Note from My Desk: Collaboration is part of market competition

As a policy communications consultant, I see way too many think tanks, advocacy organizations, policy researchers, independent political writers and even branches of legacy publications leave value on the table.

They bring an old media mindset to a platform built around community: link only to their own work, treat other writers as competitors, ignore the comments, and rarely collaborate.

Meanwhile, independent creators reshare one another, join conversations, respond to readers and introduce their audiences to other smart people. And they do numbers.

The lesson for policy organizations is distribution is not just publishing more of your own content.

You must be an active participant in an intellectual ecosystem.

Restack good work. Link generously. Reply to comments. Collaborate with people who share some of your interests, even if they are not formally part of your institution or movement.

Collaborating with a colleague at an event!