|
Posted 6:36 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Tracking Tool for Terrorists?
Steve Outing on removing information from the Web
Fellow E-Media Tidbits writer Amy Gahran has written here recently about government officials removing information from their websites that might be used by terrorists — such as locations of water treatment plants, details about nuclear facilities, etc. If we want to be that paranoid, we might also look at some private-sector websites that could be used for nefarious purpose by "evil-doers." Classic example: theTrip.com's Flight Tracker, which allows you to see real-time data about any commercial flight in the U.S. It shows current location of the plane on a map, airspeed, altitude, and heading. It's a cool and handy service (and under certain circumstances, potentially useful for journalists), but it could be used by a terrorist seeking to down a commercial jetliner. Should a service like this be removed because it could aid terrorists? The thought of shutting down private services like Flight Tracker is not on anyone's radar screen (as far as I know), but removing government information is happening daily post-Sept. 11.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 6:06 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
E-books' Next Chapter Is a Thin One
Steve Outing on Random House dropping e-book line
As the New York Times reports, Random House is dropping its line of purely digital books (e-books). The publisher will continue to produce e-book versions of printed titles, but it won't be in the business of publishing titles only in e-book form. The reason is obvious enough: E-book sales are minuscule. There are many reasons for this: The depressed economy (people aren't keen to spend money on e-reader devices that haven't proved themselves yet); the e-reading devices are still crude, with screen resolution that is not yet the match of ink on paper; etc.I don't think e-books are dead for all time. It may take another five years (my guess) before digital e-reader or "tablet" technology is cheap and screen resolution matches the paper experience. The devices also need to be capable of handling all sorts of content — from newspapers and magazines, to documents, to books. Devices that only read books won't sell. (I have an RCA E-book reader, but it collects dust; the reading experience was poor compared with paper, in my opinion.) Also, the books that will sell best for e-readers, I believe, will be textbooks. I can envision college students carrying e-readers with all their books downloaded before I can see people sitting on the beach reading John Grisham on electronic tablets.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 11:04 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Lessons Learned From Sept. 11
Katja Riefler on a roundtable discussion in Zurich
How did the people at the major media companies really experience the events of Sept. 11th? What does this mean for the online news media as a whole? In Zurich at the Content Summit 01 event, Rich Jaroslovsky, senior editor of the Wall Street Journal, Kalle Jungkvist, chief editor of Aftonbladet New Media (Sweden), Scott Meyer, vice president and general manager of New York Times Digital, and Mathias Müller von Blumencron, editor-in-chief of Spiegel Online (Germany) discussed their personal lessons learned and their expectations for the future. In a nutshell: The Internet is as well about depth as about speed, or as Jaroslovsky put it: "The event showed how the Net fits people's information needs — more timely than newspaper, more in-depth than broadcast, more context than any other medium. The Net should not try to be TV or print, but fill the large space between the two." You can find a summary of this session as well as presentations from the speakers at the conference here.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 9:57 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
The Dot-Com Blues
Jade Walker on the state of the publishing business
I just went through the subscriber rolls of Inscriptions, the weekly e-zine for professional writers that I publish. In total, I deleted more than 350 people who were continuously bouncing messages. After looking over the e-mail addresses, I noticed many of them were from dot-coms or magazines that have laid off workers or ceased publishing. Hearing random statistics on the state of the industry is one thing. Deleting hundreds of unemployed writers' e-mail addresses because they no longer have Internet access was quite another. Very disheartening!
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 6:37 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
An End to Passwords?
