Montag, Februar 28, 2005
US B2B Publisher Hanley Wood is On The Block
After 5 years under VSS ownership the Washington, DC-based B2B Publisher Hanley Wood is on Sale
according Folio M10 Alert from February, 28th:
B2B Publisher Hanley Wood from Washington, DC, owned by VS&A Communications Partners III, LP, the private-equity affiliate of media industry merchant bank Veronis Suhler Stevenson, is up for sales.
Hanley Wood turnover is around 200 mio. USD, they run 22 magazines mostly in the construction and building area, integrated B2B & B2C Web sites and conferences such as BUILDER 100, NLMBDA/PROSALES Industry Summit and the REMODELING Leadership Conference.
The reports say, that VSS is looking for a publisher or financial investor able and willing to invest around 500 mio. USD.
More on Foliomag's Website
How to Podcast - Resource page by JD Lasica
JD Lasica just published on New Media Musings an updated resource page on Podcasting.
He points to the March issue of Wired magazine: where Adam Curry Wants to Make You an iPod Radio Star and Paul Boutin "Podcasting at a glance"
To the free Podcasting tools and hosting facilities of Ourmedia
And to "How to tune into a Podcast" sidebar in a Michael Bazeley story in the San Jose Merc "Sports-talk providers get in on podcast game" - not limited to sport.
He points to the March issue of Wired magazine: where Adam Curry Wants to Make You an iPod Radio Star and Paul Boutin "Podcasting at a glance"
To the free Podcasting tools and hosting facilities of Ourmedia
And to "How to tune into a Podcast" sidebar in a Michael Bazeley story in the San Jose Merc "Sports-talk providers get in on podcast game" - not limited to sport.
Freitag, Februar 25, 2005
MPA spends 40 mio. USD to convince advertisers
that their readers identify with and enjoy magazines -- and their ads.
The Read On campaign of the Magazine Publishers Association of America plans to spend 40 mio. USD (including lots of barter, I guess) to convince advertisers and media decision maker that they are the best vehicle to reach "readers / potential clients" and getting them involved.
From the announcement it looks like that MBA feels strongly about taking out some money of TV ad spending budgets - Good luck!
Hopefully all the members of MBA are convinced about the role of magazines as an interactive media and brush up their engagement with their readers or users.
Read more about the campaign at Folio from Matt Klinsman
MPA to Fire $40 Million Shot Across TV's Bow on Monday
or in MBA's Press release from 23-Feb-2005:
Magazine Industry Launches Campaign to Promote the Enduring Power of Magazines to Engage Readers
The Read On campaign of the Magazine Publishers Association of America plans to spend 40 mio. USD (including lots of barter, I guess) to convince advertisers and media decision maker that they are the best vehicle to reach "readers / potential clients" and getting them involved.
From the announcement it looks like that MBA feels strongly about taking out some money of TV ad spending budgets - Good luck!
Hopefully all the members of MBA are convinced about the role of magazines as an interactive media and brush up their engagement with their readers or users.
Read more about the campaign at Folio from Matt Klinsman
MPA to Fire $40 Million Shot Across TV's Bow on Monday
or in MBA's Press release from 23-Feb-2005:
Magazine Industry Launches Campaign to Promote the Enduring Power of Magazines to Engage Readers
Rappers and bloggers
Josh Levin writes in Slates culturebox 23-Feb-2005:
Rappers and Bloggers - Separated at Birth!
"Rappers and bloggers - they're the same!
For starters, both groups share a love of loose-fitting, pajama-style apparel. Still not satisfied?
Bloggers and rappers are equally obsessed with social networking. Every rapper rolls with his entourage; every blogger rolls with his blog roll.
Women can't win an audience in either profession without raunching it up like Lil' Kim or Wonkette ...!
Concluding ... both Rapper's and blogger's are populists, using low-cost-of-entry communication forms rewarding this self-obsessed types who love writing in first person ...
more
Thanks to David S Hirschmann mediabistro.com's DAILY MEDIA NEWS FEED (24-Feb-2005)
Rappers and Bloggers - Separated at Birth!
"Rappers and bloggers - they're the same!
For starters, both groups share a love of loose-fitting, pajama-style apparel. Still not satisfied?
Bloggers and rappers are equally obsessed with social networking. Every rapper rolls with his entourage; every blogger rolls with his blog roll.
Women can't win an audience in either profession without raunching it up like Lil' Kim or Wonkette ...!
