In the mainstream media, "content generation" is something of a dirty term. It's usually defined as: Advertisers generating content for the magazines (or other media) that they're advertising in. It's generally not widely recognized by the readers of the magazines for what it is. So, it's also generally not recognized as the conflict-of-interest that it ultimately ends up being.
Let's say that I owned a skateboard company called Big Bubba Boards. And I regularly pay my big bubba bucks to take out six-page-spreads in a skateboard magazine called "Blubber Barney Monthly". In this scenario, I suppose that I could use my immense buying power, as a mega-advertiser, to dictate to the magazine that I want "x" amount of tour articles, "y" amount of (naturally favorable) product spotlights, and "z" amount of my riders' photographs run every year. As a money-hungry business enterprise, the magazine might even yield do my incredulous demands, in order to maintain the (naturally favorable) status quo of my company, filling up their bank-account coffers. And this might even happen a lot in the skate and snow industries. Maybe even more than we'd all like to admit, or even acknowledge.
Of course, there are many ethical questions and concerns that are raised when we take off the blinders, and realize the dirty truth that exists in the reality of today's media. The truth is that the Big Bubba Boards scenario actually happens. The truth is that money might sometimes equal corruption, and that the readers are sometimes the ultimate losers in the equation. The truth is that there is a traditional quid-pro-quo that exists between advertisers, and the media that effectively exchanges advertising dollars for apt and ample favorable coverage. It's like the old saying goes, "Where money talks, bullshit walks". And, that's generally seen in our industries as a universal truth. To the point that many of us "on the inside" see it as the only game in town. Where the rules are the rules, and the rules just aren't changing anytime soon.
We here at Everything Skateboarding love nothing else, more than we love breaking the fucking rules. Here, though, it seems like we're actually playing along quite nicely with "the rules". At least it does, on the surface of it. We do have, after all, a whole bunch of advertisers that are not only engouraged, but damn near mandated, to kick down some "content" every once in a while, for the priviledge of being allowed to advertise here. If you scroll down a bit, you'll see that some bloke named Fatboy writes a slalom column, while some freestyler with a suave british accent named AJ used to write the freestyle column... and both of these guys own businesses with clear and vested interests in these things, that advertise on this site. So, what gives...? Is that the undisputed proof that we've sold our souls, and laughed all the way to the bank...? Or have we just sold out in the name of keeping up with the joneses, and their established "rules"...?
Well, not so fast there, dudemeyer. First of all, those ads you see are still free ads. Which means that nobody's paying for those. And as much as people would looove for me to change that policy (probably because it's a mildly threatening concept to "the establishment" of rules-makers and cool-enforcers), it's just not gonna change anytime soon. In fact, the more that dudes push for me to change it... the more that I'm inclined to dig in my heels, stand up on perfectly plausible principles, and tell everybody to just accept the policy as it currently stands, and deal with it. Which is exactly what I ended up doing this week. The policy, as it stands, is hereby set into stone for as long as I'm running the show around here. So consider the question now officially off the table. Ads are free, that's the way it's gonna be, so suck it up already.
You know, you'd think that "free ads" would be a far easier sell then they've been recently. On the other hand: This is the skateboard industry, so I guess I've definitely seen weirder.
The truth of the matter is that freedom, in my world, is far more important than money is. I already have money. I certainly don't need more of it. What I could buy with it is far less valuable than what I'd have to give up to get more of it, so it's just not that good of a deal to me. Editorial freedom... that is, the freedom to call it exactly how I see it... is everything around here. And it's just not for sale. Thankfully, the staffers largely agree with me on this. Which means that Everything Skateboarding is no longer just one pirate in the shipping lanes, but something much closer to like, a dozen of us. Which means that the pirates are winning. So lock up your daughters and guard your Cokes 'N Smokes, 'cuz sooner or later, we'll be coming for all three.
