|
Posted 1:59 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
New Media Wizardry at the Super Bowl (We Hope)
(Editor's note: The following two items are from Steve Klein, a new contributor to E-Media Tidbits. Steve, an interactive media and sports content consultant and former USAToday.com sports editor, is one of a group of experts adding their voices to this weblog. I won't formerly debut the "group weblog" for another week, but Steve had some stuff he wanted to contribute early — so you get a preview. —Steve Outing)
There's been a lot of speculation and anticipation this week about the EyeVision replay system that CBS will introduce during its broadcast of Super Bowl XXXV between the New York Giants and Baltimore Ravens in Tampa. The system is a product of New Jersey-based Princeton Video Imaging (PVI) and Phoenix-based Core Digital. Says the Washington Post's Paul Farhi, "It could be the biggest advance in the technology in decades: a replay that rotates around a frozen piece of the action ... It sounds cool. If it works." Hmmm. Warns CBS Sports senior VP/operations Ken Aagaard: "It's going to be a very scary thing. There's always that danger that a new technology doesn't always work the way you expect it. But I feel pretty good that we can make this work."
So, if the game is a bore, as some forecasters are warning because of the strong defenses of both teams, there will be something else to watch out for besides the ads. Video of the EyeVision replays will be carried on SuperBowl.com at the game's conclusion.—Steve Klein
Is It Really That Super?
Jeff Merron, executive sports editor of sports e-zine SportsJones, keeps coming up with great lists — from sports books to sex in sports — for his daily weblog, SurfJones. His latest is "What They Said: The greatest quotes from 34 years of Super Bowls."So, you're wondering why we call it the Super Bowl? Super question! "Why not call our championship game the Super Bowl?" said Kansas City Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt 35 years ago. He got the idea from his daughter's toy "Super Ball." That was Super Bowl I, and in case you've forgotten, the final score was Green Bay Packers 35, Kansas City Chiefs 10. Looking for an E-Media Tidbits prediction? OK, how about: New York Giants 9, Baltimore Ravens 5. (That's right, three field goals to a field goal and a safety!) —Steve Klein
Posted 1:07 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Palm Porn: Future Successful Handheld (Ahem) Content
What will likely make successful and profitable PDA content in the future? Probably pornography, according to this Wired News article. Already there's a young entrepreneur who has built a porn content service for Palm Pilot and Handspring users (via AvantGo), but the material currently is limited to text stories and a couple of grainy pictures per day. The real promise of handheld porn content is when the devices improve to accommodate quality color images. Then, handheld porn is (ahem) going to be big. —Steve
Posted 12:57 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Canadians Watch Less TV, More Computer Screen
Statistics Canada has released its latest numbers on TV consumption by Canadians, and reports a significant drop in the average time spent watching television — from an average of 24.2 hours per week in 1986 to 21.6 hours per week in 1999. The culprit, largely, is the Internet, as more time is spent in front of computers, and that time is taken away foremost from TV watching. The Canadian numbers mirror trends in the U.S. and some other heavily wired countries. Here's a CBC report on the Statistics Canada research. —Steve
Posted 12:52 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Don't Give Up, Don't Give Up, Don't Give Up
"Media companies have begun some serious retrenchment and rolled back a number of initiatives, but they have not yet begun a full-scale retreat from the online medium," writes J.D. Lasica for the Online Journalism Review. "While the Holy Grail of online publishing — a profitable business model — remains elusive, the quest continues." His article, "Soul-Searching Time at Online News Units," is worth reading. Lasica interviews a bunch of online news executives, and finds that their heads may be bowed slightly because of the current Internet downturn, but they remain as committed as ever to the long-term prospects of online news. —Steve
Posted 12:38 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Ain't Technology Grand! (If It Works)
Tibits has been quiet since yesterday because I've been having Web site and personal connectivity problems. (And Amy's on vacation.) So there was no Tidbits daily mailing yesterday. (Sorry about that.) I think I've got everything back to working order again, though. —Steve
A New Tidbits on Its Way
While I'm on the topic of E-Media Tidbits, here's a preview of a change I'm making to this weblog which I'll introduce the first full week in February. Instead of me alone writing Tidbits, with the occasional contribution of Amy, we're introducing a slew of new writers who will be contributing items to the weblog daily (Monday-Friday). These are all experienced, top-notch professionals and experts in the online content/journalism/publishing field. I'm calling it a "group weblog," and I have no doubt that it's going to be great reading. So stay tuned. I'll launch this after I get back from an overseas trip I've got scheduled next week. —Steve
Posted 1:40 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Wireless Celebrity Tracking
