mdfsmash:

moth:

Reblogged from Rick Webb:

So, I’ve been following The Media is Dying twitter feed for a while. It’s interesting, and good information. It bums me out a bit, but I also love the strange feel that it gives you that you’re actually watching the media die in real time. It’s a really good think piece.

Most of my thinking, however, has been trending towards the fact that this is all being blown out of proportion, and the media is not, in fact, dying. In fact, the more I look at things, the more I realize that the story’s not being told correctly. I just don’t buy it.

I don’t buy that the media companies are doing any worse than other industries in this economic downturn.

I don’t equate “the newspaper industry” with “the media.”

I don’t buy that it’s ALL doom and gloom out there.

I remember in economics classes in college learning about the depression, and how it wasn’t what I had in my mind. Even at the peak unemployment rate, 3 out of 4 people had jobs. I always imagined EVERYONE being unemployed.

I also think that a LOT of internet people have no concept of just how much money goes through the media companies. Time warner collected THIRTY FIVE BILLION DOLLARS last year. Even if you take out their insanely large, profitable, growing cable division, their revenues are still 4 times Google’s. It’s madness.

What we have going on is a re-alignment. In re-alignments, there are losers, yes. But there are also winners. To give some balance, we should be focusing on them too.

So, as an exercise, Noah Brier and I are launching The Media is Thriving on Twitter. Let’s focus on the positive once in a while.

I’m already ridiculously overworked, though, and of course I can’t be everywhere at once, so I NEED YOUR HELP. If you work in advertising, or the media (new or old), please share with me good news. Has your company not had any layoffs? Let us know? Is someone hiring? Let us know! Is your company growing? Let us know! Find any other positive evidence about the media world? Drop us a line!

This is the best idea I’ve heard in a while.  - Tim

Noah might be the smartest guy I know, we should listen to him.