Jonathan Schwartz is President and Chief Operating Officer of Sun Microsystems, Inc. He answered some questions for me for a story on blogging, but only a few words made it into the final article (due out in print next week).
Question: What value can an employee's blog offer to an enterprise?
Schwartz: Sun serves such a fantastically diverse set of constituents - from 12 year old girls downloading games on Vodafone Live!'s new gaming service, to Wall Street technologists, to CIO's at large retailers, to mobile developers in the medical community to journalists we try to keep apprised of our strategies and perspectives - that having one person, or one ad campaign, can't possibly serve our needs. Blogs, on the other hand, give us phenomenal reach, and a very efficient communications vehicle to engage in a dialogue with our ecosystem - targeting the two skills all our constituents share: they can read. And they all have internet access.
If you're not speaking about your products or business to the public, someone else is doing it for you. If your customers are reachable via the internet, you've now got a lot of competition for their time and attention - the internet is so clearly a vital part of establishing and maintaining relationships with customers and constituents.
Question: Does Sun encourage or support your blog?
Schwartz: Sun encourages all of its employees to blog, not just me. We want folks to be an active member in their communitities. Sun provides the software and support for any employee who wishes to enter the blogosphere. I'm an ardent believer that our own employees are our best ambassadors. For a sampling of the wide range of folks doing great things visit blogs.sun.com.
Question: Are there any corporate policies you have to abide by when it comes to content?
Schwartz: Mike Dillon (our General Counsel) and I have spent quite a bit of time talking about the implications of blogging. Our employees are literally the people creating technologies driving the Internet, they have had access to that network since the inception of Sun more than 20 years ago. Our view is first and foremost, organizations must have good, effective policies and practices surrounding disclosure and public communications, independent of blogging or network architecture. Ours are very rigorous, and every employee signs a policy statement that says they understand it - that's not to say you don't have to remind folks now and then, but that's not unique to blogging.
Finally, one of the most interesting things to keep an eye on in the coming years will be the intersection of folks protected by the 1st amendment with those under the scrutiny of fiduciary obligation. Something tells me it's going to be an interesting ride...
Sunday, September 12, 2004
Monday, July 5, 2004
Foreign Correspondents Club
The Foreign Correspondents' Club in Shanghai is an extremely active organization. It hosts talks with news makers as well as cultural and social events.
Several of its members have been very kind in showing me around the city. Bill Marcus, a Shanghai-based freelance business and political journalist, entered me a raffle that netted me a case of Veuve Clicquot Champage. I immediately threw a party.
Betta Plebani, who reports for BBC Brazil and other radio news programs, has introduced me to the city's "wet" produce markets and the fabric market, where you can buy silk and get it sewed into the outfits of your choice. It's a joy to watch her haggle in Italian-accented Chinese. The woman is a linguistic marvel -- she speaks fluent English, Russian, Spanish, Portueguese, Dutch and I don't know how many other languages.
Several of its members have been very kind in showing me around the city. Bill Marcus, a Shanghai-based freelance business and political journalist, entered me a raffle that netted me a case of Veuve Clicquot Champage. I immediately threw a party.
Betta Plebani, who reports for BBC Brazil and other radio news programs, has introduced me to the city's "wet" produce markets and the fabric market, where you can buy silk and get it sewed into the outfits of your choice. It's a joy to watch her haggle in Italian-accented Chinese. The woman is a linguistic marvel -- she speaks fluent English, Russian, Spanish, Portueguese, Dutch and I don't know how many other languages.
Saturday, April 17, 2004
Turtles, snakes and giant frogs
The oldest (Anastasia, or "Kiska," who's 9) has been enrolled in, and is going to, school. A local Chinese school -- five minute walk from our housing complex, and even on the same block! It looks a little dingy, a little Soviet, but you can't beat the commute and she'll definitely be learning a lot of Chinese.
We'll be back in the states in 3-4 years, so we're not worrying about them losing their English skills. However, if we were to stay longer, we'd probably enroll them in one of the area international schools.
Richard's working hard -- he's a copy editor at the Shanghai Daily and is learning Chinese. We also think that there's a bureau chief job waiting for him with the Asia Times as soon as they get their paperwork done and accredit him.
Meanwhile, I'm all set up. We've got the high-speed internet, the phones all set, and I'm all done with my jet lag. Now all I need is for my accreditation to come through and I can start working.
