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Posted 6:12 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Feed Us No More (This Sucks!)
Steve Outing on webzine's demise
Feed Magazine, one of the oldest and well recognized webzines, is no more. In an announcement today, Feed's editors say that the e-publication has been put into "suspended animation" — basically, the site will be dead for the near term, with perhaps some occasional "re-runs" posted over the summer. Automatic Media, which acquired Feed and Suck about a year ago, is unable to keep Feed fed. Founders Stefanie Syman and Steven Johnson aren't ready to admit defeat yet; they indicate that they hope to find the zine a new home.Meanwhile, Suck is resorting to re-runs, too, in what is being called a "summer vacation." Will the Sucksters really return? I'm not holding my breath. (And can Salon.com be far behind? Online media is an industry in need of Prozac!)
Posted 4:58 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Brazilian Journalists Hot on the Web
Josh Fouts on online journos way down south
Two Brazilian magazines are doing special reports on the Brazilian weblogging phenomenon. São Paulo-based print magazine Estadão de São Paulo looks at the array of technophiles, journalists, and ordinary folk who have staked a personal claim online in "Weblogs: Open Hearts." Meanwhile, online magazine Mood looks at who's doing it and how. I'll wager that Brazilians are probably the largest non-English speaking weblogging community out there. Just take a look at the links page on this weblogger's site. Something's brewing...
Posted 12:46 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Layne Tells It Like It Is
Steve Outing on Internet Content conference
Online Journalism Review columnist Ken Layne is always entertaining. Today he serves up some impressions of the Internet Content West conference earlier this week in Los Angeles. This piece is classic Layne: "It wasn't a funeral. It was more like a big wedding where the bride had been killed the week before, but the family insisted on carrying on with the reception since they'd already paid for the hotel ballroom."
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Posted 10:38 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Dot-Com Doldrums Continue
Paul Grabowicz on the Internet economy
The rash of closures of Internet firms shows no sign of abating, according to Webmergers.com, which has been tracking dot-com failures since January 2000. A larger number of firms already have tanked this year than in all of last year. USA Today reported on the sobering numbers, as well as other signs of tough times in the dot-com industry.
Posted 3:37 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
No Wonder So Many Hate Microsoft
Steve Outing on stupid Microsoft antics
Bravo to Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal personal technology columnist, for alerting us to an odious feature that Microsoft is building into its forthcoming Windows XP operating system. As Mossberg reports, a feature in the current beta version allows Microsoft to create links to selected words that show up in any Web page as seen on a user's browser software. So on this page, the XP "SmartLinks" feature might create an automatic link to, for example, the word Microsoft, even though I as the publisher of this page did not choose to make the word a link. THIS STINKS! Microsoft has no business and no right to, in effect, edit the content that I as a publisher produce. It's a dumb, dumb, dumb idea that deserves to be shot down by public opinion (if not the U.S. Justice Department, since it's in effect a case of an operating system monopolist tilting the playing field to benefit itself and its partners at the expense of editorial integrity at millions of Web sites).
Posted 3:20 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Worst May Be Over for Online Ad Market
Paul Grabowicz on online advertising
There are signs that the recent decline in online advertising may be bottoming out. But it could take a year — and a recovery in the off-line advertising market — before things really begin to improve, according to Wall Street analysts cited in a CNET news.com story.
Posted 12:32 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
What to Expect From Broadband?
Katja Riefler on high expectations and disinspiring reality
Does broadband Internet live up to our expectations? Claire Tristram did an interesting piece in Technology Review, where she explores in depth the perspectives for video on demand and other services. Despite the exploding number of broadband subscribers, all that you probably will see developing online is the use of 3- to 4-minute promotional clips. No movies. No interactive video games. Due to still existing and imminent system constraints, the services that will survive and flourish are likely to be those that don't need massive audiences to be profitable. But the broadband Internet is great for person-to-person file exchanges.
Posted 12:24 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
E-publishers Are Cutting the Wrong Thing
Steve Outing on content cutbacks
As Stephanie Miles reports for the Wall Street Journal, many online pubishers are cutting back on the original content they produce, relying on content from other sources and thinning down content offerings. While this is certainly predictable in the current Internet downturn, it's also a horrible strategy that will hurt content sites. When sites like Salon.com cut back on original content, they're cutting their own throats. It's the quality of their original content that attracts and keeps an audience. The sad truth is that during a down time, content sites need to work that much harder at producing great content. To instead cut back is hastening their demise. There's no simple answer, of course. When you have to cut budgets, you have to cut. But good grief, find areas to cut that aren't the reason people come to your site in the first place!
