Time Magazine came out with a recent article about the continuing devaluation of content. In short, publishers are not getting paid as much for content because content has lost much of it’s value. Here’s the article. Time’s take on content.

So, if content has been devalued why is everyone in new media addressing the importance of content?Because there is a difference between packaged content to attract a mass audience and the major advertising dollars that go with it, and content that serves a much much narrower market. 

Traditional magazines and newspapers are broadcasting in a traditional media format. They write about Obama, recession, weather tradegies, wars, and the latest movies. Stuff that millions may be interested in. But it is general, and the information is pushed to the reader without the option of the reader responding. It is not dynamic, and the reader must pay for it in this traditional format. Ironically, the reader can go online and get much of this content for free. So, of course, they exercise this option. 

New media is narrowcasting…writing to a very specific audience, an audience that highly values the content. Let’s take weather, and more specifically tornadoes. Those interested in that topic, search, find the blogger experts, and opt in to read their stuff by email, rss feed, yahoo, etc.  And they can’t get enough of it. Because this writer is writing directly to them, and their tribe. And they respond with posts, and the author responds back, and a community begins to form about tornadoes: how they build, what precautions to take, tons of pictures, and most importantly, personal experiences. It is dynamic. 

Now, next time a tornado happens in the midwest, these passionate followers will be living it. Reading the tweets, getting hourly updates, seeing the latest photos…all well before traditional media can deliver it. 

That’s the new world. People find their hobbies online, find others with the same passion, and connect. Communities are built, and those in it…live it. 

People do want an overview, so broadcasting will stay with us, but it will migrate to being even more online. It will also shrink because consumers want the latest news and then they move on. Consequently large advertisers will only spend so much money with traditional media. Now the big money is searching for viable ways to connect with new media. 

And how about the outdoor recreational brands? What can be learned here? Consumers are in control. They know what they want, how to get to the information, and how to discover who writes it. The brands that learn to listen, post good content, engage with consumers, and build communities will reap the benefits. These brands will get massive help with product development, customer service and sales. 

How? It starts with finding the unique humanity in your brand. And once you’ve found that, you build a strategy, and begin to produce authentic content.