|
Posted 4:11 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Big Local Story in Gainesville
Steve Outing on website's traffic overload
The website of the Gainesville Sun (Florida) got hammered with traffic when popular and controversial University of Florida football coach Steve Spurrier announced that he would retire. The site's solution was to revamp its home page to include only a text article about Spurrier with a single photo — and no links from the home page to anything else on the site. A note from webmaster Tim Davis noted that the regular site would return soon, once traffic to the Spurrier story died down. (As I write this, Spurrier remains the exclusive home page content. By the time you visit the site, that may have changed.)This is a drastic solution to a temporary spike in Web user traffic. There are better ways to handle such situations, such as having a contingency plan to use a mirror site elsewhere, or having an ISP or Web host that can increase bandwidth temporarily. (The Sun is a New York Times Co. property, so I would think the parent company's Internet resources could be leveraged in a situation like this.)
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 12:28 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Charging for Links to Free Websites
Steve Outing on ESPN.com's strategy
ESPN.com has an "Insider" premium service, which costs $39.95 a year or $4.95 per month. You get lots of premium content, including links to sports stories on other (free) websites. (For an example, from this page click on one of the "Insider Site Lines" links.) Which begs the question: Is it appropriate for a website to charge its users to read content on other sites that don't charge, and that don't get a share of ESPN.com's Insider revenues? I'd argue that what ESPN.com is doing (and it's not alone in this strategy) is charging for the aggregation service it is providing, and there's no problem with it. (If you don't want to pay to read a free story, it's simple enough to find a linked article independently.) The free sites still benefit by getting extra user traffic from ESPN.com's paying Insider subscribers. There's an interesting discussion currently taking place on this issue on the Online-News discussion list.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 11:47 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Nifty Technique for Showing Already-Read Stories
Juan C. Camus on design and usability
The full redesign of La Tercera Digital, the website of a major newspaper in Chile, demonstrates a new approach in how to handle article links. At the left of any story appears a column with all the stories of the same section. All of them are in plain text and only when you pass the mouse over them or when you have visited them, they appear underlined. The color of the texts and of the links are the same all the time. The new redesign debuted on Wednesday of this week, and you can compare it with the previous design by looking at the Jan. 1 edition.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 11:25 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
A Few E-media Trends
Madan Rao on 2002 predictions
Well, I can't resist the chance to attempt some "e-guruspeak" — so here goes. Here are some top trends to look out for in 2002 on the e-media front:[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
- Content management systems will become a top priority for e-government in 2002, and news media have a lot to teach and share with government agencies on this front; some alliances will be struck up in this area.
- SMS will become a significant channel of revenue and customer retention for major and niche Internet publishers/portals, followed by MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) in 2003.
- Communications for peace during times of conflict will become a major media agenda item, for both traditional and online media (especially in Asia).
- Creating "pan-purposed" content (to borrow a phrase from Forrester Research) will become an increasing part of the training for journalists and content creators in media houses who seek to layer content in different textures and monetize them accordingly.
Posted 11:17 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Media Grok Redux
Steve Outing on resurrection of media news resource
Remember Media Grok, the daily e-mail media-industry intelligence report produced by Standard Media (parent of the Industry Standard)? It's back, now named Media Unspun and produced by the same group of writers and editors as in the old days. They've taken the concept of a daily media-insider publication and created an independent company. The difference this time is that after an initial free trial run through March — when publication will be weekly — the service will go daily and cost $50 a year ($39.95 charter rate) for a subscription.The first issue of Media Unspun is being sent to a list of 8,000 people who wrote to the editors after it shut down. The new publishers are in the unfortunate position of not having access to the old Media Grok database of 100,000 subscribers.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 6:26 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
The Top 10 Online News Stories
Steve Outing on the year in review
Cyberjournalist.net's Jonathan Dube has compiled a list of the top 10 stories in the online news world. No. 1 (of course): Sept. 11 and the ensuing onslaught of online traffic to news websites. At No. 4, Dube cites the weblogging craze (of which we're fond here on E-Media Tidbits). Also take note of this page, which handily links to 17 year-end news packages by major news sites (and points to a handful of year-end news industry reflections, including my own).