Shanghai is huge. We've decided not to get cars, so we're taking taxis everywhere - just like in NYC. Richard rides a bike to work (15 minutes). It's a ten-speed, and he wears a helmet, so he really stands out on these streets, where everyone rides Communist-era one-speeds with no helmets. The subway's pretty good, but crowded during rush hour, Rich says. I haven't been on it yet.
This weekend, I went to a department store where they had live turtles, snakes and giant frogs in the grocery department, alongside the seafood. The frogs were in open containers, and I was surprised they didn't hop out. They looked kind of fat -- maybe they were TOO fat.
We live in a complex of five 40-story buildings surrounding a gated courtyard with a garden, two playgrounds, a pond with goldfish, and a tennis court (and a morning tai chi exercise area). There's one other American family with kids here -- all the rest are Chinese. I spend my afternoons watching my youngest (Basil, 6) play on the playground and listening to language tapes. Then I go try out my Chinese on unsuspecting neighbors. It's coming along
well. I can pretty much make myself understood and hold basic conversations. Soon we'll put the youngest in preschool (as soon as we learn how to say it) -- school starts later here than in the States, and they don't have kindergarten here. So they start first grade at age 7 -- and he's only six.
We'll be back in the states in 3-4 years, so we're not worrying about them losing their English skills. However, if we were to stay longer, we'd probably enroll them in one of the area international schools.
Richard's working hard -- he's a copy editor at the Shanghai Daily and is learning Chinese. We also think that there's a bureau chief job waiting for him with the Asia Times as soon as they get their paperwork done and accredit him.
Meanwhile, I'm all set up. We've got the high-speed internet, the phones all set, and I'm all done with my jet lag. Now all I need is for my accreditation to come through and I can start working.
Shanghai is huge. We've decided not to get cars, so we're taking taxis everywhere - just like in NYC. Richard rides a bike to work (15 minutes). It's a ten-speed, and he wears a helmet, so he really stands out on these streets, where everyone rides Communist-era one-speeds with no helmets. The subway's pretty good, but crowded during rush hour, Rich says. I haven't been on it yet.
This weekend, I went to a department store where they had live turtles, snakes and giant frogs in the grocery department, alongside the seafood. The frogs were in open containers, and I was surprised they didn't hop out. They looked kind of fat -- maybe they were TOO fat.
We live in a complex of five 40-story buildings surrounding a gated courtyard with a garden, two playgrounds, a pond with goldfish, and a tennis court (and a morning tai chi exercise area). There's one other American family with kids here -- all the rest are Chinese. I spend my afternoons watching my youngest (Basil, 6) play on the playground and listening to language tapes. Then I go try out my Chinese on unsuspecting neighbors. It's coming along
well. I can pretty much make myself understood and hold basic conversations. Soon we'll put the youngest in preschool (as soon as we learn how to say it) -- school starts later here than in the States, and they don't have kindergarten here. So they start first grade at age 7 -- and he's only six.
Wednesday, April 7, 2004
Almost a foreign correspondent
The paperwork is reportedly moving along to make me an official foreign correspondent in China, and the business cards are on their way.
It's time to get started, laying the groundwork for my new career. Unfortunately, I've been too busy these last two weeks setting up my computers, moving my files, getting the Internet access, and finishing up projects from back home that I haven't had time to go out and get to know the people and institutions I'll be writing about in a very short time.
Meanwhile, my editor has agreed to spring for some travel expenses, and I hope to be visiting some neighboring countries in the next few weeks (while I'm waiting for that accreditation I keep talking about). I'm thinking of visiting Mongolia, which has a stock market, and Vladivostok in the Russian far east. I'm interested in those places because they aren't usually written about, and because I speak Russian (which is common not ony in Vladivostok, of course, but in Mongolia as well).
Meanwhile, on the home front -- spring has ended. We had one week of 60-degree weather (Farenheit) and now we're into the summer temperatures and are down to our T-shirts. Strangely, the locals are still wearing windbreakers. We're worried about how hot it's going to get, but the kids, at least, are going to spend their summers back in the states, and the apartment and Richard's workplace are both air conditioned.
