoon in San Antonio, Texas.   Yes, we have citizen journalists here too.   Your blog is one of the better ones on this subject.

Do Patty, a favor, and yourself one too, and check out his blog at:

http://paddyhanlon.wordpress.com/   

The guy isn’t your average CJ.   He can teach you a thing or two about culture,  and dress codes, and hairstyles too.   If you are over 40 this is a must.

The cartoon comes from Patty’s post titled  ”Net Culture: Twitter,”  found at:

http://paddyhanlon.wordpress.com/2010/04/02/net-culture-twitter/

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Note to Paddy from me, the editor & CJ.  

Sorry Patrick,  I should have noticed from your url that you do not go by the name Patty but by Paddy.  

Please accept my apologies and stop by Broo and have one on us.    In Ireland,  a dude, wouldn’t want to go around being called Patty.  He probably wouldn’t last too long.  

I can understand that.  My sister,  whose name happens to be Patricia cannot stand being called Patty.     I imagine for a guy, it must be even worse.

Paddy though sounds much more like the type of person you’d want to hang out with and get trashed and discuss the meaning of CJ.  

btw. did you ever listen to the song called “Patricia the Stripper” by Kris de Burg. Growing up I used to torment my little sister with it.  I probably could have been sued for “cruel and unusual punishment” under the 8th Amendment, if I had grown up in the States.   Or is that just something you use to sue the government?  Once again,   you don’t learn that much in law school either.  

Just saying,  it does happen to be quite a good song.