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Friday, July 8, 2005
 

That "pro-am" phrase popped up this week in an essay by John Blossom, senior analyst at Shore Communications, and I like the way it captures one possibility for the future of news media, with "citizen journalist" bloggers, podcasters and vloggers working side by side with journalism "pros" who devote full-time to the game.

If only the pros would consistently perform at a level that earns the respect of the amateurs... and if only there was more prize money to go around!

Blossom's essay is about more online content than journalism, but I think the metaphor is still a good one to think with. Here's some of what he has to say in a news analysis piece titled "Pro/Am Tournament: Colloquial Content Converges in Text, Audio and Video":

"...the 'who' of online content is an increasingly inclusive community employing converging media formats, a prolific clan that produces and consumes these products as part of their own Pro/Am tournament, open to whoever can provide the best information and experiences to suit their needs. It's not an easy mix to manage for publishers used to being sole authorities in sole formats, but a mix that's the future whether it's liked or not."

OK, I'll admit I'm not much of a sports fan, and I'm generally wary of using sports metaphors. (My knowledge of golf consists of laughing at the book title "A Good Walk Spoiled.") So I Googled the phrase (with both a hyphen and a slash) to see what sports use it. I didn't know there was Pro-Am basketball, among other things, and adding a team element also fits the journalism model.

But what took me by surprise was a more general piece on the idea of excellent amateur performance, not just in sports or communication. So I'm off to read a research report titled The Pro-Am Revolution, by Charles Leadbeater and Paul Miller. Its subtitle: "How enthusiasts are changing our economy and society."

From astronomy to activism, from surfing to saving lives, Pro-Ams - people pursuing amateur activities to professional standards - are an increasingly important part of our society and economy.

In Fast Company magazine last October, Leadbeater added rap music and Linux to examples of the pro-am phenomenon, but more from the angle of amateurs doing work of professional quality. One conclusion sounds like a description of the recent interest in blogging and podcasting at mainstream media companies:

"Some professionals will find that unsettling; they will seek to defend their monopolies. The more enlightened will understand that the landscape is changing. Knowledge is widely distributed, not controlled in a few ivory towers. The most powerful organizations will enable professionals and amateurs to combine distributed know-how to solve complex problems."

Related items from the bookmark archives:

1:12:40 PM    


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