It's time to get started, laying the groundwork for my new career. Unfortunately, I've been too busy these last two weeks setting up my computers, moving my files, getting the Internet access, and finishing up projects from back home that I haven't had time to go out and get to know the people and institutions I'll be writing about in a very short time.
Meanwhile, my editor has agreed to spring for some travel expenses, and I hope to be visiting some neighboring countries in the next few weeks (while I'm waiting for that accreditation I keep talking about). I'm thinking of visiting Mongolia, which has a stock market, and Vladivostok in the Russian far east. I'm interested in those places because they aren't usually written about, and because I speak Russian (which is common not ony in Vladivostok, of course, but in Mongolia as well).
Meanwhile, on the home front -- spring has ended. We had one week of 60-degree weather (Farenheit) and now we're into the summer temperatures and are down to our T-shirts. Strangely, the locals are still wearing windbreakers. We're worried about how hot it's going to get, but the kids, at least, are going to spend their summers back in the states, and the apartment and Richard's workplace are both air conditioned.
Friday, March 26, 2004
Chinese food and the Foreign Correspondents Club
Well, it's been two weeks for us here in Shanghai. Anastasia has settled into her new school and is making progress in learning Mandarin, as am I. Basil is still home with us during the day, but we're starting to think about finding a kindergarden or pre-school for him to go to.
Richard's work is going well at the Shanghai Daily. The kids and I have visited him there twice already and ate at the workers' cafeteria our second time there. They had Chinese food there, of course. But none of it was recognizeable as Chinese food! We still haven't gone to a Cantonese restaurant, which is apparently where American Chinese food comes from.
There are million little stores within a block's walk of our apartment complex and I'm still finding new ones. Yesterday, the kids and I went to the postoffice to mail a letter to Anastasia's class and we found a little bakery half a block away that had the most amazing croissants, big and flaky, and cakes and cookies and a beatiful, crusty, sesame-seeded bread loaf that we ate in one big gulp when we got home. We got two donuts (big, sweet and chewy) and a bag of cookies and a loaf of bread and two huge croissants for 12 yuan -- or $1.50.
Outside, there was a little old man with several bamboo bird cages with little birds. Chicadees? Anyway, cute little birds. He let them out of their cages and they would fly right back to him to take seeds out of his hands. He let my children hold the seeds and the birds would fly right into their hands. Then he put a coin down on a stool, and the bird would fly over, get the coin, and bring it back to him. The kids loved it, and a crowd of a dozen-plus people gathered to watch them and the birds. Richard said that he's seen the old man there regularly -- he's retired, Rich says, and the birds are his hobby. Rich says that there are a lot of retirees to go to the parks or other outdoor areas every day to give their birds some fresh air and a change of scenery.
Then we walked to the "supermarket" -- really, a mid-sized grocery store. There, I found tomato paste and tomato sauce -- a great discovery, because there's a kind of noodle that's a lot like spaghetti and now we can eat Italian food at Chinese prices. Otherwise, we have to buy spaghetti sauce in the pricey imported food shops.
I'm setting into my job. I don't do any reporting in China yet because my accreditation hasn't come through. It will take a couple of months or so. But I do have some miscellaneous stuff to coordinate with the office back home. This means I keep regular east coast business hours. When the kids go to bed at 8 p.m., I take a two hour nap. When I wake up, it's 10 p.m. in Shanghai and 9 a.m. in New York City. Then I go to work. I've been talking to people over the telephone from Shanghai. My location sometimes makes for some nice chit-chat before the official conversation starts. In the past, we'd have to talk about the weather.
Speaking of the weather, I'd been cloudy and cool here for the past few days. We go outside in sweaters or light jackets, though the kids take theirs off when they play actively on the playground.
Yesterday, I finally put on some grown-up clothes, panty hose, heels and lipstick and went to a meeting of the Foreign Correspondents Club (the first one I've ever been to, in any country). There were about a dozen of us around a table in a historic restaurant in downtown Shanghai that was located on the grounds of a sprawling, pre-revolutionary beautifully landscaped residence and villa complex. We discussed the state of foreign journalism with a visiting dignitary, an old foreign correspondent turned university lecturer. Our table had a revolving glass circle in the middle of it, and waitresses kept bringing out large platters of Chinese food to put on that revolving circle. Then we all helped ourselves to what we wanted. There was egg drop soup, and pork fried rice, and spicy noodles, and various kinds of pork dishes, a roasted duck, and several other dishes as well. And I came late because I had trouble getting the taxi driver to understand the address when I said it, so I missed the first round! It all cost 50 yuan per person -- or around $6.
