LINKS | Generation Y Has Inherited the Media
“Maybe, just maybe, the existing model for generating, distributing and monetizing content could benefit from a Ctrl-Alt-Delete reboot.”- Can the Statusphere Save Journalism?
It's been two weeks since my last one of these, which is in part due to laziness, and in part due to my wanting to get a good list going on a contentious topic: Generation Y needs to take over the media.
I'm increasingly convinced that the 'old media' model is broken largely because the old folks just don't get it. Not to say that there aren't people in 30s-70s who don't get 'it,' just that there are too few, too few in a position of power, and too few who get 'it' enough.
These are my links for March 29th through April 13th:
"You blew it"
- 'Star Tribune' Withholds Select Print Content From Web: Talk about Baby Boomers not getting “it.”
- Print is still king: Only 3 percent of newspaper reading happens online: There's a lot of fuzzy math done here, and reliance on numbers that may or may not be accurate. (readership is 2+ per copy!?) (avg. person reads 24 pages/day in print!?) Maybe I'm too genY, but I just don't see how this is possible.
- CIRCLE - A nonpartisan research center studying youth civic engagement and civic education. College Students Talk Politics: It's a valid point: GenY might not really pay attention to news b/c they feel like it's not relevant to them. It's largely just talking heads yelling at each other. Argues against Infotainment and for the masses being smart.
- Streisand effect: “The Net interprets censorship as damage and routes around it”
- "NCAA: Greet the 21st century" : The Editor's Log : Blogs : News-Record.com : Greensboro, North Carolina: NCAA is trying to prohibit people from expressing opinions on Facebook!? They need to get over themselves.
- 1. Solve journalism's data problem. 2. Kill the AP. 3. Invest in the next market. BuzzMachine: Jarvis calls for the disbanding of the AP. In light of how backwards they have been, I’m for it.
- NYTimes-turned-NPR Exec: "Not Very Bullish on People Paying for News Content" - mediabistro.com: WebNewser: CEO of NPR in the news for the second time this week with details on how Times Select was a failure despite making 10 million/year.
- The speech the NAA should hear BuzzMachine: I love a good rant, and Jarvis delivers. I think I’m still hoping he’s wrong – that newspapers still can be re-tooled to work online, but I fear he’s right.
- Google's Love For Newspapers & How Little They Appreciate It: A good, old fashion, smack-down of the old fashion old media. “Robert, I’ve been creating original content on the internet for about 12 years longer than you’ve been editor of the WSJ. Shut up. Seriously, shut up. To say something like that simply indicates you really do not understand that all blogs are not echo chambers. I mean echo chamber? Sorry, that’s the mainstream media, too.”
- Google a 'Tapeworm:' WSJ Exec: Here’s more of the ‘old media’ mind-fuck.
LINKS | Please, Please Don’t Charge for Free Information
These are my links for January 30th through February 5th:
- Please pay us for our news - please? Nieman Journalism Lab Pushing to the Future of Journalism: Sums up the argument for and against the paid content model and concludes that users never really paid for content anyway, and that newspapers must add some value to the news to be … valued.
Lab Book Club: Jay Hamilton, Chapter 2:As newsorgs rely on less and less sustainable business models, they become more and more biased. Ends with a call for the non-profit business model.- NYTimes Exposes 2.8 Million Articles in New API - ReadWriteWeb: The New York Times seems to be moving towards establishing itself as a platform of news. Sharing all of it’s content in this matter is a good indicator that they ‘get it’
- On Portfolio Reviews (part 2) (Conscientious): Good advice for getting a photography portfolio reviewed from a variety of people who do it.
- How to Save Your Newspaper | TIME: Didn’t we already have this debate? Paying for essential information doesn’t work. You can charge a niche audience, (a’la Wall Street Journal) but charging the masses just won’t work.
