Hey everybody.
It's Jason from daydreamthief.
I'm doing some guest blogging while my friend gets some rest.
I had encouraged him to try this experiment when he told me about the frustrations and difficulties of being a freelance reporter.
I can't/won't speak for his personal experiences.
He'll do an excellent job of that soon enough.
But I would like to open up some sort of forum for discussion on this topic of alternate resources for the dissemination of information.
I can't imagine what it must be like to be on the other side of the world, trying to make a living hustling information to the rest of us while dealing with earth shaking natural phenomena, language/cultural barriers, politics, money, technology, corporate media, etc.
There has to be a better way to do things.
I think a few brave pioneers are starting to lead the way.
People like Josh Ellis, Christopher Albritton, Kevin Sites and others are pushing the boundaries of who can report the news and how to deliver the stories that mainstream media is missing.
I'd like to think that Chad is among that group.

So what do you guys think?
Is this nuts?
Can some guy go to opposite side of the globe and count on ordinary people to help him discover new ways of telling a story?
Are we all high on web 2.0 fumes?
Can an ordinary person make a difference with the enough talent, the right tech, and boundless curiosity?
And if we netizens can make a difference, then what?
What are you guys curious about?
You have someone sitting in one of the most amazing places in the world during the most amazing times in human history. Your eyes and ears.
How many have been near an erupting volcano?
Who would you talk to?
What sounds would you record?
What real human stories would you want to read about?
How much would that be worth to you?
A buck? Two?
-How much did you spend on that newspaper so you could play sudoku?
5 minutes to post a reply or copy down a link and put it on your blog? You do have a blog, right?
Me?
I'm just a poor college student with a wife and two kids, but I can do something. I can help him with code and tech hassles. I can shop his blog around and try to generate some traffic for him. I can hunt down those other pioneers and ask them for advice and encouragement. I can hijack his blog and write long rambling posts.
I'm going to break down my revival tent now.
Everybody take 5.
Then come back and do something!
peace,
j

(image via voyager @ http://www.worldwindcentral.com/ under creative commons license)