Yahoo -- Will This Work?

From USA Today:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2010-11-15-yahoonews15_ST_N.htm

And this little nugget:

 

They already feature Associated Content garbage on their main page. I guess they're cutting out the middle man.

Actually, turns out they bought up AC a few months ago and are now rebranding it:

http://www.techrockies.com/associated-content-relauched-as-yahoo!-contributor-network/s-0032296.html

 

Will it work...as what?

 

I have a friend who does this, and she is not happy with Yahoo.

 

If you are an unknown young (or old) writer or photographer, this is a bad deal. Far better to try and establish your own site where there's at least a 10 million to one shot you'll get noticed, draw an audience and eventually get paid than to be part of the Yahoo content/sludge pile lumped in with 2000 people just like you.

 

It will work to further blur the line between professional journalists and bloggers.

 

As a legitimate way people get news and information.

 

Is Yahoo enough of a journalistic name for me to trust any news that some no-name might put on such a network? I doubt it. Far different from Yahoo's sports staff writers, who are largely known quantities from other media. Now, as a repository of different viewpoints and slices of life...maybe, if there's any degree of quality control.

 

The Examiner.com?

 

Legitimate, accountable, reliable, accurate....would you turn to 400,000 unreviewed, unedited, unvetted reports by unknown and unaccountable contributors, or would you turn to one of the many brand-name news sources that already exist?

You know I wasn't picking on your headline, right? I just don't know what the goal is here. Feels like talk radio, where people call in because they get their big moment to be heard.

But glad to see the 21s beat the Webbys! At last!

 

Don't worry, the standings will be locked to the way they were before the game.