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I’m in the Publishing Business

J Angelo wrote at the Blog Herald that he’s had a hard time explaining what he does for a living. To most people that he talks to, blogging or problogging isn’t even a career or is still nowhere near a form of livelihood. As for me, I’d always explain it in really simple terms that 99% of the people I talk to can understand — I’m in the Publishing business.

Here’s why:

  • Think of me as a one-man newspaper. When I did a talk over at Nestle Philippines, I explained that as a problogger, there’s not much difference between me and say Manila Bulletin (print) or Inquirer.net. We’re all in the publishing business. They may have dedicated writers, editors, photographers, programmers, designers and an Editor-in-Chief. But I also have a writer, editor, photographer, programmer and designer on my blog. Just so happen that I alone do all those stuff and still manage to be the Editor-in-Chief and the Sales Manager as well.
  • The business model is simple and has been around for centuries — advertising. Well, online advertising may be fairly new in this part of the region but everyone’s already familiar with traditional advertising. Let’s just say that the internet or new media is a growing platform, although I think the mobile media is way ahead of it in the Philippines. So, if you get a text message from Smart or Globe to download a ringtone or wallpaper, it’s no different from seeing an ad beside a blog entry. I think SMS ads are even worse since you can’t practically control what you get and when you get it. At least in blogs, you can choose not to read them or you can go and get the desensitized RSS version. Reminds me of Manny Pacquiao’s boxing fights and how many advertisers wanted to have their logo stitched on his pants and jacket. Will that affect Manny’s performance inside the ring?
  • The compensation package are almost the same. If bloggers get paid on a per post basis, magazine contributors are also paid the same. As a matter of fact, the going rates for bloggers on a per post basis is as good as a local magazine’s rate (that’s basing from experience with writing for both.) If sites like ReviewMe or PPP suggests what kind of review bloggers can write about a product or service, you’d be surprised that magazines also require an almost similar guideline. At least with ReviewMe, they don’t have the authority to edit your blog post. Your article contributions on a magazine will surely get one.

Ms. Malou Mangahas gave me a book about the media and journalism in the Philippines and I read there that there’s no governing body for media so anyone with money can put up their own newspaper. With blogging, the start-up capitalization in the publishing business has just become close to nil.

So to my fellow grassroot probloggers, when you’re asked what you do next time, just tell them you’re in the publishing business. ;)

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Avatar for Abe Olandres

Abe is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of YugaTech with over 20 years of experience in the technology industry. He is one of the pioneers of blogging in the country and considered by many as the Father of Tech Blogging in the Philippines. He is also a technology consultant, a tech columnist with several national publications, resource speaker and mentor/advisor to several start-up companies.

14 Responses

  1. Avatar for Chino Chino says:

    I was there when you gave a talk at Nestle, I was actually the next person who will give a talk. LOL

    Anyway, It’s because of that talk you did that made me go serious on blogging. Thanks Abe.

    Bakit ka kase nagmamadali nung sa nestle.. bigla kang umalis! Di tuloy kita nakilala ng personal. haha

  2. Avatar for Andrew Andrew says:

    Saying “problogger” defeats the purpose. I think Yuga’s point is to give an answer that doesn’t require further explanation.

  3. Avatar for jaren jaren says:

    wow… hrmm. nice tip! thanks.

    “i’m in the publishing business”
    really sounds like your big guy… in charge…

    but still “problogger” sounds elite…

  4. Avatar for elmer elmer says:

    IMO it depends on who’s asking. if a person is a tech savvy then i would tell him/her that i maintain my own blog and im working as full-time blogger otherwise i would say that im into internet publishing business and im the owner.

  5. Avatar for Jonas Diego Jonas Diego says:

    Great analogy. :)

  6. Avatar for Marcvill Marcvill says:

    So when King Leonidas of Sparta asks you, “What is your profession!!?”… You’d say, “I’m in the publishing business! Ahu!”.

    But I still think the term ‘problogger’ sound cooler!

  7. Avatar for ia ia says:

    *the company owned

  8. Avatar for ia ia says:

    This exactly what I said to a friend on a phone when he asked me what exactly did I do. He thought we made websites for clients, but I said the company all the websites we made. Then I said, think of it as a publishing house. Just like publishing books. :)

    Web design is a different dilemma, though. I tried explaining to a client what a CMS is and why you should get paid a little higher for modifying it compared to creating static websites. Argh.

  9. Avatar for jayvee f. jayvee f. says:

    this is what i would always tell them as well.

  10. Avatar for Nightshift Nightshift says:

    Of course! There’s nothing else how to call it but publishing. So, can I say that I am a web publisher and a newspaper publisher too, since I manage a newspaper in our town? he he.

  11. Avatar for Noemi Noemi says:

    Depends who I talk to. If the person is not into the internet, I’d probably say “publishing”.

  12. Avatar for Miguel Miguel says:

    Makes great sense. Especially when you hit the “Publish” button!

  13. Avatar for mr nice ash mr nice ash says:

    i’m looking forward to it. that i will say ‘I am in the publishing business.’

    PS – meron talagang improvement yung suggestion mo. galing galing…

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