How do ya? Most Americans measure success with dollar signs $$$. In other words if what you do doesn't produce much money, then you really aren't successful. That's the dilemma of the starving artist and if you disagree then I think it can be argued you're in the minority, especially with the wives of America. Someone can be a great genius at what he does, but if no one pays him to do it, no one really gives him much credit for doing it.
This situation can also be used to describe many gunbloggers. Currently, there's a big controversy over at this place about 'gun-bloggers' versus traditional 'print-media' types for next week's Shot Show and media type credentials. Considering I've done both, perhaps I have a bit of insight into the subject and in my view the key factor is money.
If you're not making any money from the blogging enterprise it's pretty easy to be hyper-critical, because your snark, snide remarks and flat out criticisms won't cost you a dime. You don't suffer a thing for pissing off that manufacturer or his public relations manager and you go merrily on your way thinking you are the next great Col. Askins, Elmer Keith or whomever of gun reviews.
But if, however, you earn money, maybe even enough to provide a living, then the insightful reader will notice that the snark, snide remarks and outright criticisms falls to a minimum.....if they even exist at all.
'Traditional' print journalism that focuses on guns, firearms and tactics catches a lot of flack from the poor (literally) blogger types with the end result being they are "Holier than thou" as to their objective-ness and fairness in terms of their product reviews on their respective blogs.
They routinely accuse people like myself of being gun industry 'whores' who prostitute our integrity in continuous series of favorable reviews. If you believe that about me, search the libraries and the internet for my articles on the Colt All American 2000 pistol from years ago, or a series of AR-15's that were made on the left coast a couple of decades before that. You won't find them because the publishers wouldn't print what I wrote and I wound up doing a lot of work for nothing.
Those experiences taught me a lesson.....I'm selective about who I approach in the first place for a 'loaner/review' type product.
I will grant these critical gunbloggers they may start out to be earnest and sincere in their comments, but my view is as soon as someone starts pushing dollar bills and/or products in their direction, human nature being what it is, the situation is the same as that seen over the years with most any print publication.
Jeff Quinn, his brother and a friend run GUN BLAST, which I feel is the premier gunblog currently on the interweb. Jeff is a good guy and I enjoy being in his company. He knows and loves firearms. He truly does a good job in his reviews, but all one has to do is look at the amount of advertising on his blog and you know right away you're not going to see a damning review on his site. Why? Because he can't afford to alienate his advertisers and by that I mean some advertisers get extremely upset even if you condemn their competitors. I know I've seen it first hand in the print media.
See, if you bite one hand that feeds you, you will bite ANY hand that feeds you and that makes a lot of people nervous and uncomfortable.
It's not a new phenomenon, prior to World War Two the German Luger was roundly condemned in the American gun press, which consisted primarily of the NRA publications. The reason was pretty self-explanatory. No one imported it back. It was a foreign pistol and our society was more isolationist then. It was more "us" versus "them foreigners". That attitude died with the horse cavalry.
Gun-bloggers this next week will get the news on the interweb almost instantly, with updates every minute on the web, and that's neat if you're a consumer or someone interested in the subject. I do it at the end of each day because it allows me to summarize my daily experiences over what I've seen and what I've missed. I don't make a dime off the process while I'm at the show, but I will use the material in a way later on where I hope to. Therefore I freely admit I tone down my criticism, but that is a habit left over from covering this industry in a 'professional' manner.
(That means for you new kids, Yeah, I got paid to do this stuff. Some times I even got paid what I thought was a LOT of money to do this nonsense. Will you?)
If having been paid and having made money from writing about firearms over many years taints me in the view of some gun-bloggers then I suggest they go read the guys who are starving. I'm doing it out of my own pocket and not someone else's this year as I have for the past several years, but I wouldn't have lasted as long or stayed as long in this industry if there wasn't some way for me to do this 'professionally'.
I'm just NOT that PURE...
All The Best,
Frank W. James
Saturday, January 14, 2012
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12 comments:
Good points, and a glimpse into the world of gun-writing.
Even with my little not-for-profit shooting blog with it's meager readership, I have gotten that unhappy phone call from the unhappy sales manager. My crime? mentioning that my XXXXXXXXXX boots came apart unexpectedly and without cause.....twice.