Concluding ... both Rapper's and blogger's are populists, using low-cost-of-entry communication forms rewarding this self-obsessed types who love writing in first person ...
more
Thanks to David S Hirschmann mediabistro.com's DAILY MEDIA NEWS FEED (24-Feb-2005)
With a Visions of Profit in Podcasting
In todays NYT (02-Feb-2005) John Markhoff writes about a small, hopeful step on podcasting toward becoming (on Friday) the commercial Web's next big thing.
"That step is planned by Odeo, a five-person start-up that is based in a walk-up apartment in this city's Mission District and was co-founded by a Google alumnus.
The company plans to introduce a Web-based system that is aimed at making a business of podcasting - the process of creating, finding, organizing and listening todigital audio files that range from living-room ramblings to BBC newscasts ... "
more
"That step is planned by Odeo, a five-person start-up that is based in a walk-up apartment in this city's Mission District and was co-founded by a Google alumnus.
The company plans to introduce a Web-based system that is aimed at making a business of podcasting - the process of creating, finding, organizing and listening todigital audio files that range from living-room ramblings to BBC newscasts ... "
more
Crisis Blogs - Plan Them Well
Fredrik Wackå writes on CorporateBlogging Blog
"Don't think you can start a blog when the crisis hits you ..."
and explains (authoritative) how to work with blogs and bloggers before and during times of crises ...
"Don't think you can start a blog when the crisis hits you ..."
and explains (authoritative) how to work with blogs and bloggers before and during times of crises ...
The New York Times love and hate relationship with blogging
BL Olchman writes about The New York Times love and hate relationship with blogging
... One day they're bashing bloggers, the next they're covering blogs as news.
"A blog is still a view of the world through a pinhole, noting that it can sometimes fall as low as being a "one man circle jerk." He, Watch your language, men!
"...the blogosphere - the bloggers' realm, which can sometimes be an incubator of ideas and news."
about growing vLogs
"But the object remains the same as with traditional blogs: to inspire (or to provoke) others to post responses to one's ruminations and images."
I think this ambivalence has more to do with NYT's self-esteem and need (and wish) of differentiation from private publishing. And it is as important for the NYT (and others) as it helps the blogosphere to mature.
It is getting even more complex, if a publisher feels and accepts (like NYT does) that blogging is (besides being a media in its own rights) an interesting form of journalism, appealing and worthwhile to incorporate into the publishers portfolio and services their readers.
There are millions of bloggers and reader of blogs around. No one can hush up or ignore private publishing, whether they like it or not. Since blogging came into existence (in the WEB) it has it's place in the information environment of millions of information seekers and information jugglers.
And like in public media (right now I'm getting doubts, whether blogging in the Web should be called private publishing)
there is some good stuff and lots of ... ,
there are some good journalists and lots of ... ,
there are some who have say something (which is important to some readers) and lots of ...
But I'm sure the discussion is going on. And it will benefit public and private media and even more us the reader / user.
... One day they're bashing bloggers, the next they're covering blogs as news.
"A blog is still a view of the world through a pinhole, noting that it can sometimes fall as low as being a "one man circle jerk." He, Watch your language, men!
"...the blogosphere - the bloggers' realm, which can sometimes be an incubator of ideas and news."
about growing vLogs
"But the object remains the same as with traditional blogs: to inspire (or to provoke) others to post responses to one's ruminations and images."
I think this ambivalence has more to do with NYT's self-esteem and need (and wish) of differentiation from private publishing. And it is as important for the NYT (and others) as it helps the blogosphere to mature.
It is getting even more complex, if a publisher feels and accepts (like NYT does) that blogging is (besides being a media in its own rights) an interesting form of journalism, appealing and worthwhile to incorporate into the publishers portfolio and services their readers.
There are millions of bloggers and reader of blogs around. No one can hush up or ignore private publishing, whether they like it or not. Since blogging came into existence (in the WEB) it has it's place in the information environment of millions of information seekers and information jugglers.
And like in public media (right now I'm getting doubts, whether blogging in the Web should be called private publishing)
there is some good stuff and lots of ... ,
there are some good journalists and lots of ... ,
there are some who have say something (which is important to some readers) and lots of ...
But I'm sure the discussion is going on. And it will benefit public and private media and even more us the reader / user.
Donnerstag, Februar 24, 2005
PR Präsenz der Top 10 Verlagshäuser im Internet untersucht
Und die Gewinner und Verlierer der Agent25-Statistik sind exklusiv nachzulesen auf Medienhandbuch.de, dass steht jedenfalls im Medienhandbuch.de-Newsletter vom 24. Febr. 2005.
