Simon Young

It’s easy to get confused who’s who these days. At this morning’s Brainy Breakfast I met Michael Carney, author of Trade Me Success Secrets and also the semi-regular G2 Marketing Blog.

He introduced himself and said he’d somehow been placed on the media table. I said, “Oh, but you are media!” – meaning to make a joke, because he works in the media department of an ad agency.

But as I said it I realised I was telling the truth. Michael’s incisive insights into the media space are often more enlightening than the things I read in the news media. They’re written for a very specific, “in the know” audience.

If I were the insecure type, I’d be worried about my job as a journalist. But maybe that’s where my lack of training and industry links comes in – because I’m also a freelance copywriter. And a blogger. And generally just a guy who writes words.

This is the future, the world where most traditional middleman jobs – like media commentators – aren’t necessarily doomed to destruction, but they are destined for redefinition.

You can either wait to be redefined by someone else, or you can start thinking about what it is you really do – now.