Future of CAD Journalism in Good Hands

Next year I'll have been working on the editorial side of computer-aided design for 25 years. (Sept 1985 was my first month at CADalyst magazine.) In those two-and-a-half decades, the CAD publishing industry exploded, particularly in the area of AutoCAD. Magazines, books, independent and user group newsletters, online forums...

And then the Internet shifted us away from paper-based products, and we now have digital magazines, email and Web-based newsletters, ebooks, blogs, online forums...

The original editors and writers are retiring or (sadder to say) dying. The current group of core editors have one-to-two decades of experience, and are still working hard even as thoughts of retirement flicker through.

I sometimes wonder, "Who will take over?" Which is why I am thrilled to see strong voices emerging from the blog scene, names like Matt Lombard, Deelip Menezes, Steve Johnson, and numerous others. While some of them have been in the CAD biz for a decade or more, it is blogging that lets them speak up in a way never before possible. 

None of these guys are parrots, as are too many casual bloggers; their experience lets them think deeply about issues, become outraged at injustices, and pontificate on how CAD software could become better. Over the last couple of years, I've watched with pleasure as their writing improved and became more sure-footed. 

What's not for freedom-of-the-press lovers to like about headlines like these?

• 3D Connexion Space Pilot review and abuse of superlatives
• Inventor Fusion Is Finally Out, But...
• A touch of Tehran taints the AUGI Special Election

"Users come first" was the mantra Lionel Johnston had when he launched his fledgling CADalyst magazine in the Kootneys, and it's terrific to see decades later his vision carry on through today's writers.

For some, there is no kneeling at the feet of CAD vendors*.

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*) What's that supposed to mean? Here's an example: the media kit of a competitor to CADalyst magazine offered vendors four pages of editorial for $10,000. Similar practices continue today.

Comments

[Steve Johnson]

Thanks for noticing, Ralph. "Users come first" indeed.

[bf]

"Similar practices continue today."

Some magazines in the engineering & design field (and probably many others) do not pay writers for articles; EVERYTHING in their magazines has been submitted by someone's PR department. This includes tutorials, "how to" articles, etc.

[Nancy Johnson, Cadalyst]

I second Ralph's notion on this. These bloggers and others like them are careful, thoughtful, and insightful -- and the CAD community is stronger because of them. I hope people are equally thoughtful before they make generalizations about the media, whether they are referring to bloggers or any others. For example, I know of no publication in our field that relies 100% on vendor-contributed content (or any % close to that). Cadalyst does publish certain articles contributed by vendors when that content has value for the reader -- software tutorials is one example -- and we always clearly identify it as such. Just as we value bloggers who are educated and thoughtful about the claims they make in their writing, let's be educated and thoughtful about the claims we make about the media in general.

[Matt Lombard]

Ralph,
I appreciate you putting me in company with Deelip and Steve, guys who I definitely have learned from. I'm still not comfortable with the media label or with my relationship with the real media. I'm definitely a user, and write out of a sense of consumer advocacy more than anything. I don't always get it right, but I always have a reason for my conjecture.

[Sachin Nalawade]

It's sad to read this line "The original editors and writers are retiring or (sadder to say) dying" Would pray god that new generation would learn from them,

Matt Lombard, Deelip Menezes, Steve Johnson, and others are too good. Hope CAD Industry get few more original writers and not just copy-paste content developers!

Deelip Menezes my guru... my favoutite

[Deelip Menezes]

Matt,

Whether you like it or not, you are part of the CAD media. In the internet age you need only two things (1) an opinion, and (2) the desire to voice it. I see that you have plenty of both.

[Evan Yares]

Deelip:

All you need is an opinion and the desire to voice it to be a CAD journalist?

Wow.

Do education, literacy, experience, knowledge, insight, and integrity not matter anymore?

Writing for your own blog is a lot different than writing for publication, whether online or printed. In your own blog, you have a lot of leeway to express opinion, without having to back it up with evidence. And, if you make a mistake, you can either blow it off, or offer a mea-culpa, and go on about your business.

It's also quite a different thing to write as a hobby, where you have a day job that covers your income, versus writing as all or part of your livelihood.

I do agree that some bloggers, such as you, Matt, and Steve, have strong voices and well-considered opinions that benefit the community of CAD users. But we still need guys like Al Dean -- actual full-time CAD journalists -- because they have the perspective that comes from a broad panorama of experience.

[Tony Tanzillo]

Speaking of headlines, I had a good laugh from this one: "Inventor Fusion makes history with unified CAD modelling" (from www.eurekamagazine.co.uk)

[Deelip Menezes]

Evan: "Do education, literacy, experience, knowledge, insight, and integrity not matter anymore?"

Obviously I assume that if you want to be part of the CAD media you should already have some or all of what you mentioned. If you don't then you can write all you want, but nobody will read it. Its actually the readers who decide whether someone is worth being considered a part of the CAD media. Just writing a blog will not do.

I think the last one "integrity" is what Ralph was pointing towards. Whether you are traditional press or blogger, integrity is probably the most important thing. And that is something you build from your writings, not something that gets bestowed upon you just because you write for a publication or for a blog.