Whither the online journalism job market? It doesn't take a genius to detect the ongoing shakeout in the online business as small companies band together or become absorbed by bigger players. Since giant profits have not emerged from the Web (yet), big media companies are either trying to spend the minimum to stay in the game, or they are making alliances with entertainment, classifieds or directory businesses.

For the next year or two, I suspect, big and small employers alike will be more particular about the skill sets they require from their content staffs in order to get the maximum bang for their bucks. The only way to really find out is to get out there and look around -- but here are a few of my hunches: 1) Traditional content development (i.e., paying to license content) has cooled as the search for revenue shifts from advertising and subscription models to transaction-based fees and distribution deals (see Citizen Layne's column, 'Missed Chances, Fake Precedents and Doomed Deals').

2) For senior-level positions, there is more opportunity in specialized content development (e-commerce, financial services, marketing) than in general-interest news editing jobs (found mostly at newspapers).

3) Just like print, the Big Bucks are in advertising, marketing and business development.

4) Technology jobs outnumber editorial jobs 10 to 1 (at least).

5) Most Web shops experience production chaos and need mature project managers to guide renegade troops through the process. What this all boils down to is: Success means being a Journalist Plus. Plus what? Plus a specialization: Business Development, E-Commerce, Project Management. And plain old news jobs are still out there, too, especially for journalists with good HTML skills and a willingness to go where the work is. Deciding which route to take depends on many things. Let's start with what's easiest to quantify -- the money.

Salaries

In general, the highest salaries go to the MBAs and technology folks. Designers who can fashion themselves into Creative Directors with good management skills and visionary presentations can also score very high on the scale. Editors and producers run anywhere from $40,000 to $75,000, depending on experience and areas of expertise.

Here's a sampling of some annual salaries published by ZDNet's Interactive Week in September, 1998: Internet Strategist - $115,000 Design Manager - $84,200 Web Technologist - $72,000 Web Producer (Marketing) - $66,500 Web Editor (Content) - $46,000 For the full list, click here.

See any patterns here? The Editor is at the bottom of the heap. If you're interested in having more influence and a bigger paycheck, you might consider pairing your editorial experience with more business or technology expertise.

The fact is if you want to make more money and build yourself a career in cyberspace, you may want to think seriously about leaving journalism.

The first step is what I call the MS-MBA: a working knowledge of Microsoft's Excel, Power Point, Project. These powerful chart-making tools can make any idea look good and will guarantee your entree to the Boardroom to present your fabulous content-development ideas with aplomb, insight and a numbing array of visual aids.

The MS-MBA

Masters of Business Administration are running this world, particularly the online publishing world where the elusive bottom line lures the most adventurous Business Warriors. These are the folks who will set (and cut) your budget, measure your performance, make your licensing deals and approve (or not) your content plan. Since you can never lick them, you might as well join them, if you have the head for numbers and the stomach for deal-making.

And if you actually have an MBA, that's all the better, but it's not absolutely required. Never underestimate the power of timely jargon. Holding your own with an MBA requires the ability to toss off certain phrases at just the right moment.

Can you say rev share? Upside? Regression? SWAG (as in Silly, Wild-Ass Guess)? Gantt chart? Of course you can -- or you can learn to. You can never know too much about the economic forces shaping your industry, budget and salary. Get to the point where you can talk coherently about brand leveraging, incremental cost and upsells.

Oh, and by the way, those things you're working on aren't stories and headlines, they are Content Packages, designed to provide contextual advertorial opportunities or upsell potential with possibly a rev share on the upside of a banner sale. Especially if there's an exit frame to a co-branded partner's Web site. If you're doing a straight licensing deal, you'd better make sure the monthly cost per page view is running well below the actual licensing fee amortized over 12 months.

See how quickly you're getting the hang of it?

A couple of classes in finance, marketing or new business development can certainly help. Or find a mentor on the business side who will explain it all to you (not likely but possible). As a journalist you're already well-trained to cut to the chase, take great notes and remember details. This is just more vocabulary.

The MBA eyes will glaze dreamily at the mention of incremental cost ('Gravy!' they'll murmur), and leveraging existing assets ('No brainer!'). Eventually you will end up being a content expert with a sharp business edge who can evaluate the content and strike the deal -- a good road to an executive office.

E-Commerce Expert

Everyone is talking about the explosion of e-commerce and online transactions. Many of these transactions occur within the context of informative articles. The more you can learn about this functionality and how to make it appeal to the user through contextual selling, the more options you will have.

Even if you can't actually do the programming or designing, learn enough to know what is feasible and advisable under a given set of circumstances. You will need to develop a good rapport with the tech department, and it will take time to earn their respect and trust. The liaison role is good for extroverts who can speak up comfortably in meetings. Try to get an assignment at your current job putting together some e-commerce solutions or sections on a site.

Cultivate a technical mentor. Most employees learn more from their peers than from training classes. If you want to learn some new skills, try hanging out with the tech group and asking what you can do to help.