As far as "content generation" is concerned, we still have two huge advantages over everybody else. The free ads are obvious. Not so obvious, is the dickheaded asshat that we call "the editor". Which, of course, is me. Ask anyone that knows me, and knows me well, and you'll quickly find out that I'm pretty fair and easygoing... but only some of the time. The rest of the time, I'm probably a pretty challenging handful to everyone around me. And that, my friends, is the role of a good editor: To constantly challenge the advertisers' (and contributors') perceptions, and their principles. The role of the staff... naturally enough... is to challenge me, and mine, in return. It's really a pretty adversarial atmosphere that we have around here. But at the end of the day, it serves the readers well when we're constantly calling "bullshit" on each other until finally, the bold and righteous truth of the argument at hand finally emerges from the fog of battle. And that bold and righteous truth is usually that I'm a jerk. It's my job, and I do it better than most. But at least I'm not somebody's bitch. And neither is anybody on our staff.
The other wonderful by-product of our version of "content generation", is a huge increase in transparency throughout our industry. Let's face it: Whenever we get our industry heads on the record... and wearing thier minds, hearts, wisdom, and biases on thier sleeves... we all get a much clearer picture of who, and what, we're ultimately supporting with our buying dollars. Which is exactly the point of letting our advertisers talk a lot, and "generate content" for us. Take Fatboy, for example- our newest staffer. Fatboy is from Jersey, really likes Junior's mom, knows a good kegger when he crashes one, wears a kilt to the doughnut shop (and the slalom race), and skates all kinds of stuff, all kinds of shitty. Things that you might not have considered before buying yourself a custom slalom or longboard, until we came along and enlightened you to the hidden reality that's been buried there, just under the surface, all this time. But now that you know these things, you can feel a hell of a lot more [un]comfortable buying a "Longboard by Fatboy". Obviously, I'm joking around (as always). The truth-translation is: We're lucky to have him. And, so are our readers. Even if he gives himself a shameless plug once in a while. The fact-of-the-matter is, he also plugged virtually every one of his competitors as well. So we let him get away with it, 'cuz at least he's fair, balanced, impartial, and generous.
Skateboarding needs more of that kind of stuff. Not less. And Fats delivered. So, there ya go. But it doesn't begin or end with just Fats and AJ. Everybody involved with Everything Skateboarding is a one-hundred-percent, stand-up joe. So if and when you ever buy a Fatboy, One, Fickle, Factory 13, Big Mess, Legion, Real, Concrete Wave or Skateboarder's Journal Magazine, a set of 3dms or Seismics, a 5150 Snowboard, a blob of Hertel wax, or anything else that's represented here... we're gonna make sure that you know exactly who, and what, you're supporting. Because those guys are all over this blog, talking about things that truly matter to skateboarders (and snowboarders). Or at the very least: Supporting us, as we talk about 'em.
The most important part of that last paragraph, was that "the guy is real" quip. Generally speaking, this industry is currently run by mysteries, wrapped in enigmas, boxed in disinformation, shrouded in heresey, contorted by status, and enabled by silence. When's the last time we heard Steve Lake talking about longboarding, on the record? Or Per Welinder, Rodney Mullen, Don Brown, or Pierre Andre... you know, "freestylers"... talking about the importance of supporting freestyle in a 2012 world...? Or anybody at all talking about supporting women in skateboarding, the current plight of the independent retailer, the importance of being a contributing part of your local skate scene, or the pivotal role of a truly independent and uncorrupted skateboard media...? Where are our "industry leaders" when the time comes to finally move, shake, get things done, and actually lead....?
Yet here at Everything Skateboarding, we have a healthy roster of companies big and small, from every discipline of skateboarding, and from every corner of the skateboard world... all making a contribution, doing their part to pitch in and help, and getting behind the finished product with their support. That's a very real accomplishment. That said, I simply can't thank the advertisers enough for their presence here.
Everything Skateboarding is not a mega-corporate-giant of skateboard media. We're not gonna change the world overnight. If ever. But still, I'd say that a step in the right direction... even if it's an imperceptibly small and insignificant step... is still, a step in the right direction. And these days, any step in the right direction can make a difference.
