React Fast, Reinforce After the Fact
One of my new executive producers asked me a good question about the rights to material created by podcasters to be used by GNM. I hadn’t really given it much explicit thought before the question had been raised, and I had a few pre-existing notions, but I hadn’t really put anything together yet. Once I’d been asked the question, I had to form my thoughts into text, so that I could share my views out.
React Fast, Reinforce After the Fact
I think that’s a good model for doing things, especially as reacting to change and new situations is a key component to operating small businesses (especially virtual ones like mine).
I wrote out my thoughts on the matter for the Executive Producer to share with prospects, and then I went back and looked them over. I added a few lines, removed a few words that could be vague or ambiguous, and I’m satisfied for now. I’ll build some kind of T&C contract soon enough, but as we’re just getting started, I think my current answers on record will satisfy prospective podcasters.
React Fast
I think part of what makes one react fast is that you think through all the angles often enough that if someone throws you a new one, you’ll have some previous ground to reconsider. Another element is paying attention to things going on around you (in this case, maybe reading about other business models, or learning about what plagues and vexes other business owners in your market). I think learning from people outside your field is an even better model, but that’s just how I do it. I’m not sure that translates.
Reinforce After the Fact
I don’t mean “reinforce” in some kind of disciplanary way. I’m thinking about slapping down sandbags to stop a flood, and then rushing to get more sandbags and material to keep the water at bay. Maybe it’s the same as building scaffolding and then putting up the real walls.
Two of the local entrepreneurs I admire most both use this model for most everything in their lives. Only, they do it like this: jump in, figure it out later.
I look up to them, because they try more things, and are willing to fall on their face a little more often. I tend to want all the plans in hand first. Part of the drive to get GNM launched comes from following their lead on such matters. But because I’m me, and I’ve years and years of operations experience, I know I’ll have to build out the reinforcement after the fact.
In fact, now that I say this, I just laid out the “react fast” idea to the same Executive Producer on how people will submit files to us, and now, I’m researching how it’ll *really* work, once I figure out how I want to approach that.
What about you? Does the model work for you? Do you find yourself reacting fast, or do you sit back and observe? What’s your model for when you’re faced with something unexpected?
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Comments
It’s funny you should mention that. I was advised last night by a mutual friend that I should go and lawyer up, because there were risks to my personal property (scant as that is), and worries about intellectual property that would really only be settled by lawyers.
Regarding the money, that’s a problem I can’t wait to have. There are how many podcasters out there not making money? Fat Guy Gets Fit got paid in energy drinks the other day, but aside from mailing a few out to Kevin Kennedy-Spaien for his contribution, and maybe one to Kathleen (who hated my interview, and whose readers hated me), I’m not sure how to share them.
I realize that I have to address the money issue, but it’s a funny one to solve first. To me, getting a podcast launched would be first. But then, what do I know?
Some thoughts from Robert Scoble (via Steve Garfield) on questions to think about as you’re launching a content network:
http://offonatangent.blogspot.com/2006/07/robert-scoble-on-joining-network.html
Chris, I agree that certain elements can be reinforced after the fact, but others need to be clear from the beginning.
One area: money. It’s all fine and good to say, “Well, we’ll figure out the whole money issue as we go along.” Many folks will be on board with that approach, particularly if they’re already producing content for the love of it, rather than the money. But then what happens when the money actually DOES start coming in? Without certain parameters laid out in advance, there are bound to be problems — BIG problems — in coming up with an equitable way to split the revenue while also making sure to keep the right amount to put back into building the network.