Besonders interessant wird die Auswertung der Artikel (leider nur für einen Monat und inkl. dem Milchstrasse/Burda Meisterstück ) durch eine Gegenüberstellung zu den Marktanteilen der ausgewerteten Verlage.
jetzt gleich reinklicken!
P.S.
Da müssen in den Public Relation Abteilungen und dem Vorstand einiger Verlage vom 23.01.-23.02.2005 jede Menge Leute in Skiurlaub gewesen sein!?
Besonders interessant wird die Auswertung der Artikel (leider nur für einen Monat und inkl. dem Milchstrasse/Burda Meisterstück ) durch eine Gegenüberstellung zu den Marktanteilen der ausgewerteten Verlage.
jetzt gleich reinklicken!
P.S.
Da müssen in den Public Relation Abteilungen und dem Vorstand einiger Verlage vom 23.01.-23.02.2005 jede Menge Leute in Skiurlaub gewesen sein!?
Is there a Different Way of Conducting News Business on it's Way?
A McKinsey consultant told Forbes Executive Editor Paul Maidment
... that the future for serious newspapers wouldn't be to sell hundreds of thousands of copies for 50 cents each but to have their journalists talking on the phone to readers for $500 an hour ...
but this was about 'a decade or so ago' and so he remarks on Forbes.com 22. February, 2005:
"This reductio ad absurdum of personalization sounded nuts at the time" and under the heading Stopping The Press he explains his view about, what it means for News business when The New York Times Co. and Dow Jones place a billion-dollar bet on the Internet?
(He refers to that 519 mio USD from Dow Jones & marketwatch.com and 410 mio USD from NYT & About.com)
And how does McKinsey old statement sounds in todays world? It sounds great to me! But why the hell on the phone?
Kim Young-Ok editor made more than 20.000 USD in just two days tipping (according to OhmyNews) donated from his beloved readers on OhmyNews Online ...
What the McKinsey people think today about a promising role of TV, Print & Internet business? Rupert Murdoch has just asked (again) McKinsey to advice his group to make the changes needed.
So we can either wait and see what the News Corp. (and others) are doing, or go ahead and start adapting to our "clients" evidently changing behavior, needs and wants now!
... that the future for serious newspapers wouldn't be to sell hundreds of thousands of copies for 50 cents each but to have their journalists talking on the phone to readers for $500 an hour ...
but this was about 'a decade or so ago' and so he remarks on Forbes.com 22. February, 2005:
"This reductio ad absurdum of personalization sounded nuts at the time" and under the heading Stopping The Press he explains his view about, what it means for News business when The New York Times Co. and Dow Jones place a billion-dollar bet on the Internet?
(He refers to that 519 mio USD from Dow Jones & marketwatch.com and 410 mio USD from NYT & About.com)
And how does McKinsey old statement sounds in todays world? It sounds great to me! But why the hell on the phone?
Kim Young-Ok editor made more than 20.000 USD in just two days tipping (according to OhmyNews) donated from his beloved readers on OhmyNews Online ...
What the McKinsey people think today about a promising role of TV, Print & Internet business? Rupert Murdoch has just asked (again) McKinsey to advice his group to make the changes needed.
So we can either wait and see what the News Corp. (and others) are doing, or go ahead and start adapting to our "clients" evidently changing behavior, needs and wants now!
Mittwoch, Februar 23, 2005
Journalism is heading towards Citizen Journalism
In his column Stop The Presses at Editor&Publisher by Steven Outing, he explains very detailed and sharp why he thinks, the lecture model of journalism is dying - and the Newspaper business with it - if they don't join a conversation model of journalism.
I agree, that Newspaper need more to communicate and interact with their readers /users from all angle of the business: editorial, distribution, services and advertising, but must add, that there a many other threads the Newspaper business have to overcome in the near future, if they want to stay relevant.
But I don't think, that citizen-journalism will bring journalist-journalism and the Newspaper to die. But citizen-journalism will help the Newspaper people to get their act together and to serve their reader clients (and their changed information behavior) better.
I close this note, as the link will be soon behind E&P subscription wall (a subscription you should consider, as there is a lot of good and relevant stuff behind that gate).
I agree, that Newspaper need more to communicate and interact with their readers /users from all angle of the business: editorial, distribution, services and advertising, but must add, that there a many other threads the Newspaper business have to overcome in the near future, if they want to stay relevant.
