Independent journalism – meet practical business practices

With some old friends. Photograph by Faye Murman.

So, I have been told that the palm tree on the banner was intended to represent an oasis for journalism, but I found an even more progressive attitude abounding during my weekend visit to PhIJI, the Philadelphia Initiative for Journalism Innovation at Temple University in Philadelphia. After spending $12 for the taxi ride from Center City – due to the transit strike – I was feeling cranky on arrival, but by the end of the day this adventure struck me as potentially priceless.

Whiz-bang “future of news” and “social media for journalists” conferences are a dime-a-dozen these days, but my old friend – and now Temple journalism professor – George Miller took this conference to the next level. In a nutshell, experts in entrepreneurialism and business capital pretty much detailed every mistake I had made during my recent 10-month experiment in independent journalis

Until now, I had been both following and preaching the blogger’s if-you-build-it philosophy, which led me to only marginal monetization. I thought that if I had a sharp platform with worthwhile content, I needed only to develop and audience and the revenue would follow. I gathered followers, generated publicity and even some accolades, but I haven’t made a lot of money; barely a fraction of my previous newsroom paychecks.

A precise presentation by Jaine Lucas – Director of Temple’s Fox School of Business’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute – left me thinking that business planning doesn’t sound entirely unlike story planning. We must identify goals and stakeholders, consider scalability, and constantly evaluate and adapt. Next, journalism entrepreneurs need to learn to articulate and pitch a sustainable value proposition that makes sense. I could go on.

Next, the team from TechnicallyPhilly.com led a terrific seminar in free web publishing fundamentals. I thought I knew it all but I was wrong. Other panelists found themselves face to face with a very sharp audience at times, but it was encouraging to hear from so many people who were experimenting and working within so many new models, online and of

A panel of investors turned my previous plans inside out. Before thinking about platforms, content or anything else, we need to identify unmet needs, and find an audience that will somehow pay for the service, though it probably won’t happen via paid content. If you go looking for financial assistance, you will need to provide evidence to support your presumptions; probably demographics.

Finally, keynoter Amy Webb sent us off with energy and inspiration, defining new tools and resources for all the latest trends, in her order: The Real Time Web, MobiLife, Geolocation, Augmented Reality, and Content. (Yes; content.)

During a social media presentation back at Missouri today, a freshman asked me if she could expect to make a living online when she graduates. I exercised the usual caveats – the risk of a double-dip recession and my lack of a crystal ball – but otherwise, I felt better than ever telling her that I think things might just work out after all.

I hope more PhIJI events follow. Stay tuned: http://www.temple.edu/sct/journalism/phiji/