The organizer of the event said that the restaurant was insistent that this wouldn't be enough food, and urged her to go for the 200 yuan a plate option, which would have included turtle soup. Since we didn't eat even half of the gigantic amount of what was served, she decided she made the right decision to go with the less expensive alternative.
I was immediately invited to join a newly-formed group composed of international correspondents and bloggers located around the world who are discussing the future of our profession, and I did. It's very nice to be back in the middle of things again.
I also volunteered to help organize things for the Foreign Correspondents Club if the needed any help, but it looks as though the group is *very* well run. I'm impressed with the number of events they hold. The day before yesterday, for example, they had a get-together with some ambassadors and tomorrow a writer is talking about a history book he's just completed.
I'm also interested in the local Chinese media organizations, but haven't gotten in touch with anyone yet. Richard's newspaper, the Shanghai Daily, has a corporate membership in the local journalists' union, and he was supposed to find out how to get in touch with folks there, but he hasn't yet.
So far, to my disappointment, everyone I know here speaks fluent English. I haven't made friends with any of my neighbors yet, but want to. I really want to learn Chinese. I have a reputation to maintain. :-) Meanwhile, I'm continuing to listen to my tapes.
In mid-April, Mathew Schwartz, a former colleague of mine from Computerworld, will come stay. He's coming to Beijing on a press visit sponsored by the wireless industry (I think) and will make a short detour to us for a weekend. By then, we're going to have a fold-out couch. We're not buying it *just* for him, since Richard has two friends who will stay over as well. If anybody else wants to come, just let us know! We have a very nice apartment, with gorgeous views of the city (think "Frasier"). The light show every night that some of the big towers put on is spectacular, and we're on the 18th floor facing downtown, so we get to see it all.
Richard's work is going well at the Shanghai Daily. The kids and I have visited him there twice already and ate at the workers' cafeteria our second time there. They had Chinese food there, of course. But none of it was recognizeable as Chinese food! We still haven't gone to a Cantonese restaurant, which is apparently where American Chinese food comes from.
There are million little stores within a block's walk of our apartment complex and I'm still finding new ones. Yesterday, the kids and I went to the postoffice to mail a letter to Anastasia's class and we found a little bakery half a block away that had the most amazing croissants, big and flaky, and cakes and cookies and a beatiful, crusty, sesame-seeded bread loaf that we ate in one big gulp when we got home. We got two donuts (big, sweet and chewy) and a bag of cookies and a loaf of bread and two huge croissants for 12 yuan -- or $1.50.
Outside, there was a little old man with several bamboo bird cages with little birds. Chicadees? Anyway, cute little birds. He let them out of their cages and they would fly right back to him to take seeds out of his hands. He let my children hold the seeds and the birds would fly right into their hands. Then he put a coin down on a stool, and the bird would fly over, get the coin, and bring it back to him. The kids loved it, and a crowd of a dozen-plus people gathered to watch them and the birds. Richard said that he's seen the old man there regularly -- he's retired, Rich says, and the birds are his hobby. Rich says that there are a lot of retirees to go to the parks or other outdoor areas every day to give their birds some fresh air and a change of scenery.
Then we walked to the "supermarket" -- really, a mid-sized grocery store. There, I found tomato paste and tomato sauce -- a great discovery, because there's a kind of noodle that's a lot like spaghetti and now we can eat Italian food at Chinese prices. Otherwise, we have to buy spaghetti sauce in the pricey imported food shops.
I'm setting into my job. I don't do any reporting in China yet because my accreditation hasn't come through. It will take a couple of months or so. But I do have some miscellaneous stuff to coordinate with the office back home. This means I keep regular east coast business hours. When the kids go to bed at 8 p.m., I take a two hour nap. When I wake up, it's 10 p.m. in Shanghai and 9 a.m. in New York City. Then I go to work. I've been talking to people over the telephone from Shanghai. My location sometimes makes for some nice chit-chat before the official conversation starts. In the past, we'd have to talk about the weather.
Speaking of the weather, I'd been cloudy and cool here for the past few days. We go outside in sweaters or light jackets, though the kids take theirs off when they play actively on the playground.
