GITweekly

We’re on our way back. Promise. Seriously peoples.

After some unseen, iceberg-like, irritating delays – We’re back and writing for GITweekly.com.

Expect some exhilarating content in the coming days.

Cheers.

DW

@DaveyWhale

By the way – if you feel like you could contribute to the content stocks of the site just drop us a line.

Cheers again.

In the spirit of Shot of Jaq style editorial I’m posing this question as a discussion not a condemnation. Far from it in fact. Bukisa and other such content devices may be the saviour of the blog-world. Then again they could be stamped with the topical brush – Content Farm.

So a wee bit of background first – then off you all go to your corners to discuss.

Bukisa is apparently a place to share your knowledge. If your posted content (article, video, etc.) is good enough to garner some eyeballs you get paid. In the spirit of certain selling schemes, of which I will not deign to utter names, you invite your like minded friends and family to spruik their audio and visual wares on the site as well. If they get some clickage you get paid some coinage for their efforts and your persuasiveness.

Demand Media, on the other hand, gets folks to create and curate content (their words). I’m not about to say how much they’ll pay, although they themselves deem the cash to be “serious*”. That content is then used to power other sites – including YouTube. In a nutshell, Demand Media get bloggers to give them 400 words about nose hair and then on-sell that to nose-hair dot com. Create and sell using an army of eager beaver bloggers.

So the things y’all will have to have a chat about are:

• Are companies like Bukisa and Demand Media exploiting the average Joe Blogger out there – or are they providing a much needed service for bloggers without a voice?
• Are they paying the bloggers a fair wage for a fair days work?
• Are companies, like Demand Media, broadening the range of content available for all of us on the web (they appear to be able to find niche topics like no one else)?
• What damage (if any) are these types of companies causing ”Old” media?
• Does “Old” media need to be protected from the hordes of “new” media?
• Are they hurting niche bloggers?
• And are they hurting the career writers and journalists out there who actually earn their living from writing – like news journos and  feature writers (I think they are really struggling)?

Anyway, have a chat amongst yourselves.

Let us know what you think.

For my 2.5 cents.

You get what you pay for. If the content is good on the site – well and good. If it’s rubbish I don’t go back.

And for the bloggers thinking about selling their content for next to nix – is the time and effort spent at the keyboard worth the time you could be spending with you kids or exploring the world with loved ones?

Just think about it.

* Demand Media failed to say which context the word “serious” should be taken. So they could mean “lotsa” cash or they could mean the money they pay you does not have a clown printed on it.