Links | “Journalists Are the Biggest Terrorists”
These are my links for January 19th through January 22nd:
- PhotoScavengerHunt — recent flickr upload
Night. -
- Journalism.co.uk :: 'To succeed online student journalists must collaborate outside their own university': Greg Linch gives a good overview of the current state and goals of CoPress
- “Whitney is an accomplished Times veteran whose work I’ve admired over the years. But this memo sums up some of the very reasons why so many believe the mainstream media is doomed to irrelevance.”- ‘The New York Times’ Facebook problem | Coop’s Corner - CNET News
- Journalistopia » Tinkering | Danny Sanchez -
- Barack Obama's inauguration speech ... crafted by 27-year-old in Starbucks | World news | The Guardian: The Guardian (of all newsorgs) has a great profile on Obama’s head — 27 y/o — speech writer.
- UI.Layout Plug-in - Home: jquery plugin that allows for ajax layout of massive proportions.
- Journalists are biggest terrorists: Zardari - PakTribune: “Journalists are the biggest terrorists,” —President Zardari
A showreel of work from the Guardian’s Dan ChungViews:
318
2
ratings- Inside the Transition: Technology, Innovation and Government:
Members of the Transition’s TIGR team explain how technology can bring reform and transparency to the… - Photographing the President: A look from 2 TIME photogs on covering the Bush White House.
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Aught 9
A happy aught 9 to ya'll. Several quick items:
I'm obviously back from Death Valley. I'm through my first round out culling— 1000 pics down to 134. I'll get them up soon~ish.- Check out my most recent blog post at CoPress. It's a direct response to our first public criticism that took me too many hours on New Year's Eve to write.
- Happy New Year!
- I decided to stop auto-posting my Tumblr to my Twitter account last week. Today will be my first blog post covering the 'best of' posts.
Gaffes
TIME's polling interface
TIME does an annual 'person of the year' story. As a part of their selection process, they allow online viewers to read a brief blurb about each of their candidates and rank them using a customized system. They also use the same interface for the TIME 100, and a few other various unofficial polls.
I'm very impressed by their most recent utilization though. They've taken the 'gaffes' of each of the political campaigns, allowed you to view them and then let you vote on how much they matter. It's pretty funny to see what the News Media has been focusing their coverage on.
Zell Hell
A three-story high headline on the side of the LA Times building this Friday morning. via tellzell.comI'm off for a week of backpacking, but I had to leave with this:
Sam Zell took over the paper in January. After promising that the path to growth was not through cuts, he immediately began cutting. So far, Zell has ousted over 200 reporters, photographers, copy editors and editors from the Los Angeles Times. Hundreds of other editorial workers have been fired from other papers in the Tribune chain. This is not business acumen. This is not saving money. This is suicide.
Our aim is to convince Zell that he has taken the wrong path to bettering our paper—both journalistically and financially. But if we cannot do that, then our aim is to convince Zell to sell the paper to an owner who actually cares about Los Angeles, about great journalism, about kicking ass and taking names and speaking truth to power.
I have the fortune not to work for the Tribune Co., which as I've said previously is not going about its business the right way, so I have no direct stake in the matter. But, I do lend my full support to these guys – unions are a tricky thing, but at this point – may not be a bad idea.
"Take Back The Times."
Don’t Get Caught Photoshopping, We’ll Laugh at You
-Iran: You Suck At Photoshop (updated) - Boing Boing
This week, the Iranian National Guard photoshopped a picture of their missile test to make it look like a missile the presumably failed to launch had taken to the air successfully.
Needless to say, when the Media Industry found out, they were outraged. Several top papers had already run the image on their front pages, and their corrections were necessarily harsh on Iran.
Boing Boing had a different take. They asked their readers to submit a funny photoshopped version of the same phone. My (and their) favorite above. (click for more)
Seen WallE? This Is Hilarious
This is really only funny if you've seen WallE, but it sure is funny.
...Until you start thinking about the sad truth about this site. The media industry is moving in this direction. This is an example of the ultimate media conglomerate. I'll leave it there before I get into a weird and far-fetched thought experiment.
The Coolest D.C. Party Is Still Lame – TIME
These truths are self-evident, but we still try to keep up appearances. It's bad for business to admit you are a pinhead, even if the polls clearly show that the American people have not been fooled. So each year, nearly three thousand Beltway tribe members and their guests gather at the Washington Hilton, the place where Ronald Reagan got shot, to dine with the current president of the United States and pretend for a night that we actually belong to a cool crowd, a hip scene, an exclusive network of movers and shakers that everyone wants to join.