Yesterday, I finally put on some grown-up clothes, panty hose, heels and lipstick and went to a meeting of the Foreign Correspondents Club (the first one I've ever been to, in any country). There were about a dozen of us around a table in a historic restaurant in downtown Shanghai that was located on the grounds of a sprawling, pre-revolutionary beautifully landscaped residence and villa complex. We discussed the state of foreign journalism with a visiting dignitary, an old foreign correspondent turned university lecturer. Our table had a revolving glass circle in the middle of it, and waitresses kept bringing out large platters of Chinese food to put on that revolving circle. Then we all helped ourselves to what we wanted. There was egg drop soup, and pork fried rice, and spicy noodles, and various kinds of pork dishes, a roasted duck, and several other dishes as well. And I came late because I had trouble getting the taxi driver to understand the address when I said it, so I missed the first round! It all cost 50 yuan per person -- or around $6.
The organizer of the event said that the restaurant was insistent that this wouldn't be enough food, and urged her to go for the 200 yuan a plate option, which would have included turtle soup. Since we didn't eat even half of the gigantic amount of what was served, she decided she made the right decision to go with the less expensive alternative.
I was immediately invited to join a newly-formed group composed of international correspondents and bloggers located around the world who are discussing the future of our profession, and I did. It's very nice to be back in the middle of things again.
I also volunteered to help organize things for the Foreign Correspondents Club if the needed any help, but it looks as though the group is *very* well run. I'm impressed with the number of events they hold. The day before yesterday, for example, they had a get-together with some ambassadors and tomorrow a writer is talking about a history book he's just completed.
I'm also interested in the local Chinese media organizations, but haven't gotten in touch with anyone yet. Richard's newspaper, the Shanghai Daily, has a corporate membership in the local journalists' union, and he was supposed to find out how to get in touch with folks there, but he hasn't yet.
So far, to my disappointment, everyone I know here speaks fluent English. I haven't made friends with any of my neighbors yet, but want to. I really want to learn Chinese. I have a reputation to maintain. :-) Meanwhile, I'm continuing to listen to my tapes.
In mid-April, Mathew Schwartz, a former colleague of mine from Computerworld, will come stay. He's coming to Beijing on a press visit sponsored by the wireless industry (I think) and will make a short detour to us for a weekend. By then, we're going to have a fold-out couch. We're not buying it *just* for him, since Richard has two friends who will stay over as well. If anybody else wants to come, just let us know! We have a very nice apartment, with gorgeous views of the city (think "Frasier"). The light show every night that some of the big towers put on is spectacular, and we're on the 18th floor facing downtown, so we get to see it all.
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Chinese school and Russian Soup
Kiska is learning Chinese in school, and seems to be adjusting pretty well. She brings home homework everyday of Chinese words (characters!) she has to practice writing. Basil is home with me, so he's not having to learn any Chinese yet. We're going to start looking for a kindergarden for him soon.
Our apartment building is on this large block. There are our five buildings (we're in building number three), there's a large garden and courtyard and two gates, then, once you walk out of the complex there are stores around the outside of the block as well. They include a furniture store, several convenience stores, an Internet cafe, hair dressers, restaurants, and, of course, Kiska's school is on our block too. On the way back from Kiska's school -- a five minute walk -- you pass by a restaurant, the hair dresser, the itnernet cafe, the convenience store, and the vegetable shop. The vegetable shop is really nice and I've been going in there every day. You can buy potatoes and cabbage for soup, and eggs and mayonnaise, and tomatoes and cucumbers and lots of different kinds of mushrooms. I've been cooking vegetable soup and frying potatoes and making tomato-cucumber salad. Yesterday, I cooked noodles that looked like spaghetti (and were very tasty) with spaghetti sauce. For breakfast everyday we have oatmeal, and sometimes I fry or boil eggs. Richard makes pancakes and bacon on weekends. WE DON'T EAT FROGS. :-)
I've taken the kids to Kentucky Fried Chicken once (didn't like it here) and to McDonalds twice (same as in US). We haven't been to a Chinese restaurant yet! We keep planning to go, but something always comes up. Richard has bought things from Chinese restaurants and brought them home, however -- mostly dumplings (like ravioli) and scallion pancakes. I don't like the dumplings at all but he keeps buying them. Well, the kids like them.
