Can Media companies “get out of the way”
Jeff Jarvis mentions a post from a colleague of mine, Scott Anderson, about Big Media’s failure to successfully embrace online communities.
Jeff likes to quote Craig Newmark of cragislist, saying Media needs to “get out of the way” and enable the end users.
Of course he’s right, but that is a two-part show.
1. Recognize the need to get out of the way.
2. Get out of the way.
Obviously, there are intelligent people working for these companies who understand that. Scott Anderson proves that, so let’s assume the first step is or will be successful.
Part two involves actual action. These companies are huge ships to steer in a day when you need a PT Boat to be competitive.
Let’s assume that issue can be overcome. There is one final mine field. Wall Street.
Getting out of the way and enabling communities on the internet is the same disintermediation** that is making eBay, Craigslist and others successful. That success has a short term (at least) negative effect on the traditional “cut” for Big Media, like classified ads.
Since many of the companies are publicly traded, the shareholders are going to have to accept that there will be a short term hit from within on some of their traditional strengths in order to be a long term player.
No war was won without the winning side conceding some loss for the end goal of victory.
Will the shareholders accept that these companies may need to damage currently successful practices for a long term goal? I don’t know.
**Disintermediation and media both stem from the latin medius, or middle. Interesting, considering the strategy suggested here is to get out of the way. It seems to me that we are asking media to pick a side.