-The Coolest D.C. Party is Still Lame - TIME
What a very well written, truthful article by Micahael Scherer. I'm not sure if the commentary is more directed at the Washington politicians or the journalists, but wow. This is the most truthful thing to come out of this shindig since Stephen Colbert did his routine there in 2005.
UPDATE: The New York Times has apparently decided that "that the media-politician chumminess is unseemly and maybe even borderline unethical."
Mark Hamburg Leaves Adobe – LightroomNews
I don’t think one can downplay the significance of Mark’s departure because the contribution he made to the development of Photoshop and Lightroom has certainly been enormous and it goes without saying that his presence will be missed at Adobe.
-LightroomNews » Blog Archive » Mark Hamburg leaves Adobe
I've heard of Mr. Hamburg before, and know him to be a prime instigator behind a lot of Adobe's success.
As for what Mark is going to do next, it is known that he is now going to Microsoft in Seattle, and that his future work there won’t involve digital imaging, but instead be focussed on the “user experience”. So remember Jeff’s advice and be careful what you wish for!
That I didn't know (unsurprisingly). All I can say is… godspeed Mark, may Redmond treat you well. (though I have my doubts).
UPDATE: I re-read this post the morning after I wrote it.
NOTE-TO-SELF: Proofread at least twice before posting when you're tired.
Real UPDATE: Further news from photoshop news. Apparently, Mr. Hamburg is going to be working on revolutionary new OS interaction methods. Seems like this is the hot field for programming geniuses to be in nowadays. And it makes sense. The last/only great evolution we've seen was the mouse/desktop analogy paradigm. I'm not sure if Microsoft will be the company to come up a new way of interacting with a computer, but here's to Mark's efforts!
You Suck at Photoshop Guys Revealed! – TIME
As if to cement my opinion that TIME.com is one of the best news sources out there. They're the first ones I've seen to run this story.
Which, for a Photoshop geek like me is fantastic. I've throughly enjoyed the saga of Donnie, – the dark, sarcastic humor is right up my alley – and it's told in a context I can totally relate to (the photoshop part, not the SWAT team). Here's to Big Fat Brain, and a hearty cheers again to Time.com for the excellent coverage!
In Pictures: Rome Marks ‘Anniversary’ – BBC
BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Rome marks 'anniversary'
This is a decent collection of images from the anniversary festival in Rome. I like this one for it's humor.
China Urges ‘Rational’ Protests – BBC
The official Communist Party newspaper, the People's Daily, said patriotism should be expressed rationally.
They also accuse the West of supporting Tibetan separatists, and the Western media of bias.
BBC NEWS | World | Asia-Pacific | China urges 'rational' protests
Sort of the anti-protest protest in China, I find this to be… ironic.
- China has heavily state-controlled media. It censors the internet, specifically western news sources and sites (like wikipedia) that could contradict the State's version of events. Complaints about a western media bias are, needless to say, ironic.
- There were less than 1000 protestors. In China, the most populace place in the world, the number '1000' doesn't mean much when it comes to people. It is a very weak show of force. 1,300 people protested in London in the same time frame against the alleged media bias. If Londoners can gather that many people for this cause, than certainly, the Chinese conter-parts can at least match them in numbers. It's almost like a PR stunt by the State as a way to show that their people are behind them.
- China has a history of stopping free speech that they don't agree with. Clearly, they allowed this protest to continue despite being "closely patrolled by police."
All that said. The right to protest and voice an opinion is a welcome improvement to China's state-controlled politics.
Sidenote: a rather funny comic I came across the other day that pertains:
DailyTech – German Schoolboy Finds Fault in NASA’s Apophis Calculations
Not that I understand astrophysics mathematical calculations, but it seems that I don't really need to. I mean, if NASA can be off their calculations by a magnitude of 1000, then what do I need with that kind of science. Let's just leave it to the 13 year old German boys to predict the end of the world.
A Lighter Day for Torch in Argentina – washingtonpost.com
Capping a week in which protesters snuffed the torch in Paris and forced organizers to reroute its course in San Francisco, the South American leg of the relay was more festive than disruptive. Small groups of demonstrators held signs decrying human rights abuses in China, but the most serious threats to the torch's progress Friday were a few lobbed water balloons -- easily swatted away by the Chinese security forces that jogged alongside the torch bearers.
