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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