Tell your boss what you want to do. Odds are, he or she will help you. Most managers are under the gun to 'grow' and 'develop' their employees in tangible ways. Being clear about what you want to become will be a big bonus to both of you.

Books and Web sites (CNET, ZDNet) are also great sources of information to get started. Notice what the tech group is reading and make it a habit to do the same. Stay abreast of industry developments.

Project Manager

Journalists by nature are detail-oriented and somewhat organized, so project management is not a big leap to take. It is just a fancy name for getting stuff done on deadline.

Many senior-level editorial jobs in the online field are also project management positions. Not only are you responsible for the content on the site, but also for getting it built on time and under budget by a bunch of your peers.

This approach is called a matrix organization, and it's very popular these days in big Web development shops that build consumer sites, intranets and extranets for commercial clients. In addition to knowing grammar, style and spelling, you need to know a lot about how to get people to work together for a common goal without having the direct authority to hire or fire them.

Usually, project management is not an entry-level opportunity. If you have a few years of experience and you can handle lots of stress without going ballistic in public, you stand to earn anywhere from $60,000 to $90,000 a year. Project management can also take the form of writing requirements documents and serving as a translator between the suits and the production team. Again, the MS-MBA is a huge plus.

Most good project managers can debate the fine points of MS-Project versus Workbench while assuaging an art director's bruised ego via e-mail and ordering pizza for the late shift.

News Jobs

If you are willing to relocate, you will find many 'straight news' jobs on the Web. Most of them are listed on the individual news sites or at the parent company's site. Many of the broadcast networks now have active news sites including, NBC, ABC and CNN. The big 'portals' -- AOL/Netscape, Yahoo, Geocities, Excite and Lycos often advertise for content people. The Mining Company is always looking for 'guides' who produce and maintain a myriad of content areas on that site, and pay based on traffic.

The top U.S. newspaper companies by circulation include Gannett, Knight-Ridder, Dow Jones and Times Mirror Co.

Gannett, parent company of USA Today, has the largest circulation in the U.S. newspaper market. The company's 84 daily newspapers have a combined daily paid circulation of more than 6.7 million. Gannett also owns and operates 21 television stations. They are always looking for people but it might mean moving to the East Coast.

Knight Ridder is the nation's second-largest newspaper publisher, with products in print and online, including their flagship, the Mercury Center. The company publishes 31 daily newspapers. In addition, it maintains 34 associated Web sites, under the name Knight Ridder Real Cities.

Using Online Resources

The Web is a great source of online jobs. It simply takes time to comb through the many sites. Here's a sampling of what I found while looking for editorial, online jobs in one day.

Career Path Extra -- searched on keyword 'entertainment' -- returned 12 producer jobs (auto or small-business specializations). Searched on the word 'Internet' -- returned 87 jobs -- 62 Tech, 3 sales, 2 project manager/produer, 1 finance, 3 writers, the rest Web designers and miscellaneous.

Career Mosaic -- searched with keyword 'edit' -- 12 PR/Marketing jobs, 21 tech, 1 sales, 10 Internet writer or editor, 5 graphics, lots of good senior-level jobs.

HotJobs.com -- searched all jobs (US and international) for Arts/Media/Communications -- 200 returned 77 tech, 24 graphics or UI, 18 account execs or sales, 12 tech writing, 10 Web building, 9 copywriter, 7 content analyst or strategist, 6 print production, 5 project manager, 5 writer, 5 advertising, 5 marketing, 4 editor, 4 QA, 3 customer relations, 3 trade show experience, 1 financial planner, 1 publisher, 1 market researcher. Great selection of print and electronic publishing.

Using a Headhunter

The more senior the position you seek, the more likely a headhunter will help. However, the Web has changed the way many recruiters are doing business (or not). If you have good Internet access, you will probably be your own most effective agent.

Headhunters cost employers money. By finding a job directly with the firm you are interested in, you have more leverage to negotiate a signing bonus since you have saved your new employer the headhunter's fee.

Headhunters tend to be geographically or industry specific. Ask someone in a position to hire others who they use to find employees.

Using Your Head

And once again, at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I cannot over-emphasize the importance of industry contacts, colleagues, former bosses, employees, mentors and teachers. Never, ever burn a bridge if you can help it.

You never know when the copy editor you hired will be in a position to give you a thumbs up or down as a job reference. Or the tech guy you couldn't stand will be in charge of a huge, well-funded project that you would love to work for. It happens all the time.

So be civilized. Stay in touch with people you think are going places. Develop a reputation as a voice of reason and sanity. Shun the opportunity to be a gossip or a hotheaded drama queen. Yelling at people may look like an effective strategy in the short-term but people are slow to forget or forgive a tantrum. And, unless you win the lottery, you are looking at a good 40 years of employment on the great information superhighway. In short -- Embrace change, follow your passions, enjoy the ride!