I certainly don't expect that company to be sending me any free swag, or writing me any checks. They don't like me very much anymore.
Perhaps if I made a living from the marketing budgets of firearms related companies, that would concern me enough to regulate what I say accordingly.
Till then.... my filter has expired.
As a) the person who left the comment over at Unc's who started all of this, b) a friend of the bloggers who wrote the initial post, c) the organizer of the Gunblogger meetup at SHOT, d) an internet marketing professional and e) a gunblogger of no note whatsoever, I have sympathy for all sides of the argument.
No one who does something for love (gunblogging, in this case) likes to be told "Your passion and your love doesn't matter. It's all about the money."
Try doing that with your significant other and see what happens. :)
But.
I also help organized the 2A Blog Bash at the NRA Convention in 2009 and got to know a bunch of bloggers. Lord Almighty, we can be annoying, so i get Paul's point.
But.
Just because something is TRUE, doesn't mean you should say it. How long before all the blog posts deriding GunsAmerica popup on page one of Google? Will that affect his business? You betcha.
To use a SHOTShow-friendly metaphor, the reality of new media is that the deer now have guns. And when the deer have guns, the best thing to do is get into the ammunition business. Rather than do that, GunsAmerica has chosen to make themselves a target.
Bad move.
I think you captured why I don’t get any gun or car magazines any more. When I read that the Blastomatic 2000 is the firearm of the year and it has the ergonomics of a pregnant brick, I tend to eliminate that source of information from consideration in the future.
I tend to lean more on friends that are serious shooters and a chosen few on the internet for information, you included. When someone starts sounding like the marketing department of the product their reviewing, it tends to turn me off.
Gerry
We measure our success by the number of White combines behind the barn. Four 8800's, one 8900, one 8600. The 8600 is the only one that runs.
Dad measured success by the number Uni-farmors (four) with assorted shellers, combines, and a silage chopper.
Once, when I was in high school we had three Uni's running at once. That was for like five minutes but it has to be a record.
Buddeshepard: You MEAN YOU HAD 3 Uni's running in the SAME field AT ONCE??? Even if for 5 minutes?
I agree THAT has to have been a record...
All The Best,
Frank W. James
I don't ever plan on my writing being more than a hobby, and I don't slight those who make their living writing, either Internet or dead-tree media. If a publication or blogger is sponsored in some way by the company whose product or service they are reviewing, all I ask is that they be up-front about that relationship. We can make our own judgement as to whether or not the relationship tainted the opinions.
Hey, if you can make your living by shooting and writing, more power to you. And no-one expects someone to crucify themselves financially by pissing off the sponsors. Just be honest with us as to any possible conflicts of interest.
No matter what we do in life, we're damned if we do and damned if we don't. As long as you don't have to lie to the guy in the mirror, you're doing alright!
Thanks for the honest comments Frank, and your world is NOT a pure one (nor is any world today)...
Brother Frank...
Very well put. The nature of business--any business, including ours-- is compromise. I've been very very lucky to have as sponsors of my shows a "Who's Who" of top firearms companies. And since they produce big money commercials on the shows, hell, you know who they are...LOL!
Still, if I say I carry it, I carry it (so do you)...which means I'll trust my life to it.
In truth, we're very lucky to make our living in this field...lot of people you and I started with are gone baby gone,and we're still pulling the trigger.
I've been a blogger since 2004; a gunwriter since, oh, 1980...I still love it every bit as much as when I started...
Michael B
Ah, the Colt All American. Gunsmith friend had one come in a few months back. He wound up calling Colt and being told A: We don't support that anymore, B: We don't have any parts or advice, C: You got a problem? Tough shit(in more polite words).
Did some searching online; the main advice was "You've got one that shoots? Sell it NOW."
You've come a long way since the old days...and I think you make some good points. Reality is what it is! (I did get a kick outa Jeff doing the video on the Ruger SR22 last week where he said he uses the locks that come with the guns on his farm gates. Ha-Ha!)
I did go out and buy a SR22 based on his evaluation. I like it too!
Do it for love, and you are a slut. Do it for money, and you are a whore. Everybody is a loser.
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