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 6:10 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Eurotrash Weblog on Euro Experience
Norbert Specker on new ways to cover big stories
Weblogging definitely was a hidden champion of online publishing in 2001. And the story goes on: "Right now 12 European countries are dealing with one of the biggest logistical feats ever attempted: switching to a new currency. I'm not convinced that peer-to-peer journalism is going to remake the media world as we know it, but it struck me that this approach was perfect for this story," says David Gallagher, who initiated Eurotrash, an international colloborative weblog voicing experiences and thoughts of ordinary people regarding the new currency.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 2:08 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Online News Departures, Career Changes
Steve Outing on Poynter.org's listings
Elsewhere on Poynter.org today you'll find a comprehensive package about journalists who left the profession in 2001. Within the lists of those who went on to other careers or retired are several stories about individuals in the online news field — told in their own words. Here are links to the online news folks on that list: Rusty Coats, Bill Skeet, Bill Weber, Scott Woelfel, and Kevin Woodward.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 1:19 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
2002 in Spanish
Juan C. Camus on the year ahead
A profitable business model is the goal of Latin American websites in 2002 — as in the rest of the world, I think. In Chile, there is only one news site that has switched to premium content: El Mostrador ("The Newsstand"), which charges about US$6 per month. However, there is no public information about its success in that model. All other local newspaper websites offer free entrance and none of them at this time plan to charge for content. Most have some kind of related business (such as Emol, which operates an ISP).Also, we will need to focus our attention on what big players from the developed world will do in this region, because from AOL to Terra, all of them have investments here and are worried about how to make their ventures profitable — from Mexico to Argentina. I think that in this part of the world, 2002 will find us focused on knowing the tools of this market and to have an eye open to the world — looking to see where the money is.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 11:16 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
At the Office, the Internet Rules
Steve Outing on media usage trends
I've been waiting since the mid 1990s to write about stuff like this. A new study by Market Facts shows that in the (U.S.) office environment, the Internet is often the dominant source of news — beating out traditional media like TV news, newspapers, and radio news. The study found that when news breaks during the day, working adults are most likely to turn to online news. For news consumption in the workplace as a whole, 31% turn first to the Internet; 23% to newspapers; 17% to radio; 13% to magazines; 5% to broadcast TV news; and 4% to cable TV news. The trend of using the Internet first for breaking news is particularly prevalent among broadband Internet users in the workplace. Another tidbit: Among all Internet users, 65% use online news at least every two weeks. That beats magazines (58%), but trails other media (such as broadcast TV (89%) and newspapers (82%)).This latest study, which was conducted on behalf of MSNBC.com, provides evidence of significant gains in online news toward entrenchment as the newest mass news medium. Audience size for online media is growing quickly enough that in areas outside the workplace, the Internet should eventually catch up to traditional media. (The Market Facts study data, by the way, was collected prior to Sept. 11. And sorry, but I don't have a link yet to the study results.)
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 11:12 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Asia Opens Door for SMS Revenues for Global Internet Portals
Madan Rao on mobile Internet
Asia exhibits one of the highest regional per capita SMS messaging levels in the world — and global Internet portals are waking up to this new channel for customer traffic and revenue streams. Singapore was the first country in the world where Yahoo! Messenger was launched on SMS, and now Internet-to-mobile phone gateways have been launched for Yahoo! Mail on SMS in India. By the end of the year, Yahoo India expects up to 20% of its revenues to come from SMS services, and other regional markets in Africa and the Middle East are also being targeted from India. In India, almost 60% of the users of Yahoo! Messenger on SMS are corporate users. Globetrotting expat business people and non-resident Indians (especially in the U.S.) are other target groups for the service.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 11:01 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Your Talent Has No Value
Jade Walker on Suite 101's writer snub
Suite 101 has long been regarded as a labor of love for most of its staff. Each Suite 101 contributor received a monthly $10 to $25 honorarium for keeping readers in each topic up-to-date with new articles, forum participation, and links. Now the corporate entity behind the portal has decided that such content should be provided for free. As of Jan. 15, the company plans to stop paying its writers entirely.But what's really galling about this decision is the way Barrie Bradshaw, director of business development at Suite 101, presented the change to the staff. "If my passion were playing golf I likely would have to pay fees at a golf course. Seldom do the fees cover more than the operating cost of running the golf club. Without the green fees or dues there would be no one to cut the grass and maintain the asset and game would be over on that course," Bradshaw stated. Under such a ridiculous theory, writers should pay Suite 101 for the "honor" of providing its investors with bankable content.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 5:37 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Expect More Legislation Debate in 2002
Steve Klein on Internet law
It's only a matter of time before increased Internet legislation (can we PLEASE do something about spam?) becomes a higher priority for the U.S. Congress. A comprehensive column by Carl S. Kaplan in the New York Times surveyed several law professors and lawyers about significant events in cyber law in 2001. Common themes included the U.S. government's legal response to the Sept. 11 attacks; Hollywood's copyright victory in the U.S. Court of Appeals; and, Kaplan wrote, "a sense that Internet law — and cyberspace itself — is still unfolding and that new battle lines are forming even as old conflicts are settled." It's a developing story well worth our attention in 2002.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 5:19 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Does Times Website Blur Editorial-Ad Lines?
