“Free vs. Paid” is the Wrong Question

I have seen a resurgence in journalists and media folks asking whether news and media should be free or paid. EG: Should the New York Times have a big pay wall in front of it. Traditional media in particular has jumped on this discussion, with the hopes of rebuilding a business model and audience behavior… Continue reading “Free vs. Paid” is the Wrong Question

2008 Predictions for Media & Publishing Industry

So many predictions for the publishing and media industry for 2008. See them here: Magazine Predictions for 2008 A Look at B-to-B and the Economy in 2008 2008: What the Bankers Think 2008: The Year of Micro What newspaper execs see on the advertising front for ’08 Some of the more interesting predictions: “Print advertising… Continue reading 2008 Predictions for Media & Publishing Industry

Turning a Newspaper into a “Community-Driven” Website

Mark Glaser looks at how the San Jose Mercury News is changing the meet the needs of its readers. His advice: “Don’t just run focus groups or surveys; get passionate people in your community of readers on board from the start. And get their input at the start, in the middle, and all the way… Continue reading Turning a Newspaper into a “Community-Driven” Website

Are Social Networks Untapped by Niche Media?

Scott Karp talks about Facebook’s addition of classified ads to their website. The two key components of this are: Social networks like Facebook offer a trusted network within their communities. Users can check out each others’ profiles, in order to strengthen trust and connection. Scott’s message to newspapers: “It also seems inevitable now that social… Continue reading Are Social Networks Untapped by Niche Media?

Surviving Web 2.0

As startups and large media companies pile-on with new web 2.0 sites and services, Read/Write Web looks at 6 lessons for survival online: Divide and Conquer, Differentiate or Die. Generally Speaking, the Smaller the Niche, the More Loyal the Users Become. Focus. No Small Market is Small Enough. Mind Numbingly Simple. Bubble Burps.

Yahoo! Moves in on Niche Websites

Yahoo! is looking to ride the wave of niche websites, launching Brand Universe, which intends to: “…create online destinations that will draw large audiences around individual movies, television shows, bands, celebrities, games and other types of entertainment.” Their first site is for the Nintendo Wii. The page is an aggregation of Wii info from Yahoo’s… Continue reading Yahoo! Moves in on Niche Websites