Does the “citizen journalist” term apply to any blogger? Not quite. Journalists usually collect and report information that is of interest for the general public and they do not always focus on a niche. Citizen journalists do about the same thing: they participate in a process for the purpose of disseminating topics of general interest. The only difference is that the citizen journalists can give a personal perspective about their news, and they have complete power over the message they want to convey.

Clearly stated: a blogger writing about writing is not a citizen journalist, but the writer who likes to get out there, collect information and report it is. Do you know any such bloggers? I am sure you do. Citizen journalism is not reduced to the blogosphere – it’s not only about writing. You find the citizen news at YouTube, MySpace, Flickr, Truemors… I am sure you are familiar with the first three sites, but do you know what Truemors is?

“On a daily basis, people can read “all the news that’s fit to diffuse” at Truemors. I guarantee this: If people read Truemors, they will have more interesting things to talk about than ever. Truemors will make you a more interesting person.” – Guy Kawasaki

Civic News Made Simple

Truemors is the ultimate citizen journalists’ stop. It’s nothing like digg or Stumble, and It doesn’t create networks of users either. Truemors is fun, and actually and could be a good source of inspiration when you experience “writers block.” I know that a citizen journalist like Deborah would agree.

Truemors is special for many reasons, but making a list of features and facts would make this more of an analysis than an informative article. However, such a review is inevitable to illustrate the point.

From a self-branding perspective, the best way to benefit from Truemors is to become an official truemorist. In so doing you get a link to your website or linkedin profile posted on the main page at Truemors, under the “truemorists” category. As a truemorist you get the chance to publish pictures and videos too. Certainly, as with any publishing channel, the more you post the more exposure you get, and depending on how exciting the news and links are, more people will notice your name and eventually click on it to see who you really are. Truemors gets fantastic traffic so if you are lucky enough to get your link on the fist page; you’ll see great results to for your site and interests.

Truemors is a quality network. It is improper to call Truemors a blog, although it is created on a WordPress platform. Truemors is too social to be just a blog, and there are not too many comments on the site – because the purpose of Truemors is merely informative. We can safely call the site a network based on the number of different users, variety of information and its flexibility. The new addition of Twitter and the Truemors application for Facebook make up for the lack of onsite networking and interactivity.

Flexibility is what makes it really easy for the citizen journalists to contribute to the Truemors site. Aside from being an official Truemosrist there are four other ways of adding content to the site: online form, SMS, email at post@truemors.com and phone messaging 1-650-329-2020.

Dreams Are Made of This

Truemors had a bunch of negative reviews to start with. People seemed to focus on the negative part of the name – the idea of rumors made no sense for many. It happens often on the web that metaphoric or close to metaphoric expressions go wrong. It is probably because the idea of “true rumors” is a paradox for those with less creative imagination. People do tend to reject what they don’t fully understand. I suppose it is really hard for some to accept and respect other peoples’ efforts.

Why the big fuss you ask? Because Truemors has a very important name attached to it. Guy Kawasaki. Guy, the brains behind this amazing startup – has agreed to answer a few questions for eWritings. An online entrepreneur like Guy is an inspiration to many. Rejection and negative responses should never make any writer or blogger give up, only to fight harder.

Negative reviews never discouraged Guy!

Guy: “…if anything they made me want to try harder. A long time ago, just about everyone had nothing but bad things to say about Apple. You have to remember that I worked for Apple two times in my life, so I’m relatively immune to negativity.

It wasn’t so negative a start. We got a ton of bad publicity because the blogosphere is primarily made up of angry people who cannot build so they focus on tearing down. That’s life. Maybe they’re right and Truemors doesn’t succeed, but at least I tried, and I’m not still living with my parents. Where was I? Yes, the bad publicity…it did bring in a ton of awareness and page views. It’s after the initial surge–good or bad–that the real work begins. Many people think I planned all the bad publicity.”

Guy Kawasaki is successful because he knows how to pursue his dreams – he knows that giving up is not the right option, although at times, our very human nature might lead us towards the edge of the abyss.

Guy: “Sure, everyone who is honest with himself or herself sometimes wonders if it’s worth the effort. The unexamined life is not worth living just as the unlived life is not worth examining. The test is not whether you ever want to give up but whether you continue at it when you do.”

A Labor of Love

I always believed that if you truly love what you do, you will succeed, but love is not enough. It takes perseverance, trust and commitment. Guy illustrated that anyone can make a great start with only $12,107.09 – for many online entrepreneurs just a dream. But life is dual and money is not always the issue. I asked Guy if Truemors was a labor of love – not in the “no business model” sense. I just wanted to see whether Truemors was loved by its creator.

Guy: “Are you saying that “labor of love” = “no business model?” That’s funny. There isn’t a simple answer to this question. Let’s say you are doing a job at Google that isn’t the most satisfying, but you make $10 million in options. Do you love that job? Maybe you learn to love it or turn off your brain.

Let’s say you do something that you love, and you can barely scrape by. Can you love something that makes you starve? Maybe. Clearly many artists, musicians, and bloggers fit in this category.

The most relevant test is, “Are you happy?” Money can buy happiness for some people. Money can make some people miserable. The lack of money may not diminish the happiness of some people. The lack of money may make others miserable.”

There was another of Guy’s answers though that really convinced me that my question about the “labor of love” was pertinent. “What are all those who didn’t believe in Truemors saying now?” – I asked.

Guy: “Hell if I know. Hell if I care. Most have moved on tearing down somebody else’s dream.”

Dreams and Ideals

When dreams come true we still have ideals to pursue. And now that you know that Truemors is a dream come true, you probably wonder what is next.

Ideally the site will increase the number of users and become an online force. A site that started in June 2007 and already has so much popularity shows a lot of potential. This site would be nothing without its users, and the users – those citizen journalists I was talking about – are the real power behind Truemors. They insure that the content has good quality and it is presented in an attractive, professional manner. You don’t have to be registered to post a true rumor though, anonymous posting is also allowed.

Guy: “We are very egalitarian and open. Anyone who wants to post stories is more than welcome to. We like diversity in race, creed, color, age, and time zone. Everything you post should pass a simple test, “If you had read what you posted, would you want to tell your spouse/friends/colleagues/relatives about it?”

90% of the battle is ensuring that there is great content on the site. We have a group of “truemorists” around the world who do a fabulous job of this. They are the heart and soul of Truemors. Our traffic is steadily growing–it’s not a business yet, but the curve is pointed in the right direction. Getting listed in Popurls, a good Austrian company, has done wonders for our traffic, so I learned that getting in the right places is a key factor.”

Conclusion

There’s a lot to learn from Guy’s dream – there is a lot to learn from Truemors and its users. Honestly, when I look at the site I find it better and more entertaining than any other new site I’ve seen so far. The site structure and even the length of the news show a profoundly user-centric approach to Web 2.0 business. Would I bookmark the site and visit it over and over again? I think I’ve already answered that question. This is a site worth your attention because… simply because it is put together by people like you.

I will not make this story longer than it already is. I am being a courteous host and leave the last words to my guest.

Guy: “The ideal truemorist is a highly intelligent person who is tired of reading the same old stories in the same old publications. He or she wants to foster enlightenment, laughter, and curiosity and to make the world a better place by diffusing little “gems” of information.”