We haven't found sour cream here yet, which I miss to put in soup. I'm sure we will, I'll keep looking. The yogurt here is very much like kefir. We buy it plain (which is sweet) and strawberry (which is also sweet). If it was like American yogurt, we could use it instead of sour cream, but it isn't, so we can't.
My back pain is almost all gone. (It took a while!) I've been doing back exercises every night to make sure it doesn't come back. Richard bought a bicycle and rides back and forth to work at the Shanghai Daily. It takes him less time to go by bike than by taxi, he says.
It takes 16 yuan -- $2 -- to take a taxi to where Richard works. Other times, he walks or takes the subway.
I bought a laptop computer at a used computer shop, but am having problems with the operating system -- it's all in Chinese! A man will come tomorrow and install an English operating system on it. The man's name is Silly Billy and he's studying to be a doctor, and working as a computer doctor meanwhile. He's pretty nice, but doesn't speak much English. I don't speak much Chinese, but we get along fine anyway.
Today, we went to Richard's work and had some food in their cafeteria. Richard eats there every day because it's very cheap. For the four of us, dinner cost only 10 yuan -- just a little over a dollar. They have lots of different kind of food there, but I didn't like most of it and was scared to eat a lot of it. But I guess you get used to it -- Richard did, and likes it. He gets a certain amount of money that he can spend at the cafeteria and the grocery store in the building, and has to use it up. He usually buys milk and yogurt to bring home for the kids.
I'm starting to slowly get to know my way around. I met some of Richard's friends. One, a German woman, was very nice, quiet and pretty. Another, was an outspoken Australian woman named Michelle. I like her a lot. Michelle is going to take me out shopping later on this week, show me the good parts of town. She also has books she will lend me to read. I have nothing to read, so I like her just for that alone!
Richard also has a friend named Seth, an American, who (like Michelle) is teaching English here. And I've met some of the guys he works with at the newspaper, who seem pretty nice. I've been in touch with the Russians here, but haven't met any yet. Their next gettogether is in the middle of April. If I don't find sour cream by then, I'll ask them where to buy it!
Our apartment building is on this large block. There are our five buildings (we're in building number three), there's a large garden and courtyard and two gates, then, once you walk out of the complex there are stores around the outside of the block as well. They include a furniture store, several convenience stores, an Internet cafe, hair dressers, restaurants, and, of course, Kiska's school is on our block too. On the way back from Kiska's school -- a five minute walk -- you pass by a restaurant, the hair dresser, the itnernet cafe, the convenience store, and the vegetable shop. The vegetable shop is really nice and I've been going in there every day. You can buy potatoes and cabbage for soup, and eggs and mayonnaise, and tomatoes and cucumbers and lots of different kinds of mushrooms. I've been cooking vegetable soup and frying potatoes and making tomato-cucumber salad. Yesterday, I cooked noodles that looked like spaghetti (and were very tasty) with spaghetti sauce. For breakfast everyday we have oatmeal, and sometimes I fry or boil eggs. Richard makes pancakes and bacon on weekends. WE DON'T EAT FROGS. :-)
I've taken the kids to Kentucky Fried Chicken once (didn't like it here) and to McDonalds twice (same as in US). We haven't been to a Chinese restaurant yet! We keep planning to go, but something always comes up. Richard has bought things from Chinese restaurants and brought them home, however -- mostly dumplings (like ravioli) and scallion pancakes. I don't like the dumplings at all but he keeps buying them. Well, the kids like them.
We haven't found sour cream here yet, which I miss to put in soup. I'm sure we will, I'll keep looking. The yogurt here is very much like kefir. We buy it plain (which is sweet) and strawberry (which is also sweet). If it was like American yogurt, we could use it instead of sour cream, but it isn't, so we can't.
My back pain is almost all gone. (It took a while!) I've been doing back exercises every night to make sure it doesn't come back. Richard bought a bicycle and rides back and forth to work at the Shanghai Daily. It takes him less time to go by bike than by taxi, he says.
It takes 16 yuan -- $2 -- to take a taxi to where Richard works. Other times, he walks or takes the subway.
