Out With A Bang

I first met Dave Cohn in 2007; at Jeff Jarvis’ www.NewsInnovation.com gig at CUNY.

If memory serves, he helped me find a plug-point; or a wifi connection. I was a bit of an Englishman in New York, so to speak.

Anyway, I have followed his www.Spot.Us adventures with much interest and admiration. And he probably already knows what I think… that he is a classic ‘not-for-profit’ that richly deserves to be a ‘not-for-loss’…

I also think the ‘If Content is King, Collaboration is Queen…’ post was one of those seminal ones you stumble across every now and then; one of those that whacked a big nail smack on the head.

All of which – in part – explains why I enjoyed his latest post… the fact that it transparently came from the heart merely added to its significance and validity.

http://blog.digidave.org/2010/08/generations-in-the-desert-thoughts-from-aspen

In turn, it prompted a spot of soul searching from Steve Buttry; one of the driving forces behind http://www.tbd.com/; their ‘Director of Community Engagement’.

http://stevebuttry.wordpress.com/2010/08/21/generations-in-the-desert-a-response-from-one-whos-wandering/

I’ve never met Steve; but there is little doubt that TBD is reaching out more than most to seek a ‘bottom up’ solution to the travails of our time; recognising that a new Age Of Participation’ is upon us; that the Age Of Imposition is in its death throes. Hence the hand of friendship and partnership extended to 160-odd local bloggers, etc, etc…

Or to return to Dave’s original post, he in all likelihood shares that ‘passion’ for… the idea of making the process of journalism participatory and transparent…

But what I found particularly interesting is the whole ‘generational’ aspect of their thinking; that it is our ‘BabyBoomer’ generation that has been *blessed* with trying to make this web thing work – or more accurately, to try and find *work* within this web thing as the certainties of a 40-year newspaper career head for the nearest toilet.

At 44, I figure I’m too old to be either a Generation X or a Millenial. I’m one of those for whom options are fast narrowing as press towers, print runs and paper boys begin to look soooo 20th Century. 

And that 40 years wandering in the desert seeking this new ‘Promised Land’ for our profession will, indeed, feel like 40 years… even if its only four. And a half.

I can’t start again; set out with the kind of certainties that a Phil John or a Josh Halliday bring to the future of our trade. And that’s what makes Dave’s original post so fascinating; that not everyone is lost in this digital content desert.

I picked up my ten-year-old boy from his Mum’s on Friday. He’s a bright lad; but not bound for the software stars. He and his mate had, however, still managed to video, edit and post a short clip of ‘content’ off his Mum’s new lap-top.

Without a bat of an eye-lid. There is no desert in his mind’s eye; the forces of technical nature are quite happily carrying his generation along towards a very green and pleasant land. And if that future didn’t include The Beccles & Bungay Journal, would he bat an eye-lid?

Er, no.

Would anyone under the age of 25? Or 30? They’re making up their rules as they go along; queueing round the block at the local Apple Store, not in the specific hope of downloading a Guardian News app or subscribing to a Times website but in the pretty sure and certain knowledge that somewhere there – in the palm of their hand – lies their future lives.

Where they will meet and marry; where they will shop and sell; and above all, where they will *see* and speak to their community through a mobile vehicle of whatever final dimension and function that will by video/TV led.

Which is one reason that TBD fascinates; the partnership there is with local ‘TV’ stations; legacy-lite platforms for whom video has long been their business; not print classifieds.

It is why I continue to bat my eye-lids in the direction of anyone with a wifi cloud up their sleeves; people who can deliver the children of my generation a ‘broadcast’ platform to play with; to build their lives upon.

The comment that follows Dave’s original post merely underlines the point; that it will, indeed, be the children who inherit the digital Earth… once the disbelievers, the nay-sayers and those of faint hearts and false hopes have withered and waned in their desert exile.

“According to the Scriptures,” writes an Anthony DeBarros.

“There was one primary reason why God caused that nation to wander in the desert for 40 years:

“The people had no faith… They were stubborn. They would not listen, and their hearts were hard. So, God said, you’re not going into the new land. Not even Moses, their leader.

“God waited until the generation died off, then he took their children across…”

Way back when, when we first started to try and prise their local ad bucks off SMEs in Norwich and beyond, we had a very cheesy ad flier.

One line was pure cheese.

“My son is [now] ten years old,” it read. “It is not in his genes with a ‘G’ to read a local newspaper. What’s in his jeans with a ‘J’ is a mobile phone…’

Not surprisingly, I was wrong.

There’s not a mobile phone in the pocket of his jeans. There’s an iPod.

And upon that will he and his mates not only watch their concept of ‘TV’, but they will also *make* and *broadcast* their concept of ‘TV’.

And somewhere in that direction lies their Promised Land.