For the Love of the Game
By Bob Kaehms
Editors and quarterbacks have much in common. Michael Floyd has never ceased to amaze me with his uncanny ability to scramble when the lineup breaks down, lateral to me for a feature, or put his head down and run to avoid a sack. Rarely have we been shut out in putting out a high-quality magazine with a small staff. In contrast, my cousin's kid, Cade, with a huge front line and a strong program behind him, was perhaps two plays away from a national title, led the nation in passing efficiency, and broke every passing record at UCLA by the end of his junior year.
His grandmother told me two things about Cade. First, the key to his success is keeping his priorities straight: God, then family, then football. Second, when Grandma asked how he runs so well, he replied: "Grandma, when I run like that, it's because I'm scared! Those guys are really big, and really fast!"
Like that oncoming rush, this industry is really big, and really fast. Unlike football, the rules of the Web change by the second. The money guys call audibles from the stands. Crowds are fickle with chants of "more, faster, better, cheaper." Members of the front line, distracted by pregame hype, contemplate their own deals as free agents.
So while I line up to take this first snap, there's a lot on my mind. Will advertisers invest in a magazine they may not understand, even if it speaks to the true innovators in corporations, startups, and consulting companies that define this industry? Can we compete with newsgroups in real time, megasites with large budgets, and software firms that teach Web techniques from their own home pages? How do we maintain our editorial integrity without a paid subscriber base? Is there an inherent conflict in showing readers free solutions in this commercially subsidized environment?
Here are my thoughts.<>