A Lighter Day for Torch in Argentina - washingtonpost.com
Well… good news. There were protestors, and they did make themselves heard. It's a shame that they tried to put out the torch – but it's comical that their attempts were primarily using water balloons. …The security people explained before going to Argentina that the torch was propane powered and a rain storm wouldn't put it out, I doubt water balloons will have any effect – let alone enough accuracy.
Looks like the run the Argentina was uneventful, which is great, but the article did have one great quote at the end from an anonymous Chinese blogger in regards to French protestors trying to put out the torch:
"France, I thought you were a romantic and beautiful country but now I realize you are ugly and full of rubbish. No country can stop China from being strong and developing," said one anonymous online commentator.
Me thinks that the Chinese media is putting a pretty strong 'spin' on why these people are protesting. It appears that this guy believes that the West is upset at China's strength and presumable economic progress. I'm pretty sure that the protestors are upset with two things:
- China's human right's violations
- Freeing Tibet from Chinese rule
Chinese economic progress has nothing to do with it, but here's to Chinese censorship!
San Francisco Takes Olympic Torch Off-Route – washingtonpost.com
"I took my kids out of school early to see it," said Greta Keegan, waiting patiently on a curb along the announced route with Cormac, 9, and Maeve, who turned 12 on Wednesday. By 2 p.m. there was no sign of the torch
San Francisco Takes Olympic Torch Off-Route - washingtonpost.com
I thought the French were stupid when they put the Olympic torch out themselves and put it on a bus surrounded by roller-blading cops. But we Americans, have topped that. In San Francisco, they changed the route and didn't bother to tell anyone.
The whole point of the torch going through a city is so that people can see it. Hiding it for security concerns is just dumb. If people want to protest, then that's their right, for that matter, it should be encouraged!
Having the Olympics in Beijing is very controversial, the US and French governments agree (in part) with the protestors. Here's to the Brits for handling this right.
Italy and Dublin
I've finally gotten my Italy photos up in a semi-coherent form. Since I was at it, I decided to be timely about my Dublin trip this weekend. They're both on my 'recent' page.
A funny anecdote:
When I went through passport control entering Dublin from the UK, the officer was by far the friendliest that I've ever encountered. She asked how the trip was, how long us "lads" were staying in the country, and so on. She made sure to write on our visas though (two stamps, not just one), that we were supposed to leave the country in 3 days, just as we had said we would.
When reentering the UK (after 3 days in Ireland), we went through to passport control and before even entering the main que, were asked if we were arriving from Ireland. On saying that we had just come in, we were told that there was no need to go through passport control, just show our boarding pass at the exit, and we went right through.
Needless to say, I was a bit shocked – the UK passport control has been the toughest that I've ever seen. Constantly checking my student visa, and assuring that I was still planning to leave when it expires in 4 weeks.
What I gathered from all this was: Ireland is a separate country, but the UK just doesn't really care. International Politics are funny.
Xkcd – A Webcomic of Romance, Sarcasm, Math, and Language – By Randall Munroe
xkcd - A webcomic of romance, sarcasm, math, and language - By Randall Munroe
Yea, woah. Wish I had said it that clearly.
MacBook Air Parody Ad Strikes on Several Levels || the Mac Observer
MacBook Air Parody Ad Strikes on Several Levels || The Mac Observer
funny funny.
Simplicity
Back from Italy. Should be able to post more regularly now. Photos to come shortly.
Great comic/post on another blog that deals with Apple, Google, and your company.
One word: so true.
TSA Causes MacBook Air Owner to Miss Flight
Yet another story of the MacBook Air: apparently, the TSA employees caused an owner to miss his flight because they didn't know if the Air was a bomb or a laptop
Levy: Gone, Without a Trace | Newsweek Voices – Steven Levy | Newsweek.com
Here's a great real-life ad for the MacBook Air.
This tech columnist's wife threw his laptop out with the newspaper. That's just funny.
Levy: Gone, Without a Trace | Newsweek Voices - Steven Levy | Newsweek.com