But I don't think, that citizen-journalism will bring journalist-journalism and the Newspaper to die. But citizen-journalism will help the Newspaper people to get their act together and to serve their reader clients (and their changed information behavior) better.
I close this note, as the link will be soon behind E&P subscription wall (a subscription you should consider, as there is a lot of good and relevant stuff behind that gate).
No RSS? No downloads? No interaction? ... You're fired!
Siegfried Hirsch greift in seinem RSS BLOGGER einen Eintrag von Robert Scoble (Sie wissen schon den Technical Evangelist von Microsoft) vom 19.02. in seinem Scobleizer auf:
Was? Kein RSS-Feed? Sie sind entlassen ...
und Siegfried Hirsch schliesst mit den Worten:
Aber ich glaube es dauert hier noch ein paar Tage, bis ich das endlich mal zu jemand sagen darf ..
Ist das Bedauern angebracht?
Tragen wir „Evangelisten“ neuer Technologien mit fehlender Nutzenorientierung und technischem Kauderwelsch nicht wesentlich zu dieser Ignoranz bei?
Das Phänomen dahinter ist mir in den letzten Wochen gleich mehrmals begegnet:
Da wundern sich präsumtive (d.h. noch-Nicht-, aber Könnten-, Sollten-) Kunden, weil kein "Schwein" (gemeint ist hier der geschätzte "Leserkunde"), Ihre tollen Einfälle, Einträge und Inhalte lesen und dass man sich zu Tode strampelt für den geschätzten Leser / User, der es aber nicht einmal für nötig hält, dass wenigstens zu lesen, geschweige denn dafür Geld herüberzureichen ...
Da will ich meinen RSS-Feeder füttern und ein Magazin will mir erst lang und breit alles über RSS erklären, dann eine exklusive "Benachrichtigungsfunktion" auf meinem Rechner installieren und ich brauche dann den Google Sitesearch, um den RSS-Feed schließlich doch noch zu finden ...
Das mit dem fehlenden oder versteckten RSS-Feed ist nur ein Beispiel dafür, wie wenig zielführend (falls es denn Ziele gibt und diese "abgesegnet" sind) in vielen Verlagen "Technologie" angefasst wird - (auch mit unserer Hilfe).
Da wird über "will ich (auch) / hab' ich (auch)" geredet, statt darüber zu reden was ich erreichen will und wie ich meine Ziele gegenüber Leserkunden, Anzeigenkunden, Marktpartnern und dem eigenen Verlag gegenüber möglichst innovativ, kostengünstig, profitable und sicher erreichen kann.
(Für ein paar entscheidende Tipps und Best Practice Beispiele ... na ja, Sie wissen schon ...)
Was? Kein RSS-Feed? Sie sind entlassen ...
und Siegfried Hirsch schliesst mit den Worten:
Aber ich glaube es dauert hier noch ein paar Tage, bis ich das endlich mal zu jemand sagen darf ..
Ist das Bedauern angebracht?
Tragen wir „Evangelisten“ neuer Technologien mit fehlender Nutzenorientierung und technischem Kauderwelsch nicht wesentlich zu dieser Ignoranz bei?
Das Phänomen dahinter ist mir in den letzten Wochen gleich mehrmals begegnet:
Da wundern sich präsumtive (d.h. noch-Nicht-, aber Könnten-, Sollten-) Kunden, weil kein "Schwein" (gemeint ist hier der geschätzte "Leserkunde"), Ihre tollen Einfälle, Einträge und Inhalte lesen und dass man sich zu Tode strampelt für den geschätzten Leser / User, der es aber nicht einmal für nötig hält, dass wenigstens zu lesen, geschweige denn dafür Geld herüberzureichen ...
Da will ich meinen RSS-Feeder füttern und ein Magazin will mir erst lang und breit alles über RSS erklären, dann eine exklusive "Benachrichtigungsfunktion" auf meinem Rechner installieren und ich brauche dann den Google Sitesearch, um den RSS-Feed schließlich doch noch zu finden ...
Das mit dem fehlenden oder versteckten RSS-Feed ist nur ein Beispiel dafür, wie wenig zielführend (falls es denn Ziele gibt und diese "abgesegnet" sind) in vielen Verlagen "Technologie" angefasst wird - (auch mit unserer Hilfe).
