Now I Believe The Economic Recovery Is Real, But How High Can It Go?

Here comes the sun. photo, Jon Sullivan

For the last year, economists have been saying the U.S. is now digging itself out of the Great Recession. That’s obvious if you look at stocks (bailout discussions aside), and of course Silicon Valley is enjoying another heyday, but so far it has been a jobless recovery for most of the country. I have tracked right along with this trend, having been laid off from full-time work in 2008 just before the market tanked. Of course I can’t sit still, so I founded 29 Diapers, started writing a novel, and did freelance editorial work where I could find it. Oh yeah, and had a baby. It was a busy recession for me.

But today I saw signs of real recovery.

LinkedIn: hiring.

Oxford Press: hiring.

Time Magazine: hiring.

Wall Street Journal: hiring.

The gutted Conde Nast, of all companies: hiring.

The help wanted signs are back, all over the Interwebs!

And me? Hired. Well, sort of. Right now ideal gainful employment for me means freelance writing and editorial work while I stay home to raise my daughter. Last month I was brought on board Inhabitat as the new Transportation Editor. Huzzah!

But how high can it go? The U.S. has enormous debt problems, has outsourced nearly all manufacturing, and faces stiff global competition for jobs that just aren’t coming back. I think we’re seeing signs of real recovery now, but at some point it will plateau and we will start the conversation about a new reality in America. Do you think we will innovate our way out of this economic mire? Move upstream to a creative economy and leave the information economy to the developing world? I’d love to hear your thoughts in comments.

Well, Nevermind: Publishing Contract Cancelled….

That sun is gonna come up over the horizon any minute now. Welcome, the most remarkable year yet!

This week has been hilariously weird. The kind of weird that comes from things going on that are clearly connected and clearly not coincidences, but I don’t have enough information to decipher the pattern. Add this to the list of weirdness: my publishing contract was cancelled ONE DAY after I signed it because the managing partners in the publishing company are getting a divorce.

Now, divorce is awful and I’m bummed for them. I know contracts are cancelled all the time, too, and I guess I’m just glad they’re letting me out of the contract rather than dragging this out. But this means I have to find another way around the roadblocks in my path to distribution and sales. This is not the part of publishing that gets me up in the morning, so I need to regroup here and make a plan before heading out to publish edition three of Ecofrugal Baby.

I have to say, though, that God has been pretty clear with me lately that big things and good things are coming soon, so I’m not as upset as I possibly should be about this. I have a sort of peace about it, and it wasn’t a total surprise–just a let-down. God has been faithful enough to me for me to know I can trust him to take care of this (maybe he just did?) and to give him a grownup response instead of rolling around in self-pity. Yeah, this is a bummer. But it’s still early days, and there was so much spiritual activity going on in my vicinity last night that it was like it was too noisy to sleep until 1 am (I told you that the more I tell you, the crazier you’ll think I am). Something is up lately, and I’m just a part of it. On we march into the dawn of 2011, a strange beginning to be sure.

 

Slingshot Around the Moon

Photo by Jon Sullivan

Remember in Apollo 13 when they ran out of fuel and had to use the gravity of the moon to slingshot themselves back toward earth? As a country, we are now on the far side of the moon.

What I mean is this: Economists say we’re just starting to pull out of this historic recession. So, before the chance slips away, how are you positioning yourself to succeed on the other side of it? I’m hearing stories all the time now of someone using this difficult time to change their life’s trajectory, and I’m so excited to see new ideas and ways of doing business slingshot out into the recovery. It’s about time for a new way of doing media, in particular, don’t you think?

I’m no career expert, but I like to see specific suggestions when I read a post like this, so I’ll try to give you a few to work with. Here are some ways you might position yourself for the growth of your career or business in the next few months:

– READY: If you’re ready for a change in your career, think first about not just what you really want to do, but what your lifestyle will look like. If you have been thinking about becoming a freelance writer, would you like to stay at home or travel? Do you want to teach people to write in a group setting, or would you rather tutor? You have a unique opportunity to change courses right now without people questioning the break on your resume, so if you can afford it, go for whatever you really want!

