... I'm so desperate that I dream of working for some weird Internet start-up that wants to replace real journalism with blog posts.
Yes, and that's just one possible answer to the question being asked by an outfit called Publish2, the Web start-up in question. And if you are judged to have the best response, the company will hire you for an ill-defined job and give you a $1,000 hiring bonus.
From the Publish2 website:
There have never been more talented journalists ready and eager to help chart the future of journalism. If you have the skills and desire to be a part of this great transition, you should have a job that will put you front and center.
Submit your entry "I am the future of journalism because..." and put yourself in the running for a job offer with Publish2, plus a $1,000 signing bonus. We'll also get your entry in front of media companies, news organizations, journalism associations, and industry leaders who have their eyes on finding and grooming top talent.
Journalists of all ages, skill sets, and backgrounds are encouraged to enter. Tell us, your peers, and industry leaders why you are the future of journalism.
Man, I think I have a skill set, but it's buried in a box somewhere in the garage. One of my peers, Carlos Miller, digs into Publish2 on his blog, Photography Is Not A Crime:
... the $1,000 grand prize is actually a signing bonus once you accept a job offer at Publish2, the online start-up that is hosting the contest and vowing to set the standards for the future of journalism.
The concept behind Publish2, which received a $2.75 million grant earlier this year, is to serve as an aggregate service to newspapers and magazines, many who have been cancelling their AP wire services because that is only the next natural step after killing off the foreign bureaus.
Publish2 intends to provide the most interesting "links" from around the blogosphere to these publications, which apparently will replace the content they once paid for. And because these links will now be posted on the sites of major news organizations, it will turn today's blogger's into tomorrow's journalists.
At least that is how I'm gathering it. Details of Publish2's business model are still kind of vague.