Steve Outing on PC fingerprint technology
Walt Mossberg's column today for the Wall Street Journal reports on a new device that can recognize a PC user's fingerprint, and replace the need for login names and passwords when using the Internet. When you visit a website that requires you to log in, just put your finger on the small device and you're in (unless you've cut your finger, so make a backup fingerprint profile). I think this is promising news for websites that charge money for their content (as well as e-commerce sites and online banks, obviously). Anything we can do to make it easier for Internet users to purchase content and have easy access to it is going to support them adopting the idea of paying for content.For instance, I have a paid subscription to ConsumerReports.org, and each time I visit — which is seldom — I can't remember the login/password combination and have to look it up. What a pain! This is an interesting idea.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 1:53 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
More From the Beeb: New International Web News Service
Amy Gahran on the BBC's latest online foray
According to yesterday's Guardian, the BBC plans to move forward with launching a new online news service aimed at "international users." I have no idea what form this service might take — as far as I can tell, the BBC site says nada on this topic (although admittedly that info might just be hard to find under the site's new redesign). The Guardian says that this service is "to be announced in the next few weeks, (and) is due to launch before the end of the year in an effort to capitalize on the demand for world news since the events of September 11 and subsequent allied attacks on Afghanistan."
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 12:46 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
The Value of Free
Rich Gordon on why paid content may hurt a publisher
A number of websites have concluded in recent months that paid subscriptions offer the best chance of creating a business model for online publishing. I expect that some of them will, in fact, be more successful businesses by requiring users to pay for access to content. But the short-term bottom line isn't the only measure of success for an online publisher. The Web is also a way to expose your content, services, and brand to people who aren't already familiar with them. I haven't yet seen any good research that attempts to measure the effect of free vs. paid distribution on the awareness and perceived value of a content-based website. But I did come across a very interesting study from the field of academic publishing.In an article in Nature, Steve Lawrence of NEC Corp. looks at articles accepted for publication at computer science conferences, whether the articles are available for free online, and how frequently those articles end up being cited by other researchers in their work. The conclusion: Articles available for free online are cited by other researchers 157% to 336% more frequently than those whose availability requires a print or online subscription. This study should be relevant for all online publishers; if you want to be known as a premier source of information on a particular topic, blocking off content to non-subscribers could be a very bad strategy.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 12:31 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Revenge of the 'Pokey' Connection
Steve Klein on dial-up vs. broadband connection
I don't mean to get personal in this space, but as I work from my home office on dial-up Internet backup because my Cox Communications/Roadrunner cable service has been down almost 24 hours (and spotty at best for two weeks now with no relief in sight, I'm told), I was struck by John Borland's story on CNET's News.com about broadband defectors. According to Borland, subscribers are beginning to abandon their broadband connections for dial-up. Reasons include price hikes and a lack of compelling broadband content — not to mention my own current unhappiness. (Is anybody from Cox Communications listening?)"I think the churn is just now beginning," says Imran Khan, a Yankee Group research analyst. The industry disputes this analysis: EarthLink spokesman Kurt Rahn says that high-speed subscribers would "rather sell their grandmothers" than go back to a pokey dial-up connection. Uh, Kurt, pay attention: A pokey dial-up connection trumps a cable connection that isn't consistent, let alone not working at all.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 12:05 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Best European News Content Site
Katja Riefler on the winners of the IP Top Awards 2001
The IP Top Awards 2001 were handed out during Content Summit 2001. The prize for "Best European News Site" was given to BBC Online, which just relaunched and changed its name to "BBCi." (See Amy Gahran's item here yesterday.) A team of experts from all over Europe nominated the sites and judged them on criteria such as "Content Quality," "User Friendliness," and "Interaction." The winners of the category "Best Interactive Content" is the German TV website ZDF Reporter. The jury's special prize was given to Bkaro.net. Read the press release for the full list of winners.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 3:46 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
The New Beeb Site – Yuck!
Amy Gahran on The BBC site's makeover
The BBC just unveiled its new website design, and I must confess I'm underwhelmed. First of all, BBC executives decided that the BBC brand wasn't strong enough, so they unleashed this new BBCi brand for their online content — even though the vast majority of the site's content is, in fact, repurposed straight from the BBC's broadcast operations. Sorry, Beeb — the confusion this will cause will probably only weaken your brand, not strengthen it. Second: too many choices! Check out the new BBC home page. I don't think it's any easier to decide what to click on now than it was before. Oh well ... at least they had the sense to generally leave the BBC News site design alone.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 2:50 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Some Downs, Some Ups
Steve Outing on online media trends
The economic casualties in the dot-com world aren't over yet. Among the latest: Cox Interactive Media's LAInsider.com, which covered the entertainment industry in Los Angeles, is closing after eight months. (See New York Post coverage.) Cox still operates 20 city websites in other U.S. communities. And the Disney company is shuttering its Mr. Showbiz website and laying off about 150 people from ABCNews.com and Disney Internet Group. (See MSNBC.com's report from yesterday.)But there are simultaneous positive signs. Among them: the Richochet mobile high-speed Internet access service is getting a new life. Broadband access is having a tough time right now, so it's encouraging that the idea of mobile Internet (much loved by consumers) is back. Also, if you need to read an encouraging word, see Dan Fost's media column today, which includes these words from Forbes ASAP editor Michael Malone: "The next boom is only a couple or three years away. You get 50 million Americans with broadband, and you'll see a boom bigger than the last one."