I bought a laptop computer at a used computer shop, but am having problems with the operating system -- it's all in Chinese! A man will come tomorrow and install an English operating system on it. The man's name is Silly Billy and he's studying to be a doctor, and working as a computer doctor meanwhile. He's pretty nice, but doesn't speak much English. I don't speak much Chinese, but we get along fine anyway.
Today, we went to Richard's work and had some food in their cafeteria. Richard eats there every day because it's very cheap. For the four of us, dinner cost only 10 yuan -- just a little over a dollar. They have lots of different kind of food there, but I didn't like most of it and was scared to eat a lot of it. But I guess you get used to it -- Richard did, and likes it. He gets a certain amount of money that he can spend at the cafeteria and the grocery store in the building, and has to use it up. He usually buys milk and yogurt to bring home for the kids.
I'm starting to slowly get to know my way around. I met some of Richard's friends. One, a German woman, was very nice, quiet and pretty. Another, was an outspoken Australian woman named Michelle. I like her a lot. Michelle is going to take me out shopping later on this week, show me the good parts of town. She also has books she will lend me to read. I have nothing to read, so I like her just for that alone!
Richard also has a friend named Seth, an American, who (like Michelle) is teaching English here. And I've met some of the guys he works with at the newspaper, who seem pretty nice. I've been in touch with the Russians here, but haven't met any yet. Their next gettogether is in the middle of April. If I don't find sour cream by then, I'll ask them where to buy it!
Monday, January 26, 2004
How do you make a living as a freelance journalist
Pay for freelance journalism is atrociously low pay. But I think the problem goes deeper than stingy bosses, etc...
I think that journalism is one of those jobs, like tending bar, that you don't really have to know much in order to be able to do well. You need to be able to write the inverted pyramid, and you need to be able to ask questions and keep coming back until you get some answers.
So the college graduates are always going to be competing against non-J-school grads for jobs. I myself was a math major and only graduated from college because I was the eldest in a (poor, starving) immigrant family and couldn't let everybody down. Otherwise, I would have gone into newspaper work right out of high school -- and, given how persistent I am, I would have probably done as well if not better as I did with a degree. In fact, I know folks who haven't graduated from college who did extremely well.
Journalism is a trade. You get better at it the more you practice it, but there's really no body of knowledge associated with it, as there is with engineering, or medicine, or law, or any other profession. And I think the pay reflects that.
Then, you combine it with the fact that a lot of people want to be journalists -- or, at least, journalism majors. It's an easy major compared to most others (not much math or science, nothing to memorize, no big books to read, no languages to learn). And the job itself is pretty easy, since you're just talking to people then writing it down in a very minimalistic, formulaic way. Finally, for others, it's a step towards a career as a writer (I personally, planned to become Hemingway). So there will always be more people than jobs, again driving down the wages.
Another reason for low wages -- part-time freelancers. In the National Writers Union, the average income of its members (ie., those writers who cared enough to join a professional organization) was $4,000 a year. In effect, people are writing magazine and newspaper articles as a hobby, or just to see their names in print. How can you possibly compete against someone willing to do the work for free?
I don't know what to do about it. There are plenty of obvious answers, of course -- you can seek out niches where difficult knowledge is required, such as economics writing or science writing or business writing.
You can start your own publication, and get on the profitable side of the supply-and-demand curve.
You can join the National Writers Union, the Society of Professional Journalists, the Newspaper Guild, or another organization and lobby for higher wages. Or go around to high schools and talk folks out of becoming journalists.
You can supplement your reporting income with books or speaking fees, or teaching. (Many journalists do this.)
And you can downgrade your lifestyle. My husband and I are moving to
On the plus side, those of us who have fought our way to our journalism jobs know what it's like to work hard to go after something you want. I've found that, when competing against folks who've had things handed to them, I come out ahead a good proportion of the time. I've learned to do my research, to follow through, to be persistent, and to schmooze harder than other folks. I think that's why the folks who make fortunes (as opposed to those who inherit and spend them) often came from working-class or immigrant backgrounds.
When I worked in
As you can imagine, I wasn't filing the rehashed press releases that everyone else was.
I see the fact that I can live for weeks on tea and bread as a competitive advantage. That I can talk on an equal level to a soldier or local businessman, without patronizing him. That I have no problem crashing on a couch, or pallet, or on a greatcoat in a trench, or sleeping with bedbugs.
Hopefully, I won't have to do that in
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