Opinion

Blockchain is set to alter the future of publishing

Jessica Hodkinson delves into the ways blockchain could affect the publishing and content marketing industries - for better or worse.

When you purchase or exchange with blockchain, you are essentially securing a transaction without any traditional process. No more logging into a password protected bank account, carrying out activity on social media networks, or liaising with data companies that may be trying to retrieve your details.

The most obvious industry disrupted by blockchain is finance, but there are many others on the cards, including publishing and content marketing.

As content marketers, we write, edit and publish the best content we can possibly produce. But will this change thanks to blockchain, and will the quality be compromised as things becomes difficult to regulate?

Blockchain changing content

Most content agencies currently work with freelance writers, producers and possibly editors to make sure client briefs are filled and quality content is produced.

But in the future, the marketing middleman could be cut out as content creators may connect with publishers directly. Freelancers could also exchange value propositions with one another in an online portal where smart contracts are signed and sent directly to the client.

According to Christoph Burgdorfer, tech director of This Place: “Blockchain technology will enable creators of content to capture the value from each piece more efficiently.

“Examples of such concepts are Steem.io and yoyow.org, which enable users to earn value bearing tokens such as cryptocurrency for blog posts, social posts, comments and so on. This may encourage more people to get into content creation, which, if connected properly to marketing, provides potential to a vast array of new business models yet to be explored.”

There are already organisations popping up that are testing a new model. Take Socialmedia.market, for example – an online portal simplifying transactions between businesses and influencers.

How we consume and who we trust

There is currently a lot of control over how and where content is consumed, thanks to brand affiliation and media control. But if you took this away and allowed consumers to pay for content directly from the publisher without dealing with a media company, this would change.

Blockchain will also enable closer relationships between newsrooms and their audiences, as there will be a protocol that is monitored by regulators.

Authenticity and quality

Arthur Falls has a background in journalism, content marketing and media production, and has produced several popular blockchain-centric podcasts, most notably Beyond Bitcoin, The Ether Review, and The Third Web. He suggests that blockchain will help bring back quality journalism or limit the amount of fake news we are exposed to.

“Blockchain is powerful because it gives us a way to represent global truth. We can expect to see this used to trace the original source of media, ideas, and popular phraseology. This will increase the value of original content and reward quality and timeliness over strong distribution.”

However, does the rise of blockchain mean the internet will become cluttered with promotional content?

“When it comes to cryptocurrency payments, there are fewer regulations, less control over who pays whom, and greater anonymity. It means it’ll be easier for content creators, whether marketers or journalists, to receive payments directly from brands they’re covering in their stories,” says Krista Krumina from Truesix.

Brands will probably have more access to their audience as data is collated through third-party sites. This may mean that content creators will be able to reach a more targeted audience.

Jessica Oram, content and PR manager at Maxwell Scott, says: “Blockchain can aid content marketers to fulfil consumer needs. Validating ad spend and legitimising influencer content are just a few ways in which it can be used to support marketing.

“Making authenticity and transparency some of the most important factors when marketing a product or service – something that is bound to appeal to the consumer and provide them with a higher level of experience.”

Jessica Hodkinson is a content marketer and blogs at www.onlineprpixie.com.

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