– AIM: Now that you’ve got a target, research the heck out of it. Start with Google, but then branch out. If you’re looking for more magazines to write for, look up people that are well-connected with your target clients/employers on LinkedIn and Twitter lists, and follow/friend them. Then listen to them. Follow the rabbit trail of your targets online, learning what blogs they follow via Google Friend Connect and what they read on Delicious (I just discovered the usefulness of this myself! I know, I know. My husband says I’m five years late to the party, lol). What do they blog about? If they only blog for work (meaning they might be assigned to a particular topic), what is their perspective and what issues do they harp on within the context of their chosen/assigned subject matter? This takes some time, but it will be worth it to get to know the person you want to talk to. What if you discover that the entrepreneur you thought you wanted to work with is a maniac who has left a wake of angry colleagues and employees behind him? Respect your instinct if a person’s online persona is surrounded by controversy, and move on to a new target if need be.

– FIRE: Now you’re prepared. Network in new places: Twitter chats, mentoring groups, industry-specific networking lunches, or even cold-calling people are great ways to make connections if you’re prepared and really have something to talk about. I hate networking when I’m doing it in desperation for a new job, and I suspect the people I clung to when I used to do this hated it, too. I have a unique opportunity as a WAHM to network for the fun of it, the way it’s supposed to be done. Because I have the luxury of meeting people without immediately needing something from them (you may too, since we’re still on the far side of the moon), I’m not only more relaxed and enjoying myself more, but I’m also finding that people are more willing to talk to me when I ask.

– SLINGSHOT: Your positioning and hard work will carry you to success as the economy thaws. Have fun, and if you’re working on a new project that you’re excited about, please leave me a comment or msg me on Twitter. I’d love to hear about it!

What do you think? I hope this was helpful. Do you have more ideas to share on this topic? Please leave me a comment. Thanks for reading!

The Way Forward?

Caernarfon One Way Sign

Do you know anyone who is getting creative in their job hunt because of the economy? My dad just volunteered to work as an engineer for a local biomedical start-up in order to get biomedical on his resume: I think he’s pretty tired of the instability of the auto industry. I also recently heard of a media executive in New York volunteering for a blog in order to get some new media skills while she looked for a new job. Slim pickings in that industry as well. (Yes, I work in the cross-section of automotive AND media. Brilliant.) Obviously no one wants to work for free, but with the job market as stagnant as it is, it seems like a good idea to get some new experience and skills while job hunting. Do you know anyone who is getting creative in their search for a way forward into a new job or industry? Anyone who is starting or funding a new company in a creative way? Please let me know in comments. I can’t wait to see all the innovation that will come out of these hard times.

RIP, Ann Arbor News

Yesterday Mlive.com broke the news that The Ann Arbor News, my hometown newspaper, would be closing in July, to be replaced by AnnArbor.com. The paper has long been called “The Ann Arbor Snooze” and has shrunk to near ad circular size, as reduced advertising revenues required the paper to cut back on reporting and printing costs. The article on Mlive.com also reported that a handful of other Booth newspapers in Michigan would be reducing employee wages or cutting back to several days a week to survive.

It’s sad that Ann Arbor, the city in Michigan with the lowest unemployment rate (7.3% in January), would lose its paper first, but that is probably because Ann Arbor is also best able to convert to an online news format. The new AnnArbor.com claims that “92% of the Ann Arbor community has the skills and technology set-up to receive and engage with online news.” Yes, what will the other 8% do, and whose responsibility is that?

I admit I never read more than the headlines on the front page of The Ann Arbor News, the weather forecast, and the cartoons–and that was years ago. I got community events news from The Observer (the print edition is still far superior to their web presence: they’re going to need to do something about that soon), and national news online. My mother prefers the print format of the news but admits she was planning to cancel her subscription in the near future anyway, after decades of receiving the daily paper, because there was no longer any content in the paper she couldn’t get elsewhere….

Could this have been avoided? I’m tired of asking the question. People have been advising The News for well over a decade on how to adapt to the times, and they either botched the attempt or it simply wasn’t a feasible business model. The fact is that the community will adjust, trees will be saved (let’s be honest: printing newspapers is no longer sustainable or responsible), and more people will be out of work. Someone I know in the printing department hasn’t been able to find a new job, despite already having searched for months. She woke yesterday to hear the news of her impending layoff on the radio. That makes me feel sick to my stomach for her. But what to do?

I want to find an economically viable alternative to The News and take advantage of this vacuum to meet the needs of the community while employing some good people, but I don’t know how to get people to pay for news when it’s not crucial to them, and advertising revenue only covers the most basic (in this economy maybe uselessly so) of reporting. AnnArbor.com might just be the best option. I’m eager to see how they handle the transition. Maybe local news is just one more thing that needs to contract when times are tough. RIP, Ann Arbor News.

