Archive for November 2nd, 2006
Ze Frank (pictured) calls it Nerd War. He is disputing Rocketboom’s assertions that they have 350,000 viewers a day. At the center of this dispute is what we decide a “view” really is. Actually, we can all agree on what a “view” is – someone watched something. It’s how you measure it that’s up in the air. One thing’s for sure: just because you download a podcast doesn’t mean you’ve watched it. And just because you’ve started watching it doesn’t mean you’re going to finish it. There’s simply no way for us to measure viewership of podcasts. But we keep reporting the numbers without questioning them (guilty as charged) and we need to step back for a moment and ask: “How do we figure out who is really watching or listening to our podcasts?” Then we have to admit “We don’t know.” The full column, after the jump.
Read the full post November 2nd, 2006
I love this. The new Google Co-op Search makes it possible to customize your own search, based upon your own site preferences and interests. So people can search only those sites and interests you decide are of value. It’s a way of defining your own micro-search-universe. Snipperoo took it a step further: it took Robert Scoble’s Bloglines preferred sites (by way of an OPML file) and built a search widget based upon those. The result? You can “Search Scoble’s Brain” Give it a try. (Sadly, a search for “Lost Remote” returns results from other sites, not ours. I guess we’re not on Scoble’s Brain. Although I did talk to him at SMWest 2006, so maybe we’ll at least be on his mind…)
November 2nd, 2006
I often show the S. Korean site OhmyNews.com as an excellent example of citizen journalism (or participatory journalism or whatever we’re calling it today.) But BusinessWeek reports the site is going to lose money this year, after a few years of only modest profits. OhmyNews is very influential - but that hasn’t yet translated into a move into other countries. There is no question that grassroots journalism will need money to survive. The question is how it will keep momentum going and whether it will find a business model. I’m sure you’ll have a lot of thoughts about this one, so check it out. (Off the top of my head, I can think of three fellow bloggers who will have plenty to say.)
November 2nd, 2006
How about this for turning the model on its head? WKRN-TV in Nashville undertook a massive rethink of its news last year. Part of that involved going from a station-centric web model to one with a station site and 19 blogs - all with different URLs. Terry Heaton, the splendid brainbox who consulted WKRN on the project, says the blog sites are now exceeding the traffic to the “main” site, WKRN.com. Writes Terry: “…the station has doubled its reach and created niche “businesses” in the market at the same time.” As we’ve noted here before, even the station’s forward-thinking GM is part of the show - Mike Sechrist is at WKRNGM.com. He gets flamed plenty from his audience. And he also gets some terrific ideas.
November 2nd, 2006
One of the drawbacks to Flash is that it’s not easily downloaded. There are workarounds, but they’re just that - workarounds. At Streaming Media West, Adobe Director of Project Management Chris Hock talked to Beet.TV’s Andy Plesser about the new project named “Apollo” that will enable downloadable Flash files.
Check out the Apollo FAQ wiki here. Best FAQ: “1.4 Is Apollo free (as in beer)?”
November 2nd, 2006
As we continue to poke around to see who is doing what with creative online political coverage, we find the ABCNews.com offering “Both Sides All Sides.” It’s a little different than other online forums, in that each topic has an opinion piece for the right and the left. Under each opinion piece, people can then discuss the topic at hand. Tell us: What creative election sites are you finding?
November 2nd, 2006
Longtime LR Friend Dan Shelley of WCBS has written a thoughtful deconstruction and analysis of the 2006 RTNDF Future of News Survey. Dan, a former chair of the RTNDA, provides the voice of a moderate in the often separatist world of news, blogs and online media: “So, yes, people say they prefer their news on TV. But when they list what they want from it, they actually describe the Internet and other digital media platforms on which forward-thinking broadcast and cable news companies are already providing their products.” (Disclosure: The RTNDA is a client of mine.)
November 2nd, 2006
As you remember in previous years, Drudge, Slate and other websites have leaked exit poll data early on election day. So this year, the National Election Pool, the media consortium responsible for exit polling, is setting up a “quarantine room.” Two members of each network and the Associated Press will be able to enter the windowless room — after giving up their phones, Blackberries and laptops — to examine the exit polls. Then at 5 p.m., they’ll be allowed to contact their newsrooms. Stay tuned to see if it works…
November 2nd, 2006
Some good Q3 earnings news for CBS, in part from a strong showing in its outdoor advertising unit. CBS announced it was selling 29 of its radio stations to focus on faster-growing markets. While CEO Les Moonves didn’t offer many details on the digital front, he praised CBS.com’s show streaming, so far at 2 million episodes streamed. “We’re also serving up record numbers of users and viewers with CBS News online and the Evening News on demand,” he said. “Not only does this reflect improved penetration with younger demos, it also positions CBS News as a trusted information source for younger audiences as they form primary media consumption habits.”
November 2nd, 2006
This Saturday’s Good Morning America will preview how the world could look 25 years from now. The themed show, “The Future Now,” will feature up to 7 minutes of high-definition graphics that will depict the city of New York in 2031 and the home of the future. To pull off such a feat, ABC has added a bevy of NYU graphics students to its own design team and contracted with a rendering farm in Los Angeles. Cool idea, and I look forward to see what the online component will look like.
November 2nd, 2006
Microsoft’s much-anticipated iPod rival Zune launches on November 14th, but CNET takes one for a spin in this video review.
November 2nd, 2006
Yahoo just launched Yahoo Food with partners Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray and AllRecipes, to name a few. “This is very much of an extension of Yahoo’s media business,” Deanna Brown, general manager of Yahoo Lifestyles said. “It’s a very compelling experience for Yahoo advertisers.” It’s also interesting to note that the section’s design is, well, not the standard Yahoo fare…
November 2nd, 2006
Former CEO and founder of Atom Entertainment, Mike Salmi will oversee all of MTV Networks brands online as president of global media.
November 2nd, 2006
After receiving “disappointingly low” offers from private equity firms to buy the entire company, Tribune now says it’s open to selling off individual assets if the money is right. Meanwhile, Tribune still has not ruled out taking the company private, but such a move would involve selling off enough assets to keep debt in check.
November 2nd, 2006