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 1:25 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Online Sells Better Than Radio
Katja Riefler on making money
"You can make money on any mass medium. We have a greater audience than radio." Bob Cauthorn, vice president of digital media at SFGate.com, surprised the attendees of the Content Summit in Zurich (which is organized by fellow Tidbits contributor Norbert Specker) this morning with his optimism and business ideas, although he wasn't there at all: travel restrictions of his company had prevented him from being here. So he delivered his experiences on successful new media revenue streams in a video interview.According to Cauthorn, local advertising is getting more important than national. Recruitment ads are promising, and two new tools should especially attract retailers: PersonalShopper, which launched Wednesday (noted here in an item yesterday), gives site visitors the chance to search ROP and display ads from the San Francisco Chronicle, browse by advertiser name or by 24 major categories, and filter advertising results by geographic location. If they don't find an item they're looking for, they can request an e-mail notification when the ad appears. The second innovation is a self-service advertising tool, where advertisers can create and maintain their online advertising. Cauthorn's notes and some other presentations from the Content Summit are available here.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 1:02 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Irish Users Go On Strike
Carla Passino on Internet access in Ireland
Irish Web users will go on strike on Nov. 16 to protest against the high cost of Internet access in the country, reports The Register. Concerned that delays in the roll-out of broadband and flat rates will leave Ireland lagging far behind other European countries, pressure group IrelandOffline has organized the boycott which will extend to both Internet and telephone usage. Reviving a trick first tried by the Italians in 1999 during a campaign for unmetered access, Irish users will switch off their modems for a day, in the hope of forcing telecom companies to reduce the cost of Internet connections and offer broadband services. "We are asking Irish Internet (and telecommunications) users to demonstrate their support of IrelandOffline by simply not connecting to the Internet for a day; or replacing their homepage with a blackout page; or in any other ways that they see fit," says IrelandOffline on its website.Italy did get flat rates and broadband eventually, although I am not at all sure it came as a result of the strike. I wonder whether the ruse will work in Ireland. What do you think?
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 9:03 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Shaped Pop-ups: Are These Any Better?
Steve Outing on online advertising
Web publishers and advertisers continue to experiment with new forms of online ads. The latest: shaped pop-ups. Here's an example. Now, it's generally agreed that Web pop-up ads annoy people, so I'm don't have confidence that a new shape is going to make any difference. But hey, online advertising continues onward and ... upward? (For more on these new types of ads, read Masha Geller's MediaPost column.)
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 6:04 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Interstitials, OK; Pop-ups/unders, Yuck
Steve Outing on online advertising
Mike Coleman of AZCentral.com (website of the Arizona Republic) reports on the reaction to new "interstitial" ads being introduced in various areas of the site. These ads take over a user's screen for a few seconds before the content they've requested shows up. (For an example, go to rep.azcentral.com and click on the "Film & screens" tab to view the ad.) Here's the interesting part: Says Coleman, "We have not received a single complaint from our users about these ads. We tend to get a large number of complaints when we run a pop-up or pop-under ad. The fact that the ad is cookied, so that a user will only receive it once per day or week (depending on the campaign) probably helps."