Jon Stewart Is In The Studio, Doin Ur Job

Jon Stewart just asked some tough questions that I’ve been waiting to hear financial journalists ask since the stock market started tanking:

How did no one see this crisis coming? Or did some people we trusted to advise us see it coming and do nothing? Why?

Why aren’t journalists and the news networks asking the tough questions?  To whom are journalists responsible?

How can a network like CNBC claim to have omnicience (“In Cramer We Trust”?!) on financial issues, then pretend nothing happened when they clearly screwed the pooch? How can they treat serious financial issues like a carnival game?

Journalists are currently facing a crisis in their own industry, and as Rocky Mountain News reporters point out, if investigative journalism goes away, who will really look into corporate corruption and tell people what is going on? Who, indeed? But then again, who is doing that now? A comedian.

Here’s my question: Could the fact that news media have largely caved to the pressure to entertain people rather than inform them of important news be the major reason they are unable to sustain profitability? Maybe it’s only partially about the medium they use to deliver the news. If a news network offered me real answers instead of a zoo of meaningless commentary, I might actually pay for that content. How about you?

Beyond the Recession/Depression/Cluster…

I just heard a third radio program discussing how maybe the media shouldn’t be discussing the possibility that this is a depression, because it might freak people out. Does spending an hour of airtime apologizing for possibly eroding consumer confidence by discussing the erosion of consumer confidence make up for the fact that you’re unnecessarily eroding consumer confidence by discussing it? Wtf, people? To move forward, we need to spend time planning for the future, not just pinpointing exactly how bad things are and adding to the hysteria. /mediarant>

Let’s look ahead. Beyond this recession/depression/cluster fudge is a gleaming future that, at least temporarily, does not involve nuclear war and destruction of this lovely planet. What are you doing, what am I doing, to prepare for it? For one, I’m not opening those stinking quarterly statements! Provided the stock market doesn’t utterly collapse, and I guess I do believe there still will BE a stock market in ten or twenty years, my portfolio will recover. If we keep investing now, hopefully we will be able to take advantage of historically low stock prices and make a bundle to retire on…someday. How low is low enough for you to start investing in the market? Are you already?

What are you doing to recession-proof your career? Do you believe there is anything you can do?

Are you considering moving? Do you think you might have to? What are you willing to sacrifice, or what have you had to sacrifice already, to stay afloat or to position yourself for the future?

Are you like my Twitter buddy @shelisrael, who believes cities like Detroit are in a prime position for a revival? Are you fleeing the burbs or Rust Belt to move closer to coastal or Southern cities? Downsizing? Stuck in your McMansion with a fat mortgage?

As nervous as I am that my beloved Michigan will be totally left behind in the next fifty years as the country’s economy shifts, I’m also quite curious to see how things will look in 2 years, 10 years. And I’d really like to know that someone out there is thinking ahead and facing the future. Let me know how you’re doing and what you’re up to in Comments.

The Future of News Is…

Front Page of La Canadien, 1806

Anyone else sick of the discussion about how the media/publishing industries can make money going forward? Not a single business model seems to be working anymore. This means one of three things: 1) There is no solution. An economic recovery will bring with it more advertising dollars, and we’ll stagger on until then. 2) There is a solution, but we haven’t gone on enough chat shows to find it yet. 3) There is no solution; there are solutions!

I’ll choose what’s behind door number three. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about what the news will look like in the future, and what I would be willing to pay for. The sad truth? I’m not really eager to pay for anything online, and that’s where I’ll be getting my news, for sure. For me to subscribe to a news service, it will have to be one-stop shopping, customized, interactive, and take the work/time out of exploring the web. I can see an improved Google homepage fulfilling some of these functions, and it occurs to me that the various functions I want from my “news” could be performed by different companies, different applications. What if we all started building niche news-serving tools like iPhone apps and then put together the best ones? Instead of reinventing the entire concept of publishing and news, we can simply invest piece by piece in the companies and tools that deliver content in new and tasty ways.

Here’s what Laura’s news feed of the (not too distant, I hope) future will look like:

- Headline news I can filter by category (block politics right before elections, or block sports I don’t give a whit about), produced by traditional news reporting/distributing agencies.

- Niche publishing industry, green technology, general interest IT, arts & entertainment, and international personal interest news. A combination of traditional reporting sources and blogs.

- Suggested news stories of all kinds based on my preferences and click-throughs.

- RSS feeds with a tool that suggests new blogs I might like to follow.

- An RSS reader that compiles blog feeds by category for easy viewing.

- A tool that keeps me informed of new or high levels of traffic on various websites across the intertubes.

- A tool that suggests new social media contacts based on my interests and activity.

