Comments on: Seth Godin on Commission

By: Crystal Admiral

Crystal Admiral — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 14:45:31 +0000

I also completely disagree any journalists should be compensated based on a commission structure, what will happen to the news?

By: Dave

Dave — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:59:38 +0000

Godin is really hit or miss. He has some posts that are gold. But he also has a TON of fluff that is just posted as link-bait.

By: Jeanne Heydecker

Jeanne Heydecker — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 21:22:07 +0000

This is the path that journalism is taking and has been taking for a long time. Back when TV news was just a cost center and not it’s own P&L, they didn’t have to make a profit, and the news was *generally* more independent and unbiased. Print journalism is even worse. Its ever polarized take on the news is evident, and what Americans celebrate is people who can hit a ball with a stick or starlets who wear short dresses with no panties. What happened to journalistic ethics? Many countries subsidize the press; and for a country who’s basic rights include freedom of the press, we should get back to the business of reporting facts and not sensationalizing every story. Popularity (i.e., eyeballs) does not equal conversion to sales. Creatives, including journalists, should understand basic marketing as an adjunct to what they do, but marketing people are supposed to drive traffic to great products, while those that make great products should focus on continuing to develop good work. That said, journalists have to understand that their industry is changing and the old guard needs to really embrace web 2.0. Writing for online entities is different than print. Finding news on sites like twitter and aggregating/distilling that for the reader is going to be a big part of that future. Being able to make sense of that noise, genuinely participating in a dialogue with readers, commenting, and being part of the community will become valuable skills (but only in a world where Management thoroughly understands and rewards it – huge disconnect now). Journalists who don’t get it, won’t be working for much longer.

By: Dan Nedelko

Dan Nedelko — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:44:49 +0000

You certainly seem to be advocating it (my emphasis):

In fact, in a digital world where everything can be measured, we all work on commission. And why not? If you do great work and it works, you should get rewarded. And if you don't, it's hard to see why a rational organization would keep you on.

By: Seth Godin

Seth Godin — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:38:53 +0000

I wasn’t saying “should.” I rarely do. I was describing what’s happening, not what I want to have happen.

By: Jeff D Wyatt

Jeff D Wyatt — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:55:51 +0000

AKA Fox News

By: Dan Nedelko

Dan Nedelko — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:34:25 +0000

I agree with your observations Jeff but on the last point (and his major point) I strongly disagree that Journalists should be compensated based on a commission structure. My point being that the profession of Journalism would degenerate into a morass of self serving populist drivel designed to feed the masses. Although it could easily be argued that this has already happened.

By: Jeff D Wyatt

Jeff D Wyatt — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 12:11:37 +0000

In reading Seth’s post, I think the point wasn’t so much that everything is currently measurable and employees should be held to a strictly commission- based compensation model, but rather that the model for good work and employee value is changing as effectiveness can be more accurately measured in today’s digital world. I think that Seth would agree with you that the not-so-easily-measurable facets of a business, like branding for example, remain an essential part of a successful business model, despite their intangibility. However, t the facets of a business that are readily measurable (like traffic to a certain journalist’s blog posts) should receive compensation through a commission-based structure.