Skewed and Reviewed have posted an opinion piece about some of the dangers facing online journalism in the hands of mega sites that are killing off the smaller valid sites.
Gareth Von Kallenbach of Skewed and Reviewed looks at the movies that Hollywood has planned for us in the next few years and looks at the newly rumored new Star Wars films as well as several other films in various stages of development.
It was an awesome weekend but exhausting with two panels and two receptions. I look forward to next year and getting ready for our next convention but only after I can just be a journalist at E3, PAX, Comicon, Blizzcon, and D23.
Glad you enjoyed it. The smaller Comic Cons are tiring but not as tiring as the big one in San Diego....it takes me a week to get over that one....but I love it. Wish I could go again this year but can't....we're already talking about maybe going again next year though.
I plan to get in as much of San Diego as I can. I have E3 next Tuesday and it starts at 9 AM with the Nintendo conference then 12-6 in the big halls getting in as many meetings and card exchanges as I can.
Gareth Von Kallenbach of Skewed and Reviewed recently did a segment on the BJ Shea Morning Experience in Seattle where he looked at some of the summers hottest new films including The Green Lantern, Captain America, Super 8, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides and more.
Gareth Von Kallenbach of Skewed and Reviewed looks at the summer movies of 2011 on Undead Radio on KISW FM. Gareth Talks about Thor, Green Lantern, Captain America, Cowboys and Aliens, The Hangover 2, X-Men First Class, Super 8, and much more.
I think they are a big reason why some websites and new journalists are not given a chance, but at the same time its not the entire reason.
I have been a journalist in the video game and movie industry for nearly 6 years now, maybe a little more than that. I have seen it evolve, mostly the video game industry. If you are getting the hits, getting the connections isn't hard. However getting the hits is what is becoming a challenge now. I have not gotten paid in the past 3 years, even after I helped a website get into the 50k alexa rankings.
You have so many "journalists" jumping in this game to make money fast and they write like high school drop outs. People see this and it only pushes them further to the big name sites. Its gotten to a point where if you don't write for someone with a big company behind it you are looked down upon because these people trying to make a quick buck are ruining things. N4G and so on has helped people spread this negative opinion that EVERYONE sucks. You have a glimpse, well your wrong. You have an early lead? Well we will wait till IGN reports it. You have an opinion? well its wrong. Even the bigger name sites get hit by these A LOT.
I think the major concern I have seen is people can freely express themselves and put people down with almost no consequences and thats whats putting these smaller sites down the most. You are unkonwn so YOU SUCK! I see it everyday, especially on N4G (which I why im truly hoping Filmwatch doesn't turn into that) However go anywhere with an active forum. Someone will say something sucks, even if the write has very strong opinions and good reasoning, and people will simply just bash the article.
However its also somewhat fun to get them wild up at times. :P
I remember about 9 years ago a rep said I cant talk about that with you as you and I do not have "That" type of relationship with you. I also remember a producer on an X-Files game sent an interview back with a thread that I was not supposed to see. It said oh that lower tier freelancer have you seen his site, what a joke but I will do this for you. Both of them are no longer in the business now. To the first I said the game was common knowlefege and the flavor of the month sites you fawn all over will be gone in two years and I will still be here. ( I was right. The second one, I called out the rep and said so just because I cant program advanced HTML and have a temp site while we get a new one made, does not diminish the quality of my work. Also, a freelancer is someone who goes hat in hand to publications for work. I own my site and syndicate thats why so many sites carry my work and credit the source.
What I tryed to do was start an organization of Indy sites who worked with one another to share news and such.