- A tool that crawls the web for the best price on an item I’m thinking of purchasing, or finds baby gear sweepstakes, etc.

We consumers will pay one-time or ongoing fees for the apps that bring us the type of content filtering we like best. We can continue to pay for some content that is valuable to us, and less in-depth content will be supported by advertising dollars (hey, it could work as a partial strategy).

The good news? I believe at least marginally decent versions of all these tools/services are already available! Someone (ahem, Google) just has to put it together in a way that serves users on computers and phones, and they’re sitting on a mountain of gold. Seriously, if an iPhone fart app can make hundreds of thousands of dollars, there’s some money there for news-serving, web-exploring, horizon-expanding apps, don’t you think?

What would you like your news to do for you that it’s not currently? How would you like to access published content? Is your content lacking depth, accessibility? Let’s start a new conversation, please, on what news and published content product we’re willing to buy, not just how to make money off the old product after it’s long expired.

White-Collar Third World

If you’ve ever worked on a blog or for a publisher with online content, you know that it can be nonstop, frantic work. The online editors I’ve known have been chained to their desks and phones, fueled by caffeine drips, trying to churn out interesting and timely content for voracious readers 24/7. Voracious readers are great! Don’t get me wrong. But our insatiable appetites for free information in real-time are starting to look like our Wal-Mart shopping. We want it fast; we want it on the cheap; we want more of it! And this is creating a huge problem–for us.

As consumers of media we need to realize we’re driving market forces that are driving down writers’ and editors’ salaries, shuttering thousands of publishers, and in the process reducing the scope and quality of the content available to us. It’s natural for people to want cheaper items, goods, and services as quickly as possible. If we value quality reporting and writing, however, there is a bottom line to how much time and money it takes to provide publishing and reporting services, and I think we are crossing that line right now. You know that when The New York Times is defending bad decisions about which stories to run, it’s an epidemic.

I got pretty excited at the chance to write for a high-profile Web 2.0 startup site this week. I knew they didn’t pay all that well but was considering the gig to gain visibility and experience. When I watched their tutorial on how to pick an assignment, though, it became obvious from their screenshots that six months ago the company paid two to three times as much for the exact same content. It wasn’t great pay then, and an editor admitted to me that pay had been a “real sticking point” lately. No shit. Not only was it insultingly, prohibitively bad pay, but they were literally advertising the fact because of their sloppiness in editing the tutorial videos… which probably occurred because they laid off the majority of their in-house editorial staff a month ago due to financial pressures. Anyone else feel the pull of that downward spiral?

The editor politely laid out how much time it took writers to put these assignments together, and it boiled down to below minimum wage for research, writing, two to three rounds of edits, wiki coding the article, an extensive style guide to learn, AND only being paid for each article on acceptance. Basically, high-profile companies are beginning to offer third-world wages because they can or have to to stay afloat. What kind of content do you think that pay is going to buy for their organization and readers?

How much do you value quality reporting and writing? Are you happy to accept writing and reporting from people who either are paid $2 an hour or have to cut major corners in order to make their living as writers? What information might you as a reader miss out on because no one is being paid to find it for you? There is a debate raging right now about the entire business model media is built around, and my lil ol’ blog post isn’t going to resolve that issue. (See Mitch Ratcliffe’s post about the economics of journalism at ZDNet for a great analysis.) It seems important to me, though, that readers realize there is a cost to the free and constant flow of online content. Maybe awareness of this fact will help engage people in finding a solution that serves both industry and consumers.

Your Favorites

I have a little more time and energy lately to read blogs and look for new media outlets I want to follow, but it’s hard to cut through the noise online and find the good stuff. Today I want to know what your favorite sites are for writers, editors, or just news/fun/business in general. Here are a few of mine:

mediabistro.com (media news, job postings)

inhabitat.com (Green and fabulous stuff)

digg.com (social news site: mostly 12-yr-olds, geeks, and PR staffs voting stories up)

autoblog.com (interesting cars)

jalopnik.com (funny cars)

mastheads.org (find the right contact at a magazine)

ed2010.com (Psst! They didn’t tell you, but so-and-so is hiring.)

freelancefolder.com (freelancing)

thesimpledollar.com (frugal tips)

writetodone.com (about writing… till you’re done)

lifehacker.com (how to hack your life)

freelanceswitch.com (also self-explanatory)

hulu.com (free movies and TV! Lots and lots of 30 Rock episodes )

Okay, your turn. Give me some new sites to visit! I must have more media! What are your favorite blogs, news sites, etc.?