Da wird über "will ich (auch) / hab' ich (auch)" geredet, statt darüber zu reden was ich erreichen will und wie ich meine Ziele gegenüber Leserkunden, Anzeigenkunden, Marktpartnern und dem eigenen Verlag gegenüber möglichst innovativ, kostengünstig, profitable und sicher erreichen kann.
(Für ein paar entscheidende Tipps und Best Practice Beispiele ... na ja, Sie wissen schon ...)
Dienstag, Februar 22, 2005
Happy 5th Birthday "OhmyNews"!
On February 22, 2000 OhmyNews, one of the front runners of citizen reporting, the Korean Website OhmyNews went online. Happy Birthday OhmyNews!
Oh Yeon Ho (he was a magazine journalist before he had his satory on citizen reporting) started this "venture" with 3 colleges and more than 700 Korean citizen reporters, has succeeded in starting this sign post of citizen publishing and is still full of ideas.
Today OhmyNews has about 14 mio. readers / users, about 37.000 reporter have signed the Citizen Reporter Agreement and Code of Ethics and about 17.000 have published on the website in one or the other way (reports, comments, critic, etc). The pay according to popularity (counting views, downloads) and introduced tipping (top result: more than 20.000 USD in just two days for Kim Young-Ok).
Meanwhile OhmyNews offers their reporters qualified training and most of the fulltime editors are converts (the other way round!). About 20 % of content comes now from full-time reporter and 80 % from citizen reporters. 70 per cent of the revenue is from advertising. OhmyNews went profitable in 2003 - and is still profitable and growing.
In 2003 OhmyNews started as a print edition (circulation is about 100.000), with Newscast Audio and Video on the Website - now even with a regular program schedule.
Since June 2004 OhmyNews International in English is Online (the only part I can read from OhmyNews) and working hard to build up their global citizen reporter network. In January 2005 they had their first gathering of its European citizen reporters in Bruxelles to understand more about what is going on in Europe and Europe's media szene and I'm sure there is more to come.
So if you are interested, check it out!
Here is OhmyNews simple and straight forward
OhmyNews Citizen Reporter Agreement and Code of Ethics
Oh Yeon Ho (he was a magazine journalist before he had his satory on citizen reporting) started this "venture" with 3 colleges and more than 700 Korean citizen reporters, has succeeded in starting this sign post of citizen publishing and is still full of ideas.
Today OhmyNews has about 14 mio. readers / users, about 37.000 reporter have signed the Citizen Reporter Agreement and Code of Ethics and about 17.000 have published on the website in one or the other way (reports, comments, critic, etc). The pay according to popularity (counting views, downloads) and introduced tipping (top result: more than 20.000 USD in just two days for Kim Young-Ok).
Meanwhile OhmyNews offers their reporters qualified training and most of the fulltime editors are converts (the other way round!). About 20 % of content comes now from full-time reporter and 80 % from citizen reporters. 70 per cent of the revenue is from advertising. OhmyNews went profitable in 2003 - and is still profitable and growing.
In 2003 OhmyNews started as a print edition (circulation is about 100.000), with Newscast Audio and Video on the Website - now even with a regular program schedule.
Since June 2004 OhmyNews International in English is Online (the only part I can read from OhmyNews) and working hard to build up their global citizen reporter network. In January 2005 they had their first gathering of its European citizen reporters in Bruxelles to understand more about what is going on in Europe and Europe's media szene and I'm sure there is more to come.
So if you are interested, check it out!
Here is OhmyNews simple and straight forward
OhmyNews Citizen Reporter Agreement and Code of Ethics
Montag, Februar 21, 2005
The Role of Blogs (and more) Movie
Jason Calacanis points to a great and funny video clip about the role of Blogs and Bloggers
The Role of Blogs
and recomments: drop everything you are doing and watch this ...
*****
and onegoodmove.org has more of it ...
"Bill Maher continued the assault on White House male prostitute Jeff Gannon. Bill along with his guests Joe Biden, Robin Williams and Leslie Stahl pitched nothing but hardballs. For more details on Gannon-gate be sure to visit AmericaBlog the premier source for all things Gannon."
The Role of Blogs
and recomments: drop everything you are doing and watch this ...
*****
and onegoodmove.org has more of it ...
"Bill Maher continued the assault on White House male prostitute Jeff Gannon. Bill along with his guests Joe Biden, Robin Williams and Leslie Stahl pitched nothing but hardballs. For more details on Gannon-gate be sure to visit AmericaBlog the premier source for all things Gannon."
