The main reason for my reluctance to join in this debate is that I’m just the type of writer who is likely to apply for these roles. I’m young, I write, but I haven’t been published much. Undoubtedly, that leaves me in a position where I will possibly be taken advantage of. Sadly, this does happen to some.

But still, I’m likely to apply for both The Book Show Blog and the Overland blog. Why? Because, yes, as you mention Alec, it is about the music. I love to write. But my writing is sporadic, uncertain about what risks to take. Often, I don’t have what I consider a reasonable excuse to write about books or politics, because I don’t think anyone will care what I think. I’m young, what do I know about politics, or literature, despite a keen interest in both? I don’t have what I consider a reasonable excuse to seek out literary events (beyond the large and looming writers’ festivals).

But lack of ‘reasonable excuse’ (whatever that is) is, well, not a very good excuse. Having a commitment to a weekly contribution, paid or not, and knowing that I have some kind of readership will make me work harder. It will give me that reasonable excuse. Hopefully, it will make me a better writer. To me that’s some kind of payment.

Of course, I agree with Karen. As someone considering a role like these ones, I’m unlikely to go for something that I don’t care about. Overland is a project I want to be involved in.

All that said, I do think that this blogging thing needs to be re-thought. I’ll be honest: my blog at the moment is fluff, mostly. I’d like it to be more than that, but I’m not sure how to go about it, partly because a lot of people I know consider blogs in general to be fluff, and partly because of that aforementioned uncertainty about which risks are worth taking with my writing. I think it’s a shame that people have such a low view of blogs. In my view, there’s so much potential there.

C’mon people – it’s supply-and-demand free enterprise. The Marxist Dream is just that – a dream.

I think Alec makes some excellent points and the ABC/Opera House vs Overland/Tote(I gigged there for no payment back in the 90s) analogy is right-on.

Anyway, busking is now virtual and can be executed from my laptop – check my myspace page. No more midnight bums cadging coins from me outside the Bourke St Hoyts as I shred Sympathy for the Devil and no more corrupting teenagers by getting them to sing along to Add It Up outside Vic Market. Of course, I haven’t figured out my revenue model yet but profit is just a t-shirt away.

And where does vanity publishing fit into all this? Writing and music are art forms and art is primarily about the practitioner’s vocation and passion – their market/audience is secondary. Ask any ‘artist’…

Of course, blogging can be reporting and reporting is ‘not art’ – or is it??? Is its utility more important than its ‘excess’?

Alec, YES!

Oh, and Karen, I also love the ‘beautiful, infuriating, vast, monstrous, sensitive, courageous litte thing that it is.’ If I can be part of a constructive process of self examination, I think I’m serving Overland well.

I live in France and I’m fairly sure that if the main TV stations/media outlets did the same the writers/journalists unions would jump on them faster than you can say “unpaid traineeship”.

And yet isn’t that what loads of companies do, offer unpaid work experience? The problem is then experienced workers being undercut by bosses/organisations exploiting the “trainee” system (perpetually hiring first timers on work experience), which we all know is always a risk.

There are mutterings about Liberation (left wing daily)using readers’ personal photos of news events on their websites and blogs…unpaid…professional photojournalists aren’t happy about it at all, and I think some people are even talking about a crisis in the profession due to this practice, and the proliferation of blogs.

Cultural/arts organisations don’t negotiate with the electricity company for bargain rates, or pay their photocopier repairman less, so why should they do so with writers and artists? – I’m a translator and this regularly happens to me when dealing with a client in the arts world.

Perhaps ten years in France has changed my point of view- I see the issue in more black and white terms of labour and a fair exchange for a service.

but of course, the exploitation of volunteer labour is a very real problem – who do you think is running half of the australian open as we speak? and that’s a bloody mega-business! i think we need to adopt a kind of marxist approach here – to each [org] according to its need etc. only it’s not just its need that you consider, it’s what you care about and want to commit to.

i’ve worked for overland, in both a volunteer and paid capacity, for nearly five years, and i probably always will. in some way or another, i’ll be part of the magazine and be on call to help, because it’s a project i value deeply. i love it! for the beautiful, infuriating, vast, monstrous, sensitive, courageous litte thing that it is. it’s real to me and i chose it.

i don’t give my time and energy to every project i care about, just like i don’t give donations to every charity i care about, but everyone makes their choices. if you want to write for us, you’ll be published, read, supported, and challenged. you may be linked, forwarded, frustrated, ridiculed, applauded, or even paid in the future by someone who sees your work. if you don’t want to post here, just stick around, be a collegial commenter, and let us know what you want from the blog. because it’s yours too.

Having Overland staff blog is entirely different b/c you are adding another task to their existing roles rather than having writers dedicated to blogging on Overland. Overland previously did have their staff blogging. You could probably compare the stats of the blog then to what the stats are now.

A busker sets up outside a store, after being invited by the owners to busk there. He turns up every day and is an excellent musician, but chooses to busk outside the cafe because it’s hard to get gigs and lots of people pass him when they go into the quite busy store. The store notices an increase in clientele. People come in and buy a drink to have while they stand and watch. The store puts more chairs and tables outside and even more people come to listen, sometimes dining as well. The busker finally asks the restaurant for ten dollars a day to play his music. The store says ‘We are giving you a huge listening audience, and besides. all the money we have, we use to pay the staff that actually work here. Anyway, the store is our core business.’

It all hinges on how good the busker is I guess, how much the joint wants to attract people in. Cause once he realises he’s hot shit, it’s the Opera House for him. He’d be mad otherwise, wouldn’t he?

Maybe the boss could shop at cheaper markets, or charge ten cents extra per coffee.