Online Identities: Zombies on the Web.

Jitendra Gupta and Richard MacManus have an interested piece on Read/Write Web where they look at “throwaway identities” online. The core of the issue is how people create accounts or identities online, and then change them. Sometimes, this is intentional – such as using an email address for subscriptions, so you don’t get spam in… Continue reading Online Identities: Zombies on the Web.

Death to “Social Media”

Steve Rubel declares the phrases “social media,” “user generated content” and “consumer generated media.” as obsolete. While I would not bet on any less usage of these phrases in 2007, his reasoning is interesting. For creators of “consumer generated content”: “It’s like we’re a separate entity from the rest of the so-called “mainstream” journalists, filmmakers,… Continue reading Death to “Social Media”

A Focus on User Experience

David Pogue of the New York Times looks at the redesign effort behind the upcoming release of Microsoft Office. I thought it was interesting how Microsoft took the rare step (for any company) to truly rethink the purpose of the program suite, and look at its usage from a users perspective, instead of a features… Continue reading A Focus on User Experience

Magazine Wars

Several articles this week on how Time magazine and other publications are fairing. Comparing ad pages from 2005 to 2006: Time Inc.: Down 4.8% Hearst Corporation: Down 0.7% Hachette Filipacchi: Down 7.1% Meredith Corporation: Down 1.4% Specifics for various titles from these companies can be found at MediaDailyNews. The New York Times looks at Time’s… Continue reading Magazine Wars

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The Power of Influencers Online

An interesting article on developing a dialogue with influencers online. “Influencers [are] active, engaged members of local communities. They’ve always existed—opinion makers and opinion leaders. What’s different now? Today they have a much bigger bullhorn available to them—it’s called the Web. Where they once talked to 100 people in a month, they can now reach… Continue reading The Power of Influencers Online

Communal, Specialized, and Personalized Experience in Media

Scott Karp askes, “Is News A Fundamentally Shared, Social Experience?” His theory: “Despite all the hype about the “user in control,” purely personalized news may be too much control, a slippery slope that leads to solipsism. The proverbial “water cooler” is symbolic of our fundamental need to share the news, to validate our experiences by… Continue reading Communal, Specialized, and Personalized Experience in Media

Hearst Magazines Now Taking Digital Seriously

Cathleen P. Black, president of Hearst Magazines reflects on their web strategy: “…never viewing digital inventory as the value-added piece of an ad-page deal, said Ms. Black, calling magazines’ obsession with advertisers’ page schedules “almost a relic.” Their five goals for digital: Transforming existing sites into the best possible properties. Using the web to drive… Continue reading Hearst Magazines Now Taking Digital Seriously

Will Future Journalists be Prepared for Media Reality?

Mindy McAdams doesn’t think that all journalism schools are preparing their students for the realities of online. Commenting on some of the future-journalists themselves: “They are attached to a dream of becoming someone from the past — maybe photojournalist Eddie Adams, maybe gonzo writer Hunter S. Thompson — a journalist who only took pictures or… Continue reading Will Future Journalists be Prepared for Media Reality?