Posted 11:10 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Cable Sports News and Interactivity
Steve Klein on online sports content
How do the three major cable late-night sports broadcasts compare for cross-platform interactivity with their Web sites to enhance the viewer experience and serve as a cross-promotional tool? Sports Business Daily recently analyzed the content of the 60-minute edition of FSN's "National Sports Report," the 60-minute edition of ESPN's "SportsCenter," and the 30-minute edition of CNN/SI's "Sports Tonight" for use of on-air time for viewer e-mails, phone calls, and network poll questions. The clear winner was CNN/SI, which averaged nearly 5% of its sportscast. FSN was a distant second at 1.5%, and ESPN lagged at .75%.CNN/SI changed the format of its nightly show in December specifically to increase its viewer interactivity. "We've made a conscious effort to try to be ahead of the curve and experiment with as many interactive elements as we feel provide good content for our shows," said Bill Galvin, CNN/SI's vice president and executive producer. "When there is a big news story, we see a spike in interest from our online users and viewers." At Fox, executive producer Scott Ackerson said, "I don't think we'll get to the point where CNN/SI is. I think that might be a little too much. The whole goal is to drive people back and forth between the Web site and our regional and national shows — get them to watch television shows longer and more often, and get them to the Web site longer and more often." Finally, ESPN senior vice president Bob Eaton said: "We're working on some plans with ESPNews that will probably enhance that activity when we get to the fall. We look at the Internet as a promotional vehicle to promote material that's going to be on 'SportsCenter.' We try as much as we can to use (the Internet and TV) in a complementary fashion."
Posted 10:30 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
First "3G" Mobile Internet Services Online
Katja Riefler on experiences in Japan
In times when European telcos question their investments in third-generation mobile phone services or at least consider closer technical cooperation, the world's first-ever service has started. Japan's NTT DoCoMo reports no major glitches after a one-week trial. A select group of 3,300 corporate and individual users had received their 3G phones a week ago, free of charge and without having to pay a basic monthly charge, as part of DoCoMo's introductory service. Another 1,200 users shall follow at the end of this month when another type of phone will be available. The full commercial launch is scheduled for October 1. Right now users seem to be amazed by the speed but it is more than questionable whether the services add enough new functionality to justify additional payment.
Posted 10:25 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
New Dimensions for New Media
Rich Gordon on student "digital tablet" projects
Master's students majoring in new media at the Medill School of Journalism have completed four prototypes for a package of content, services, and functionality to be delivered to a "digital tablet" (portable electronic device). I'm biased, of course, since I taught the "New Media Publishing Project" class in which the students were enrolled, but I think the ideas are compelling and extremely well executed. (Thanks to our friends at Thomson Multimedia, which sponsored the class and gave us access to their experts on e-books and consumer electronics.) The prototypes, built using a combination of Flash and HTML, are for:
- A kitchen assistant (the iCook tablet).
- The Virtual Sports Connection for baseball fanatics at the stadium.
- A tablet for tourists.
- A tablet for golfers on and off the course.
I am intrigued by the content opportunities for portable devices for a number of reasons, including the possibility of new revenue streams such as subscription services and location-based advertising. I also think PC delivery can never reach a mass audience because it is so often inconvenient to get to your desk. I (and my students) would welcome feedback on the prototypes at richgor@northwestern.edu.
Posted 1:07 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Are Mixed Revenue Models the Way Forward?
Carla Passino on revenue sources for online publishers
In an interview with Corporate Wide Web, Il Sole 24 Ore's online editor, Mattia Losi, takes an in-depth look at revenue models for e-publishers. In his view, the future of online publishing lies in adopting a mixed-revenue model that combines advertising with paid content (from subscriptions to information on demand).Losi manages Italy's leading financial Web site and could easily afford to charge for the top-quality specialist content he provides, but I doubt that generalist news sites going down the same route would find many buyers. However, Losi is right in saying that a mixed model is the way forward for online content providers. Just like it happens on old media, I think the winning business model will combine advertising with paid content, e-tail, and syndication in varying degrees — with paid content and syndication representing the strongest revenue source for niche sites, while advertising and e-tail will represent the main revenue source for generalist sites.
Posted 1:03 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Time Warner Releases Disappointed Response
Jade Walker on e-publishing contracts
A couple of weeks ago, we ran a Tidbit about the new Time Warning e-publishing venture, iPublish. The Authors Guild had issued a warning to its members claiming that Time Warner was asking for too many rights and paying minimal advances.Well now, Claire Zion, editorial director of iPublish.com, has responded to the allegations. She says the Authors Guild misrepresented iPublish's relationship with writers. "Anyone familiar with either print or electronic publisher's authors' agreements will immediately recognize that nothing we ask for in our contract is unusual. We firmly believe that our contract is fair and highly favorable for the unpublished writers we are committed to nurturing," Zion states. I say, decide for yourself. Here's the link to the contract.
Posted 12:16 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
'We Have Money; You Can't Have It'
Steve Outing on venture capital
On a panel of venture capitalists at Internet Content West yesterday, the three money men/women on stage all said that there's plenty of money available. It's not a capital shortage that's the issue for content and media companies seeking funding, but rather a capital moratorium on investing in the sector. It's too expensive to start an Internet media company and the likely returns simply aren't attractive to investors now. The VCs here in California aren't the only ones singing this tune, of course. Here's a report from another conference where assembled VCs echoed the bad news for content.