Here's an interesting use of wireless content. As Inside.com reports, the site Upoc has a service that allows people to contribute "celebrity sightings" in New York City into a central database, using their mobile phone or other device. Instant news that Uma Thurman is coat shopping in Union Square can be flashed to subscribers via pagers or wireless Web devices (phones or PDAs). The concept of encouraging fans to stalk celebrities doesn't thrill me. But this does point to perhaps the greatest promise of wireless content: That the best content will be user generated. —Steve
Posted 1:30 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Video on Mobile Phones: It's Coming
As this New York Times report indicates, the days of video on mobile phones are getting closer. Companies like Toshiba are working on the technology while waiting for the wireless phone networks to upgrade to support video. The most likely first use of video mobile will be weather reports, movie clips, and sports and news events (sent to phones and wireless PDAs). Two-way video is likely further down the road. —Steve
Posted 9:35 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Al Gore Goes Back to J-School
Perhaps out of nostalgia for his long-ago experience as a journalist, former Veep Al Gore has just announced that he has accepted a visiting professorship at the Columbia Univ. Graduate School of Journalism. There, he'll be one of several professors teaching the course "Covering National Affairs in the Information Age." I'll bet the students are psyched – or at least they will be, until they realize they have to actually listen to his lectures. Read more in today's CNN.com. —Amy
Posted 4:40 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
High Tech to Low Tech on the High Seas
Passengers of the Volendam, a Holland America Line luxury cruise ship in the Caribbean, can now get fresh printed copies of the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the National Post (Canada). Using the service Newspaper Direct, the ship receives via satellite copies of the day's papers, which are then printed onboard. Newspaper Direct is in the business of transmitting digital versions of newspapers worldwide to hotels, resorts, and airlines, which are then produced on instant printers and look like traditional newspapers. For those who don't mind the world trailing them when they cruise to get away from it all, this is pretty cool — and cheaper for the cruise line than giving every room an Internet terminal. —Steve
Posted 3:55 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Newspaper Classifieds ... On TV?
My Editor & Publisher Online column this week looks at a company that wants to partner with newspapers to create cable TV niche programs based on newspaper classified ads (and other content, such as obituaries and entertainment listings). Is cable television a possible revenue stream for newspapers? Possibly. But it will take the arrival of interactive TV (promised by AOL Time Warner and Microsoft) for the promise to truly arrive. —Steve
Posted 11:30 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Pathfinder 2?
Newly merged AOL Time Warner plans to use Netscape (which AOL acquired back in 1998) as a sort of super-portal for its various media properties' Web content. The plan for Netscape.com to become the front door for all the media offerings of the giant company sounds an awful lot like Time Warner's old (and failed) Pathfinder media portal site, according to a report in Inside.com. Pathfinder was put to sleep at the end of 1999. Did someone wake it up? —Steve
Posted 11:16 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
When the Boss Calls You 'Sweetie' ...
... he made a big boo-boo. US News & Report editor Steve Smith accidentally sent a private e-mail meant for his wife to the entire magazine staff. After writing a column, Smith got a complimentary e-mail from Los Angeles correspondent Mark Tharp. In reaction, Smith wrote to his wife that Tharp was obviously "trying to suck up to me." Ouch! That's not something you want your staff to see. The New York Post's Keith Kelly reports on the brouhaha. (So, who among us has never done something similar? I'll confess that it's happened to me — and did I ever feel stupid!) —Steve
Posted 6:15 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
iCopyright on the Ropes?
The Seattle Times reports today that iCopyright is eliminating 44 jobs in a restructuring move. The company, which handles digital rights for print publications and other content providers, issued a statement yesterday after reports indicated that the company was shutting down. iCopyright executives say the company will remain operational and continue to provide all its services to partner publishers. —Steve
Posted 6:02 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
The Problem With Current WAP Content
WAP (wireless application protocol) content today leaves a lot to be desired. An excerpt from an article in MforMobile sums up the wireless content situation nicely: "The problem with the majority of WAP content is that it is not compelling. WAP must offer users tangible benefits as they are unlikely to pay for a service just because it is wireless. The majority of WAP content currently available resembles scaled down versions of fixed Internet content and the restrictions of small form factor devices means that the user is presented with a relatively flat experience. Even the typically less price sensitive corporate sector is unlikely to pay for services which are already available, easier to use and available for 'free' on the wired web. In short, WAP often delivers a disappointingly poor user experience leading to an apathetic attitude towards the wireless Internet, dubbed WAPathy."
