kidmercuryblog

Scott's got a new project, Publish 2, that is about bringing professional journalism online. He's asking for feedback about it.

Let's start with the good news.

1. Scott understands the game is about trust, and is working to create a network of people he trusts (professional journalists).

2. Like JDawg, Scott is investing in human intelligence -- a bet I like quite a bit. Unlike JDawg, Scott seeks to create opportunities for skilled labor (creativity 2.0), as opposed to labor that could otherwise be automated (sweatshop 2.0). I like this a lot.

3. Scott's leveraging commoditized, open source technology (Drupal) to increase the return on human intelligence.

Now for some of the bad news.

1. Is this about all of us going to Scott's site? Like is this one of those "if everyone comes than it will have network effects" type of deals?

In other words, Scott -- are you trying to pull a Facebook on us?

'Cause I ain't down with havin' someone run a Facebook on me.

2. Scott says he wants to help journalists build a brand. But, by the same token, he says his company is aspiring to be "the ultimate consumer-facing news service." But if YOU are the ultimate consumer-facing news service, and as a journalist, I too am a consumer-facing news service....

LOOKS LIKE WE MIGHT BE IN DIRECT COMPETITION.

So the question worth asking: are journalists like me in direct competition with Publish2?

3. Scott's introductory posts makes it clear that the term "journalist" is being broadly defined and reinvented. But, at the same time, he seems to be working with old school journalists whom he claims are trusted and understand new media. I'd love to hear Scott talk about Operation Mockingbird, the JFK assassination, the RFK assassination, the Franklin Coverup, CIA drug trafficking, or -- the big daddy of them all -- 9/11, and the complete and utter lack of journalistic integrity Scott's "trusted" mainstream media allegedly possesses. Will Publish2 censor stories? How does Publish2 feel about President Bush buying the news? Will Publish2 promote propaganda like so many media outlets have openly done before?

I hope Scott will answer these questions for us. In either event, Scott, we are both in the business of helping professional bloggers succeed. And so, if you are ever interested in pursuing strategies that involve helping professional bloggers build their own social networks, let me know, as that is a field I am working on (as evidenced by my blog). You certainly are worthy of receiving a gesture from my gesture bank, as all of the most promising web 2.0 talent are.

I've applied to be a part of Scott's beta, so hopefully I'll be able to share more insight into the project.