Posted 12:02 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Information Overload
Kerry Northrup on "digital dysfunction"
Apparently proving the sink-or-swim principle of human adaptation, a new report from tnbt.com says that we folks now living in the Information Society are learning to deal with and overcome news and information overload. From the press release (Business Wire via Yahoo!): "According to the report, 'The Demise of Digital Dysfunction,' an overwhelming 80% of respondents say they are thriving in their new data-rich environments, using the Internet effectively in their daily routines."
Posted 10:42 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Who Says You Can't Make a Profit Online?
Paul Grabowicz on new media business strategies
A survey by ActivMedia Research found that more than half the Web sites set up to make a profit now claim to have succeeded. The typical site took two years to become profitable, according to the study, and those firms tended to have fewer employees and be focused more on the bottom line than "aggressive promotion."
Posted 10:39 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
'Yes, You Can Charge!'; 'No, You Can't!'
Steve Outing on paying for online content
By far the most lively session at Internet Content West today was the "Pay per view?" panel, which featured two purveyors of adult content: Danni Ashe of Danni's Hard Drive, and Scott Moore, publisher of Slate.com. Ashe serves up sex content; Moore serves up mind content. Ashe told us that she discovered that $19.95 per month was the best price point for her monthly subscriptions. She started at $9.95 and kept raising the rate; when it was raised to $24.95, her business dived. Her advice: Don't go over $19.95, which seems to be a barrier for discretionary entertainment content. Ashe said she'd love to sell content per-piece, but she's still waiting for a commerce service to allow her to charge 25 cents for a photo or single video clip.Meanwhile, Moore was pessimistic about his site charging for content at all; he'd prefer to find alternative, related revenue streams. Slate's content can't open wallets in the way that Ashe's soft-core pornography can. But the panel's third member, Nell Fields of e-payments provider Clickshare, valiantly fought for the position that if publishers don't try to charge for their content, "they may as well pack up and go home," for free content is a losing model.
Posted 10:14 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Small Number of Sites Get Big Share of Online Usage
Paul Grabowicz on media consolidation
A relative handful of large companies are getting the lion's share of Web traffic, and the disparity is increasing, according to a new Jupiter Media Metrix report. The sites of only 14 companies controlled 60% of the time people spent online as of last March, down from 110 companies two years ago. But in at least one case — front-runner AOL Time Warner — people weren't spending their time looking at content. Instead, two-thirds of online minutes were used for communicating via e-mail, instant messaging, etc.
Posted 5:02 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Leonsis on What Still Works Online
Steve Outing on what's next
AOL vice chairman Ted Leonsis gave a stirring opening keynote speech this morning at Internet Content West in Los Angeles. While of course paying homage to how bad things are in the content business, he pointed out that we've hit the Second Wave of the Internet era — a more austere yet realistic one. He gave us a list of areas that he thinks can work (and make money) now: 1) Personals/relationship services. 2) Entertainment planning services. 3) "Entertainment that's not entertainment." (Services such as eBay and Fool.com.) 4) Jokes and entertainment via e-mail. 5) Short subjects and short animations. 6) Music downloads.
Posted 4:53 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Why ONA President's Print Move Is Good News
Carla Passino on old media prejudice against online journalism
Yesterday, Steve reported on Online News Association president Rich Jaroslovsky's move onto a print job. Shocking as it sounds, it actually is good news for e-journalists. In Europe, online journalists are still looked down upon by the old media lobby. They are often perceived as half-techie scribes and would hardly be considered for prestigious print jobs. Old media's snobbery toward all things Internet puts off many promising young journalists, who worry that, if they write for the Web, they will be stuck in an online-only career. Jaroslovsky's appointment goes a long way to fight prejudice against online journalism and open up cross-media opportunities.
Posted 9:58 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Inside.com Had 1,200 Paying Subscribers (Ouch!)
Steve Outing on paid-content models
According to Ken Auletta writing in The New Yorker, the best Inside.com could do with its paid-online-content service was 1,200 subscribers. (That's not a firm number; one Inside.com partner said it got as high as 5,000, but then fell to half that.) Whatever the number, this is yet another indication that paid-content subscriptions for individual Web sites generally don't work (with the obvious occasional exceptions such as WSJ.com and ConsumerReports.org).
Posted 9:31 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
ONA President Heads to Print (Gasp!)
Steve Outing on personnel moves
Rich Jaroslovsky, the president of the Online News Association, has moved from his online job as managing editor at WSJ.com to a print-side job at the Wall Street Journal as a senior editor. Jaroslovsky came from the Journal's Washington bureau in 1994 to become the founding managing editor of the Web site. In an e-mail exchange, he told me that he expects to continue playing a role in ONA. "The Journal and the ONA board both are very supportive of my continuing involvement with the association, so I expect to continue as president," he says. Jaroslovsky's term as ONA chief expires at the end of this year.
PITCH LESS, WRITE MORE
Correspondent.com is a dedicated secure environment connecting the worldwide community of independent journalists, editors and publishers.
Apply today at www.correspondent.com.
Posted 2:01 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Scheduling Note
Steve Outing on E-Media Tidbits
I'm going to be tied up Monday running the Online Content Creation Seminar at Internet Content West in Los Angeles. So, I'll post Tidbits items from my fellow contributors late in the day. (Thanks for your patience.)
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