Craig Newmark, founder of Craigslist.org chats about the success of his site, and the state of the online news business. Some excerpts: Q: Is Craigslist a threat to newspapers, as people say? Newmark: Not in a significant way. We do drain some revenue from some papers that rely on ads. But I have spoken to… Continue reading Craig Newmark Sees Blurring of Professional & Citizen Journalism in Future
Newspapers Finding Softness in Online Ad Growth
The Wall Street Journal reports that newspapers are experiencing softer online advertising growth this year than expected. Analysts are sharing their estimates of online ad growth: Media-research firm Borrell Associates says:”The growth rate in online ad spending in newspapers will likely fall to a percentage in the low 20s this year from 28% last year.”… Continue reading Newspapers Finding Softness in Online Ad Growth
Tragedy & Social Media
I really didn’t want to write about the Virginia Tech shootings this week, but I can’t escape how it illustrates the shift in media: Journalists now look to their audience & social media for sources. Through blogs, social networks, comments, photos, videos, and forums – journalists are finding sources in new places. Expectations of the… Continue reading Tragedy & Social Media
“Time Spent” Replaces “Page View” as Metric of Choice
The Wall Street Journal reports on the shift from page view metrics to time spent metrics: “Page views have been a major barometer of a Web site’s popularity and help set advertising rates, but the measure is becoming less relevant. Online publishers and advertisers say page views don’t capture consumer loyalty to a site or… Continue reading “Time Spent” Replaces “Page View” as Metric of Choice
Are Widgets Traffic Magnets?
Read/Write Web reports on a recent talk on widgets. “Some remarkable CPMs are being driven now by widgets… widgets have the potential to get a lot more traffic than your web site…” Fred Wilson has four rules for his approach to creating and monetizing widgets: Microchunk it – Reduce the content to its simplest form.… Continue reading Are Widgets Traffic Magnets?
Opportunity: Media Companies Losing Control of Their Content
Fred Wilson illustrates the loss of control that large media companies are experiencing. In his example, he uses the upcoming release of a song from one of his favorite bands, the Arctic Monkeys. An overview of his example: Someone, somewhere got a hold of an unreleased song from the album, and blogged about it, posting… Continue reading Opportunity: Media Companies Losing Control of Their Content
USA Today Signals The End of One-Way Media
USA Today is reporting more traffic and engagement to their recently relaunched website, which has a strong focus on network journalism and user-generated content. The results so far: Unique visitors to the site were up 21% from the previous month. 380% increase in registrations. Readers are spending more time per visit on the site. Nearly… Continue reading USA Today Signals The End of One-Way Media
I, User. Why Media Execs Are Concerned.
A recent survey of media and entertainment executives indicates that they see “the growing ability and eagerness of individuals to create their own content as one of the biggest threats to their business.” “This is just the beginning for a rapidly changing landscape where the media content environment grows more fractious and the user gains… Continue reading I, User. Why Media Execs Are Concerned.
It’s Google’s World. We Just Advertise in It.
BusinessWeek dissects the fallout of Google’s growth within advertising. Three recent events: Radio Google will serve 30-second audio ads across Clear Channel’s 675 AM/FM radio stations. Online Google agreed to buy online ad giant DoubleClick for $3.1 billion. TV Google signed a contract to deliver TV ads to EchoStar Communications’ Dish Network. “What scares rivals…… Continue reading It’s Google’s World. We Just Advertise in It.
Tragedy Brings Out the Power of Citizen Journalism
Amy Gahran notes that despite the reasons and events that drive citizen journalism forward – its value is clearly illustrated in the Virginia Tech shootings this week: “Doubtless in coming days we’ll be poring over the first-person blog entries, Twitter posts, forum discussions, Flickr photos, podcasts, moblogs, YouTube videos, and more from those unfortunate enough… Continue reading Tragedy Brings Out the Power of Citizen Journalism