Blogging can kill? Depends on how and who.

on April 6, 2008 4:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (217) | TrackBacks (0)

The "27 hour" reference at the top of this page, is of course a reference to the fact that Alex and I live in two different time zones, but working with a partner across the country writing on technology and politics, which both move at incredible speeds these days, can take its toll. Now, the NYT says that blogging can kill.

Actually, two prominent tech bloggers have died recently. Russell Shaw and Marc Orchant expired from heart problems within the past six months. But, is the blogging the reason? NYT states the obvious, that in an always-on world, we're always on:

Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet.

True, it's compulsive. I see things and post, even when I should be sleeping or working or whatever. The travel and the events take their toll. Even Michael Arrington realizes that "this is not sustainable"

What the article hits on next is something that has been bothering me for a while. Companies like Gawker Media pay per post, or pay for benchmarks like hit counts or clicks, and offer bonuses. The Times talks about how much bloggers are paid, which of course is a red herring because blogging is writing. How many people are starving writers working day jobs? On the other hand, pay per click or pay per post is, I think, an abusive business model. $10 per post? How many posts a day to feed a family? How many hours? Does that seem fair to anyone out there?

If you're going to hire a writer, do it on quality, not quantity. The clicks will come if a writer develops sources, credibility, etc. I've seen it happening here as our visitors have become more numerous, and stayed on the site longer. (thank you for that, by the way).

Maybe some of the more prominent tech bloggers, like Arrington, could make a move to push the industry away from pay-per-post and pay-per-click. I know that Alex and I have had times when we've taken "shifts" and if there was a question we had to agree on, a simple phone call would do, and the other could get back to sleep or on with his life.

Why aren't we pushing for fair labor standards for bloggers? We all want the same thing, and we wouldn't be in this if we didn't want to work hard, but when you are a business based around blogging (like Gawker) don't you have a responsibility to follow fair labor standards? Even if there isn't a law, shouldn't you be treating the smart, hard working writers you hire with the same respect that you would treat the smart readers that you so covet?

And seriously, I know NYT rushes to Michael because he has a JD and the Gawker writers who are all but sharecroppers and all that, but what of the Scobles of the world who are lucky to have someone behind them who doesn't expect a ROI?

I actually think this was what Michael was warning about last month even though he wasn't as specific. As I told Matt Bai at POLC last month, I call myself a writer or editor first and foremost. To dismiss us as "bloggers" means we can be treated differently even when we work to uphold our own high standards, to create content that readers want to read, and that helps move along a conversation.

Companies like Gawker can do what they do because "oh, they're just bloggers" but you know what, they're investigative writers, journalists, photographers and all around content providers who are underpaid and way overworked. FIVE HOURS OF SLEEP? REGULARLY?

SIck. I know that Alex and I take shifts and we talk to each other about what should be covered. If news breaks, we talk. We're a team. We communicate. If we had a third partner, we'd put them in the same loop, not treat them like an employee or slave. Writers write to break a story, not to please a VC. All this VC money into "blogging" is going to kill the industry, and it looks like the stress it brings may kill some of us as well.

I'm getting back on my bike.

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217 Comments

By suzymiller on April 6, 2008 5:33 AM

Thank goodness you are pursuing this conversation. Keep it going.

My experience of trying to draft an ethical sustainability policy for my website is that it's no good relying on top down action - the focus in the UK is on corporates because they need strong CSR policies to get overseas contracts - so you just have to do it yourself.

Why don't you draft your own policy/guidelines and post it as a wiki?

By the way, I have had to type this as a text document and quickly paste it in to the comments box as it kept disappearing on me! Could be a problem my end, but just wanted to let you know.....

Suzy

By PJ Griffith on April 6, 2008 1:31 PM

I have never though about this much, but it does make sense...

By anomie on April 6, 2008 10:01 PM

You sound very frustrated and stressed, and probably rightly so. But Legislation is NOT the answer. I love your conclusion and totally agree= getting on your Bicycle and riding IS the answer.

Physical inactivity and long hours at the computer have many physically unhealthy aspects.

Another aspect, unreported in mainstream press asfaik, is the prevalence of blood clots that long hours at a computer can create in people. This once was only associated with long airline flights. Now it is occurring in programmers and others who sit in front of a computer for long periods of time.

More information at Long hours at computers may cause blood clots.

By Saskboy on April 7, 2008 6:41 PM

I tend not to think of blogging as an industry, because the vast majority of bloggers are in it for the diary aspect of it, not the news publication aspect. The line between them is so fine, that laws for labour standards don't make sense. It's a business you run yourself. If you're hiring people there are already labour standards (at least where I come from in Saskatchewan).

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