Michael - I'm not following your connection between people who write for the web and the WGA. The WGA only represents film and tv writers. You can't become a Guild member until you meet certain thresholds of working in the film and tv industry. People who write "for the web" in general would never be part of the WGA. It's only for screenwriters who work on scripts and teleplays. And for years the studios have assumed that they can get unknowns in to fill the place of the more experience writers if they have to, but I think that's bunk. That's where all those "story editors" on reality shows come from. But again, the talent pool is limited (screenwriting is the single hardest branch of creative writing to do well) and it's going to run dry. (This is why the Guild has been fighting for years to get the reality show writers under their umbrella.) Stephanie Tuszynski Visiting Assistant Professor Department of Theatre and Film University of Toledo Message: 2 Date: Fri, 4 Jan 2008 09:07:19 +1100 From: "Michael Baron" <webbaron@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [Air-L] WGA strike To: air-l@listserv.aoir.org Cc: aoir list <air-l@aoir.org> Message-ID: <c78ecacf0801031407s5d85b7c7x5fdf48dc7c750a7d@mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 While, I do agree with Barry on the entitlements issue and find the strike to be fully justifiable, to be honest i doubt it is going to be successful. There are currently many Web writers who do not happen to be memebers of the Writers Guild. Chances are they will be prepared to work for little money just to "put their foot in" and get published. Unfortunately, the perception of the Web writing as non-commercial still appears to be very strong in the writers' community. Hopefully, this will turn around one day (and the strike may make this day come sooner rather than later).