Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Introducing Milblog Wire
I'm absolutely thrilled to be a part of Milblog Wire, which is going to be a terrific way for newspaper editors to get access to good, quality military analysis, commentary, and reporting by military members, veterans, and their families.
In a nutshell:
Anchor members so far include Greyhawk, Sgt Hook, TF Boggs, American Citizen Soldier, BlackFive, Winds of Change, and the man who's putting it all together, Uncle Jimbo.
This is an exciting project with a lot of potential, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it, and honored to be in such esteemed company.
Now, one thing will be changing -- up to now, I've had full rights to the blog, didn't license anything, and it was basically a hobby for me to get some things off my chest, vent, rant, rave, or whatever. If I screwed up on a post, I didn't mind much, because it only hurt me and my own credibility.
Which meant I almost always wrote off the top of my head, one draft, with no fact-checking process to speak of.
But now that everything I write will be part of a wire service, and could wind up in someone's newspaper, it's not just the CounterColumn brand that's involved. It could be a whole bunch of brands. You can probably expect less frequent postings, but more polished, and more carefully sourced and checked than in the past. Overall, it will be a better product.
Yes, we will be compensated for any stories news outlets pick up, at standard rates for freelancers. Which means, in the newspaper world, next to nothing, of course. The key is to sell articles and content in volume - like any syndication effort.
I am proud to announce that a portion of all proceeds from the MilBlog Wire (not sure yet how much - ask Uncle Jimbo) will be donated to the good people at Soldiers' Angels.
The best thing you can do is write your local newspaper editor and ask them to include content from MilBlog Wire on a regular basis. Help spread the word!
All the best, and thanks so much for reading, writing, bitching, complaining, and holding me accountable since November 2003. It's been a blast.
Splash, out
Jason
In a nutshell:
The Milblog Wire functions like any other wire service, aggregating stories from the field and making them available for your readership. The difference is now it comes direct from folks the American public has a high degree of trust in, not an overseas stringer.The content providers for the Milblog Wire are serving military members, their former comrades in arms, and their friends and families.
We are not affiliated with the Defense Department or acting on its behalf. We are self-policing for accuracy and scrupulous in maintaining the confidence of the public. We offer the good news that is overlooked by the ambulance chasers and a firsthand glimpse into the world most people just read about. We also don’t shrink from reporting the difficulties and downfalls of our efforts. We will provide the full gamut of rich media reports from our correspondents.
Anchor members so far include Greyhawk, Sgt Hook, TF Boggs, American Citizen Soldier, BlackFive, Winds of Change, and the man who's putting it all together, Uncle Jimbo.
This is an exciting project with a lot of potential, and I'm thrilled to be a part of it, and honored to be in such esteemed company.
Now, one thing will be changing -- up to now, I've had full rights to the blog, didn't license anything, and it was basically a hobby for me to get some things off my chest, vent, rant, rave, or whatever. If I screwed up on a post, I didn't mind much, because it only hurt me and my own credibility.
Which meant I almost always wrote off the top of my head, one draft, with no fact-checking process to speak of.
But now that everything I write will be part of a wire service, and could wind up in someone's newspaper, it's not just the CounterColumn brand that's involved. It could be a whole bunch of brands. You can probably expect less frequent postings, but more polished, and more carefully sourced and checked than in the past. Overall, it will be a better product.
Yes, we will be compensated for any stories news outlets pick up, at standard rates for freelancers. Which means, in the newspaper world, next to nothing, of course. The key is to sell articles and content in volume - like any syndication effort.
I am proud to announce that a portion of all proceeds from the MilBlog Wire (not sure yet how much - ask Uncle Jimbo) will be donated to the good people at Soldiers' Angels.
The best thing you can do is write your local newspaper editor and ask them to include content from MilBlog Wire on a regular basis. Help spread the word!
All the best, and thanks so much for reading, writing, bitching, complaining, and holding me accountable since November 2003. It's been a blast.
Splash, out
Jason
Comments:
I'm excited about the MilblogWire also. I just hope the work gets picked up. My little hometown newspaper only prints local stuff, so I can't notify anyone.
I check in here daily & enjoy most everything I read & have learned a lot. Thanks for that!
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I check in here daily & enjoy most everything I read & have learned a lot. Thanks for that!
# posted by 
: 8:14 PM
: 8:14 PM
