Your opinion as a citizen journalist

Thanks.

I think that Citizen Journalist will be forced to program and administrate their own Citizen Journalist Sites that are owned by all the members themselves. This is happening I myself, happen to be in the middle of writing community software. But some are up and running and being trialed and developed already. One I will be using in unison with this site as all I am doing is hedging my bets so to speak, new sites take a time to become popular?  This is why Citizen Journalist should swap email addresses, many have already I personal have loads.

But its early days and whats happened now is many of us are watching for changes that shoe political intrusion heavy to the right wing. 

I'm a little surprised by your content. Normally you don't use disjointed sentences and bad grammar. While I may agree with the opinion expressed, it's difficult to read. You may want to run it through MS Word's editor, with options that it checks for EVERYTHING from spelling to fragmented sentences to verb usage, to repeated words.

It won't catch mistakes like this : ..... and debate and give opinions. Tells an interesting tale,...

so you'll have to re-read it to catch those.

I haven't been here long enough to know everyones reason for joining NowPublic.  As far as I know, at least in m case, I was not introduced to the owners when I first joined here.  I found out about the staff and owners as I went along.

As far as I know I wasn't vetted either.  I found fellow writers and Staff and Guest Editors very helpful to send me on my way to enjoy this venture.

I understand when people want to hedge their bets.  Our stories and comments are our investment on this site.  The owners had to make business decisions and that involves real money.

I can understand that some people may feel cheated because they weren't consulted, but reality is that in all likelihood nothing would have changed as far as a business decision is concerned.

Since the announcement, I really haven't seen any changes that negatively affected the site, except for the examiner ads and pesty pop ups.  Pop ups can be controlled by the browser.

I will wait and see what happens in the future before I jump to conclusions.

Based on two previous articles and this one, I think the owners know how the writers feel.  Michael Tippett is to send us all an e-mail in the near future, hopefully it will address the points that were raised here and the way forward.

By our nature we are all free spirits and we will decide what we feel is best for us. 

We all have friends on this site on both sides of the political spectrum that we enjoy debating and exchanging ideas with.

I would be disappointed if this family on nowpublic fell apart over ownership.  I think we're  all bigger than that.

That is all I'm going to say about this subject.

Well I thought about emailing it instead, but hey, you're a big boy babel-fish, you can take a little heat. I'm sorry, but that kind of stuff is just a pet peeve of mine. I'm sure it comes from getting all A's in English and writing classes, both in High School AND college. And no I don't work for NP. I do however, write for a living and having followed many of your articles, and it just surprised me that this one read as it did. Normally your articles are more polished grammatically.

And yes I did take into consideration where you live.

Personally I think that Citizen Journalism is evolving into something different from what was first quoted. This, as we all know, happens a lot.

We still have to look at the net itself as a baby, for that is what it is - only a few short years ago we could never have communicated like this. We also have to look at things such as blogs, Twitter, Social websites - it has - with one great flourish - changed all our lives. How many younger people do you speak to know that there was never an internet? 

With Citizen Journalism you get a real feel for the 'dirty'. It is what we, as citizens, feel - and we will express it how we see fit.

If we get a few dollars for doing so, is there really anything wrong in that? If, on the other hand, we are told that we have to have a certain opinion and are then to express that - that is mainstream journalism. Or what is know as mainstream these days.

I am now on my third cup of coffee, it helps my think and mull things over.

What if?

Why did the big boys buy Nowpublic, they all ready have a foot hold in the US and Canada.

What don't the have? 

A easy avenue to expand out into the world and what does NP have well members living across the globe.

So of course NP will be the world examiner or be raided for its talent overseas, as well as changing it political balance possibly.

Now if I was in that business and I see an avenue to make more money and expand the their form of paid amateur free lance journalism (cheap labor). I would be looking at raiding the NP talent overseas in the most cost effective way. Then sell off NP

Meanwhile I would run competitions such as writing and photo ones where profit can be made from the entrance fees with exotic prizes. Possibly link to my own casino and gambling sites etc.   

I've left my comments up thread below the Cynic. Very timely babel-fish. Send all your future stories to master jim before posting. lol

nice news

Being a newbie, i know nothing.  nothing, i say.

If this were the only site on the internet where a person could post their views and opinions, perhaps there should be concern.  As it is, it is but one of many.

Has their been any editing of articles or opinion?

If the new owner wants to get stupid and drive off the people that make the site successful, there won't be much return on his investment. 

Political views aside, he is certainly a savvy businessman. Will he run NP into the ground? Maybe, if he takes a page from the radical left, and tries to marginalize those that don't agree with his views. 

We all saw how that worked out for Obama.

.....The fact is NP gains something from the writers whom contribute and now they are making a profit from it.. I have a problem with that..My problem is with the guy who bought NP. There are other things that are troubling.

1.In 2001 the executive he hired to manage his QWest Corporation was indicted for insider trading with Condoleezza Rice..siting lucrative blackbox Telecommuncations Contracts with the government. Now we know this was before the Iraq And Afghanistan War....So what were they planning? And given the information it is telling prior to 911 happening indicates that Condi knew that 911 was an inside job......this puts Anschutz in the middle of this.

2. He has a huge Entertainment Business. I wonder his mental collusion in thinking News is Entertainment... He may think so..But I don't.....and it is a telling attempt to blurr the two professions by this guy....probably intentional because Entertainment makes violence seem not real, oh that could never happen....or so what kind of attitude...because we are conditioned so much with violence on TV as not real....so we make no protests about it....So if they mix up our feelings and perceptions with this and in the real world under the tag of News/Entertainment has Anschutz's Empire is....we do not become traumatized by real wars....and the killing and torture of people.... We think well it's like Entertainment.. I have a big problem with this and the brainwashing they committ everyday in our subliminal surroundings.. They are evil people.

3. He has was the last person to be booking Michael Jackson, and the guy who refused to refund tickets when the Pop Star suddenly died. Why is that? He was also moving forward with a deal in selling Neverland to him Michael Jackson's home. Why would MJ sell his Neverland? He was not that hard up for money...And then his death? I think he was silenced, maybe he knew stuff about Anschuz that he did not want known, so had him tranquilized and murdered.. I would not put it past these people.

4. He owes the IRS a whopping 143.6 million in back taxes. How is it a Billionare does not pay his taxes? Something really corrupt about this guy.

5. Never did like his ploy to snag David Bechum for his New Galaxy in LA. David was lured just like Michael Jackson because of their talented ability and they wanted to use them for their profits and gain.. Just like they are using Nowpublic. David is from the UK and he should play with his team..instead of tempting him with big money...which is ultimately connected to the Secret Inside US Government CIA crooks.

I do believe that NP has a legal avenue to get out of the deal....and that is NP can not make Big Media Bucks from Anschutz because it violates the trust to the writers. It violates the reason NP came into existence and that was an alternative News source..for citizen journalism. They are using the labor of writers to profit from.....It is Internet Fraud...and a Scam. Contributing so they make money, and making you feel good you can write is against the law and an example of ghost slavery, trickery, snake oil charm tactics.

My adivice is to form a Writers and Photography Union.. Not the same as UAW...because we won't ask for dues and Union fees. Only the vote and confidence that writers works are not being used to profit from without compensation....and that does not mean staff makes more and the writers make less. If you don't join the Union you are declared as a Big Media supporter...and you can not post articles or photographs in this Citizen Journalist Site...

The Rev.......

For me, citizen journalists, is an army of citizen reporting without borders with just the click of the mouse or in cellphones... These includes: news websites, user comments, citizens blogs, recieved SMS, photos and videos written and published intirely by citizens...   

Amused