Vin Crosbie on online journalism ethics
"To borrow from the tagline of the new blockbuster film Lord of the Rings, it may be the one Web page that binds them all. But did it unite them in darkness?" is how CBS MarketWatch leads a story that the New York Times website's "sponsored content" for that film may be the latest example of "how the modern world of Internet journalism is colliding with the age-old struggle of keeping news and advertising apart." See my consulting company's own weblog for my further comments about this.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 3:35 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
What Do You Think About the "Euro"?
Juan C. Camus on money and interactivity
Spanish newspaper websites are producing some special coverage these days, showing interactive information about the Euro, the new currency of 12 countries in Europe. You can see features such as photos of the new bills and coins, how to change your old coins, and so on.The websites have the advantage of interactivity and they are using it. El País' site features a special scrolling bar that let's you see how many "euros" equal "pesetas," the previously exclusive money of Spain. As you move the bar, you see the conversion. The site also features a "Euro-calculator" that shows the exchange rate between the Euro and the currencies of the other participating countries. On the website of El Mundo, you can see a survey and a forum where site users are posting their first opinions about that change. The majority of Spaniards appear to be in favor of the new money.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 2:43 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
2001's Most Wanted Lists
Steve Outing on most popular search-engine terms
SearchDay has an interesting story today about the most popular search terms last year on the largest Web search engines. There's not a lot of consistency: At Google, No. 1 was "Nostradamus," 2. "CNN," 3. "World Trade Center," 4. "Harry Potter," and 5. "anthrax." At Lycos, 1. "Dragonball," 2. "Britney Spears," 3. "Napster," 4. "tattoos," and 5. "Osama bin Laden." At Yahoo!: 1. "PlayStation 2," 2. "Britney Spears," 3. "WWF," 4. "Dragon Ball," and 5. "Napster." As SearchDay's Chris Sherman notes, each of the search engines publishes commentary that helps explain why the queries may have been popular. Google even charts the most popular search terms as they occurred throughout 2001.This is fascinating stuff if you are a news editor (online or off) charged with covering what people care about. While some of the top terms are obvious, not all are. Perhaps it's time to devote more coverage to Dragonball, the Japanese cartoon show, or for another Playstation 2 feature, for instance.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 1:27 PM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
100 Years Ago Today
Andrew Stroehlein on the online census in the UK
The UK Public Record Office (PRO) went live with the 1901 census today, but massive public interest has jammed the site, causing delays and apologies. The site has received good advanced publicity in the UK media, and many hope to trace family histories without the hassle of working through the print or microfiche records of 32 million turn-of-the-century residents of England and Wales. I still haven't been able to get into the census pages, but the PRO Web exhibition, "Living at the Time of the Census," made interesting reading as I was trying.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 11:42 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Subject: Mea Culpa
Steve Outing on e-mail publishing subject lines
In my item last week where I criticized how some news publishers send out e-mail content with static subject lines, I failed to make sure my own house was in order — as several readers pointed out to me privately. I should have noted that with the e-mail delivery service used to send out HTML daily mailings of E-Media Tidbits, the subject line is always the same. I still stand by my advice: for regularly delivered e-mail (especially daily mailings), use a new, relevant headline each time. (Advice to self: figure out how to implement unique subject lines for each day's Tidbits mailing.)
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
Posted 11:31 AM US Eastern Time | perma-link to item below
Pessimism for 2002
Vin Crosbie on the state of online publishing
Unlike some other contributors here and predictions made elsewhere, I am pessimistic about the online periodical publishing industry for 2002. The problem with it isn't the economic downturn. Spending on online advertising increased throughout last year, so excuses that print and broadcast advertising's decline caused online publishing's economic woes are false. News sites weren't making money when the economy was booming in 1999 and 2000 when the majority of the Western World's adult population was online. Nor is the solution to charge consumers to access news websites; consumers didn't frequently use those sites when access was free.The industry has yet to admit the fundamental reasons why the Web is an unprofitable online vehicle for periodical publishing. The industry then must get actively involved — something it never was in the crucial early days of the Web — with developing the newer and better new media vehicles for delivering periodicals online: the new (non-ebook, non-PDA) wireless portable devices that are beginning to appear in 2002 and that will become nearly universal by the end of this decade. Unfortunately, Webcentric hubris and the momentum of the flawed business plans that media corporations launched years ago will still rule and roll throughout 2002, bringing further decline. A shame.
[ Discuss THIS item | See ALL Tidbits discussions ]
|