Fair and DOESN’T miss anything

Following on previous about sugar and spice.

Another Nieman item. Bloomberg and DailyMail are trying something new which SHOULD have been old. They recognize that social media is taking care of basic information for free. They’re finally grasping the two-way obligation of SERVICE in exchange for money.

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Boyce was keen to emphasize that journalism can’t only be about utility — it has to be unique and leverage expertise unavailable elsewhere. But, she said, “I think expectations have changed. Audiences expect to be able to take something away from the journalism they’re consuming. It’s not enough anymore just to give a headline or answer a simple question. AI and social have really taken that over.”

Ultimately, usefulness is becoming a core part of subscription strategy, as well as a way of attracting new audiences. “People still want information, and they want good information, but information on its own isn’t enough,” said Binns. “They want context and someone to explain why something matters, what’s normal, what needs attention first, what can wait and what a sensible first step looks like.”

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Lilienthal of the TVA said it best in 1944. TVA was localized because experts must live with the people. Partly to diffuse the center of power, mostly to be useful. Technicians who live with the people become smarter by learning from the people. (See Carver.) After the people have confidence in the experts, the people will help protect the experts from bureaucratic and partisan attacks. (See Machiavelli.)

Above all, experts must show people WHY something is needed, in personal terms. How will this improve our lives? Experts who live in distant capitals are prone to superiority and contempt. They know the scientific or management theories, they know how to file reports and satisfy HR. Peasants are not in the theory or the compliance regulations, so they don’t exist.

Per previous item, American science and tech mags in the 50s and 60s were NOT good at serving. They provided enough sugar and spice but didn’t answer our questions or help us. Italian electronics mags provided LOTS of petals and nectar, and also gave specific service in exchange for the subscriber’s money.

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From Radio-Pratica:

How to build a ground-fault protector ckt:

Details of modern mic preamps:

Pardon me a few minutes while I take a ‘nap’…..

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Now where were we? Ah. Here’s a clever way to insure that requests for ‘consultation’ on ckt problems come only from paid subscribers:

You have to write the problem on this form and tear it out.

When you pay for a product, you should be exclusively entitled to service.

Modern web services often miss this basic BALANCE, expecting people to donate with no BALANCING obligation by the website, or providing service for free. It works in some cases, but if you want lasting loyalty, you need a two-way contract. Pay for value, value for pay.

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Carver’s rules for science and life:

Look about you.
Take hold of the things that are HERE.
Talk to them.
Let them talk to you.