Is Old Media Killing Itself by Blogging?

By | November 22, 2011
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Interesting point implicit in Technorati’s new State of the Live Web: as newspaper and other mainstream media use blogs more, does the public’s distinction between traditional journalism and blogging blur further? And if that happens, isn’t it counterproductive for old media to adopt blogs, since it erodes their distinctiveness and competitive advantage? In other words, by using blogs to try to keep eyeballs, do they merely devalue their core product, namely news coverage with heavy investments and commitment in core journalistic values? As a newspaper wouldn’t it make more sense to stress their distinctiveness from bloggers — lots of trained journalists, lots of resources, lots of experience — rather than try the ‘me-too’ of blogdom? 
clipped from www.sifry.com

In Q4, however, there were 22 blogs on the list — further evidence of the continuing maturation of the Blogosphere. Blogs continue to become more and more viable news and information outlets. For instance, information not shown in our data but revealed in our own user testing in Q1 2007 indicates that the audience is less and less likely to distinguish a blog from, say, nytimes.com — for a growing base of users, these are all sites for news, information, entertainment, gossip, etc. and not a “blog” or a “MSM site”.

Standing Alone vs, Well, Running

By | November 22, 2011
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Why is everyone switching to the likes of Gmail and Google Reader, even when they aren’t sure why, or that they want to?

The most compelling reason, I think, is the ease with which you can get up and running if you need to switch. Your computer crashes, or you’re away from it. Or you’ve bought a new computer. Suddenly you no longer need to find your RSS feeds file. Your email settings. Import old mailboxes. I installed Vista on a new computer just now and (after a Vista crash) I was checking my email and reading my feeds almost immediately. That never happened before.

Google is basically riding the wave that Microsoft had hoped to ride. If you’re using Gmail, you may as well use the Google Reader. And Google Docs, and the Calendar, because they’re all a mouseclick away and don’t require any more signing in. In fact, you can have everything you need up and running within a minute. Compare that to installing an email client, an RSS reader, an Office suite, a PIM for the calendar, and then importing all the settings necessary, and you’re talking about adding on another hour unless you’re a really well-organised person.

There’s another obvious reason: They’re quicker. Ever tried to add an event to Outlook faster than to Google Calendar? Ever tried to send an email quicker than with Gmail? I haven’t timed myself, but anything that shaves a few minutes off my day is going to make itself indispensable pretty quick.

I’m now using all these tools, and I never thought I would. I don’t like the privacy issues, and I don’t like relying on a company that thinks calling something in perpetual ‘beta’ is an acceptable course of action, but I can’t resist. I tell myself it’s just a phase, and that I’ll soon switch back to my trusty email client and RSS reader. But it’s probably never going to happen. I may not stick around forever with Google’s offerings (let’s face it, Gmail and Google Reader need a lot of work before they’re A grade) but I have a feeling I’ll never go back to standalone.

Well, except for BlogJet. You gotta love the Jet. And PersonalBrain.

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1984? The Nanny State? I’m All For It

By | November 22, 2011
1 Comment
The UK is taking its network of 4.2 million CCTV cameras a step further: disembodied recorded voices haranguing errant citizens via loudspeaker. It sounds awful, I know, but every time I visit my home town (one of the 20 towns where the system will be installed) I’m horrified at the behaviour and disregard for public facilities. So while the idea of children’s voices barking out instructions across Abington Street might seem more like Orwell or Pol Pot than tranquil England, if it stops people behaving badly in public, so be it.

clipped from news.bbc.co.uk

The home secretary said competitions were being held at schools in many of the areas for children to become the voice of the cameras.

 

“By funding and supporting these local schemes, the government is encouraging children to send this clear message to grown ups – act anti-socially and you will face the shame of being publicly embarrassed,” Mr Reid added.

Society’s Measure: Its Public Seating

By | November 22, 2011
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Sit1The measure of a society should the simplest one: how it treats its foot-borne citizens.

When I lived in Hong Kong a decade ago I remember the continual battle with security guards — Toytown Police, I’d call them — in the mall where my office was. There were precious few places to sit to have lunch, even outside the building, and they would try to get me to move from even the most harmless of spots. I’d usually end up haranguing the poor old boys and throw my pickle at them.

The same callous attitude to pedestrians could be found at Times Square in Causeway Bay, an open, public space popular as a meeting spot . A sort of compromise was reached a few years ago, where, instead of having to move folk from their perches on a low, sloping kerb the owners put in frames that are a cross between a chair and a stool. As you can see, they’re designed to be as uncomfortable as possible so no one stays there too long, although this guy’s found a position he could be occupying for a while.

It’s shameful that what pretends to be a public place (‘Times Square’, for crying out loud!) is so designed as to make it nothing of the sort. But it’s also a measure of the society behind it: You’re welcome here if you keep moving, keep buying stuff. Just don’t get too comfortable.

Twittintimacy?

By | November 22, 2011
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Everyone is twittering about Twitter, but I kind of liked this defintion from Leisa Rechelt; “Ambient intimacy”. I like the term, and the piece is definitely worth a read.

Ambient intimacy is about being able to keep in touch with people with a level of regularity and intimacy that you wouldn’t usually have access to, because time and space conspire to make it impossible. Flickr lets me see what friends are eating for lunch, how they’ve redecorated their bedroom, their latest haircut. Twitter tells me when they’re hungry, what technology is currently frustrating them, who they’re having drinks with tonight.