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 5:50 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
AOL Off the Hook This Time
Steve Outing on book of AOL users' comments
As I reported earlier this week, Warner Books' new title, Because We Are Americans, used comments that America Online users posted to AOL chat rooms and discussion forums — without explicitly asking for permission. While the AOL terms of service allows such use of AOL users' words, some experts think the practice is unseemly and possibly even illegal (but only assuming that the TOS would be ruled unenforceable). M.J. Rose in her Wired News column today quoted National Writers Union legal advisor Harry Youtt with an interesting comment: At some point in the future, a case like this is likely to be challenged. "I just wouldn't suggest this be the one to go up against. It would make the protesters sound like bin Laden sympathizers" (because the book's profits are going to Sept. 11 relief funds).
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 12:52 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Newspaper Site Features Searchable Display Ads
Paul Grabowicz on online advertising
The San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate website has launched a service called PersonalShopper that lets people do full-text searches of display advertisements. You also can look for ads by category or geographic area and receive e-mail alerts on particular types of ads.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 9:08 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
MLB.com: Serious Media Competition
Steve Outing on online sports content
Steve Klein's item below this, about MLB.com's powerful stats page, confirms the thesis of the most recent Editor & Publisher Online column by me, "Sports League and Team Sites Battle Media" (published last week). Sports is an example of a topic where corporate or organization websites are becoming media entities themselves. In MLB.com's case, it's doing a credible job and attracting a big audience that otherwise would go to sports media sites.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 8:59 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
A Statistical Homerun
Steve Klein on online sports content
If you're the kind of baseball fan who can't get enough of stats, MLB.com, the official site of Major League Baseball, has just the feature for you. The site's statistical page includes sortable player and team stats, league leaders, batter vs. pitcher, and — if you didn't get enough of the Arizona Diamondbacks' terrific World Series victory over the New York Yankees — post-season, pre-season, interleague, and all-star events. It's a bases loaded homerun.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 3:38 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
LocalBusiness.com Rises From the Dead
Steve Outing on new life for a dot-bomb
LocalBusiness.com, which published small-business news in various U.S. cities but went bankrupt last year, is going to be relaunched after its assets were acquired by TrueAdvantage, a lead-generation service. (LocalBusiness.com also once went by the name of dBusiness.com.) The site was once seen as a potentially serious competitor to local business newsweeklies and dailies' business sections. Its content in local markets mostly came from freelancers. It's unlikely that the revived LocalBusiness.com will be as ambitious as the site was in the Internet boom years.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 12:51 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Wanted: European Content Ideas
Katja Riefler on an opportunity for funding
The European Commission just published its second call for proposals for "The eContent Programme." Its purpose is to stimulate the development and use of European digital content on the global networks and to promote linguistic diversity in the information society. It runs until 2005. The total budget available for this call is 26.5 million Euro. If you want to apply, deliver your proposal by Feb. 1, 2002.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 10:32 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
ABC E-mails Add Ads, Lose Subscriber
Steve Outing on e-mail marketing techniques
ABC News publishes a daily e-mail "from Peter Jennings" that is a preview of the day's newscast. My Poynter colleague Jill Geisler was a subscriber until last week, when ABC began including an ad for a credit card at the beginning of the daily note. Jill explains: "The e-mail now begins with an ad for a credit card. The preview space on my e-mail box was now a paragraph about a platinum card, rather than the first words of Jennings' missive. And believe me, those preview words often determined whether I would read on. The e-mails were effective. They often drove me to watch ABC News. Now they lost me. I signed up for what I knew was a promotion for a news business, ABC. I didn't sign up for another business' advertisement ahead of the ABC promotion. (I probably would have stayed if the ad were at the bottom of the message instead of the top.) ... I wonder if other subscribers hit the 'unsubscribe' button, too."
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 8:36 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Content Programming
Norbert Specker on interfaces by design
Arne Krumsvik, former CEO of the new media division of Dagbladetin Norway and Scandinavian online crack of the first hour, has moved to be editor-in-chief of Romerikes Blad — leaving online, if that is at all possible anymore. His last project was what he calls "content programming." Analyzing user behavior, two different front pages (home pages) are presented. From 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. the entry page is dominated by news; in the evening and overnight it is entertainment oriented. Even at this raw level, content programming results in additional page views and it will be interesting to follow Dagbladet into the fine tuning stage.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
|