Posted 5:27 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Tennis Association Hires New Media Exec
The U.S. Tennis Association has hired its first managing director of new media, according to this report in The Standard. Ezra Kucharz was a co-founder of Total Sports, which was acquired by Quokka last November. As sports organizations get more savvy about the Internet, they increasingly are becoming media companies as well as sports organizers and rules arbiters. This can't help but be bad news for the online sports media, as sports organizations like the USTA act to benefit their own online enterprises and try not to help other online sports sites covering their sport. —Steve
Posted 5:19 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
My Web Design Pet Peeve
News.com just introduced a new site design, and I like it a lot better than the old one. However, the new design has a problem that's a pet peeve of mine. If in your Web browser you change the text size from "medium" to "larger" or "largest," then the graphic border on the new News.com becomes misaligned. I notice this with many Web sites, since I have my browser set to "larger" text — to accommodate my over-40 eyes which have trouble reading small type on computer screens. If you haven't done so, change your browser text-size setting and see if your site holds together. —Steve
Posted 10:46 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
A WAP Climbing Guide: Don't Drop It!
An interesting example of wireless content is the WAP version of the ClimbingBoulder.com Route Database. Michael Komarnitsky just finished creating the WAP (wireless application protocol) version of the Web site, which could be useful for climbers tackling the many outstanding routes around Boulder, Colorado. The site includes route instructions, maps, and photos, and is a pretty cool thing on a wireless PDA (and not quite as cool on a WAP-enabled phone, since tiny screens won't show the photos).
Still, I have to wonder how practical such a wireless-content application really is. Paper climbing route maps still hold the edge: They won't get knocked out of commission by being banged on a rock; they're less likely to get dropped, and when they are the climber isn't out a few hundred bucks.
—Steve
Posted 10:27 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
A Cool Use for a Web-cam
A lot of web-cams are fairly worthless — cameras aimed at shopping malls or downtown streets. (Boring!) But OrlandoSentinel.com in cooperation with the Florida Audubon Society has a web-cam that's actually interesting. A video camera has been mounted above the nest of a bald eagle, giving a live, in-the-nest view of the entire nesting process, from courtship to egg-laying, incubation to hatching, and care and feeding of two young eaglets. Winter is the eagle's Florida nesting season.
The Eagle Cam debuted on Monday, and already there are two eaglets for online users to view. Watch between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (US Eastern time) when it's light out. Get to the Web video pictures from this page. —Steve
Posted 4:13 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
WashingtonPost.com Dominates in EPpy Award Finals
Editor & Publisher today released the names of the finalists in the 2001 EPpy Awards for best online newspaper services. Once again, WashingtonPost.com has dominated the awards, with finalist honors in 10 categories. Last year, the site was a finalist in five categories, and went on to win three. I think it's safe to bet that it will do better this year. NYTimes.com, USAToday.com, and Jacksonville.com (Florida Times Union) each have three finalist spots. The EPpy awards in 21 categories will be announced on February 23, at the Interactive Newspapers conference in Dallas, Texas. (Note: I was one of the 30 judges of this contest, but none of the judges know the final results.) —Steve
Posted 3:59 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Chat at the Journalism Lunch Table
USA Today Olympics editor Beau Dure has launched a new site called the Journalism Lunch Table. A non-profit, one-man operation, the Lunch Table is meant to be a new form of discussion venue that focuses on the future of the profession of journalism. The idea behind the site is to publish a bi-weekly column about some important issue. (The inaugural essay suggests that it's time for newspaper editorial writers to start signing their names to their words.) Dure will write some essays; others will come from volunteer contributors. A major part of the site will be the discussion that each essay brings forth from the site's readers. The Lunch Table name comes from the idea that some of the best thinking in journalism and new media comes not from expensive conferences and in speeches by industry leaders, but by reporters and editors conversing at lunch. —Steve
Posted 12:34 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Poetry on Your Mobile Phone
There are an estimated 2.3 million WAP (wireless application protocol) pages available for viewing on Internet-enabled mobile phones, according to Google. While early wireless-phone content tends to be focused on serving business users, a few content creators are working on more personal content. In this News.com report, writer Ben Charny finds writers devoted to the idea of delivering such content as poetry and haiku to mobile phone users' tiny screens. "I thought it would be cool to let someone read a couple poems while they are waiting for a bus, or killing time," says one wireless poet. It's doubtful that there's a business model to support people like him, but hey, publishing isn't always about making money. —Steve
Posted 12:12 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
A Usable Book
I've published a "mini" edition of the Content Spotlight newsletter, which includes a review by Amy Gahran of the book Don't Make Me Think!: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability. This is a great book, of high value to content professionals, says Amy — even though author Steve Krug doesn't directly address content. —Steve
Posted 12:07 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Barringer's Analysis of Internet Newspaper Prospects
New York Times reporter Felicity Barringer weighs in today with an insightful analysis of the current state of the online newspaper business. She points out a couple of key characteristics of the business in this depressed-Internet-sector era: 1) That newspaper companies that have tended to listen and invest in groups are now starting to go their own way, designing new media business models that reflect opportunities specific to them. And 2) paid subscription services for content are again under consideration. (This is something I've been writing about recently in my Editor & Publisher columns.) —Steve
|