Dan Gillmor Asking For Help With His Book
from the publicity-stunt dept
I saw a few days ago how Dan Gillmor decided to get a head start on things by posting an outline of his book online and asking for feedback and ideas from everyone who reads it. I didn't think much of it, mainly because it seems like the obvious thing for him to do. So, I'm actually a bit surprised that it's been drawing this much attention. Lots of bloggers hyped up what a big deal this is, and even News.com has written a short article about it. They're making it out as if this has something to do with "blogging" when I don't think it really does. It's just that Gillmor used his blog to draw attention to this move. I do think it is a good idea, but I wonder how useful a method this is for everyone. It's a method that works well for someone who has a big enough following - but if just anyone put up their book outline, it would probably get ignored. Still, it is good to see Gillmor showing he really does believe his premise that his "readers are smarter" than he is. Of course, the problem with such a concept is that it can certainly lead to a "lowest common denominator" book. However, in the right hands (and I'm sure Gillmor has the right hands), it can enhance an original concept to allow for a much deeper analysis, which is the whole point of any open conversation anyway.
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Dan Gillmor asking for help
Oh, you've already heard that one?
Then forget I mentioned it.
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