Times Company and About.com (more)
Addendum:
Doc Searls writes / found in his Weblog:
"PaidContent.org has collected a pile of quotes from bloggers concerning the New York Times' purchase of About.com.
My fave is from Rex Hammock: The NYT is paying $410 million for a network of 500 weblogs that collectively have 22 million visitors each month. $410 million / 500 = $820,000 per weblog. "
and, the PaidContent.org interviewed Martin Nisenholtz
From my own experience I must add:
of course you should always ask "How much do I pay for WHAT" ... and I'm sure that some one in the Times company must have a (still secret) plan, what do with their new possessions exept increasing their Online advertising inventary and why having 500 Weblogs and 22 mio. User now, is worth spending 820.000 USD for each Weblog and creating a competitive advantage against the ROW. We will see!
Doc Searls writes / found in his Weblog:
"PaidContent.org has collected a pile of quotes from bloggers concerning the New York Times' purchase of About.com.
My fave is from Rex Hammock: The NYT is paying $410 million for a network of 500 weblogs that collectively have 22 million visitors each month. $410 million / 500 = $820,000 per weblog. "
and, the PaidContent.org interviewed Martin Nisenholtz
From my own experience I must add:
of course you should always ask "How much do I pay for WHAT" ... and I'm sure that some one in the Times company must have a (still secret) plan, what do with their new possessions exept increasing their Online advertising inventary and why having 500 Weblogs and 22 mio. User now, is worth spending 820.000 USD for each Weblog and creating a competitive advantage against the ROW. We will see!
Freitag, Februar 18, 2005
Citizen marketers and how they embrace their customers
The Church of the Customer has launched their first Church of the Customer Podcast show and they are planning to do more of it soon.
See what Ben McConnel and Jackie Huba have to say about (duration 27:50 min.) :
- Citizen marketers: what they are, what they do, and how to embrace them
- Jones Soda: how they include customers in their marketing
- What this podcast is all about
To listen, go to Church of Customer Website and click on the podcast
There you also find a fair list of links to people, companies, articles, blogs, etc. mentioned in the podcast and worthwile looking at.
See what Ben McConnel and Jackie Huba have to say about (duration 27:50 min.) :
- Citizen marketers: what they are, what they do, and how to embrace them
- Jones Soda: how they include customers in their marketing
- What this podcast is all about
To listen, go to Church of Customer Website and click on the podcast
There you also find a fair list of links to people, companies, articles, blogs, etc. mentioned in the podcast and worthwile looking at.
Can the Times Company leverage About.com and 410 Mio. USD into a profitable Business
I remember "the good old days", when Tom Rogers Chairman & CEO of Primedia (at that time) was very proud to announce to the attendance of the b2b eMedia Conference a marriage deal which would foster and accelerate his Re-engineering of the traditional Media Company into a New Media Powerhouse. In his word " About.com is the perfect marriage - we will realize more synergy from the About.com deal than Time Warner / AOL".
Then the Media Investment Bankers DeSilva & Phillips lauded this deal as phenomenal (no wonder, considering the reimbursement for deal) and prognosed that About.com would be profitable starting first quarter 2001 and had a golden road ahead with 700 publishers on board, low cost structure and the shiny Network-Luna Network concept ... some might agree to hastily about achieved leverage, but unfortunately, I think the return was even less ... exept that Warner didn't sell AOL (yet).
When I tried to discuss with Tom in New York about his great "concept" he admitted, that right now he just has a vision, but no plans and that wasn't any different 9 month later - I always credit nine month, the time human need to produce something with head, heart, hand and feet's - and it hasn't changed much since than.
Now the NYT Company paying (in cash) 410 mio. USD - for Primedia probably the best part on this deal all together (they paid 2000 690 mio. USD in stocks) - "owns" the about 500 blogs and about 22 mio monthly user and many will watch carefully whether the NYT has a plan for execution. Martin A. Nisenholtz, now Senior VP president at the Times company, plays the chances from this deal down ("it's to small to influence, change the way we make business ...) and sees mainly benefits on the level of online advertising inventory and revenue.
Sorry folks, About.com stands for and was always about community building, experts advise, information resources, ideas, tools, etc. ... hope the NYT will get this and use it for the better (and for profitable growth).
More ...
See the announcement from NYT: The New York Times Company announced this afternoon that it had agreed to acquire the online consumer information provider About.com from Primedia Inc., a magazine publisher, for $410 million in cash.
Read more from Katharine Q. Seelye at the NYT February 18, 2005: The New York Times Company announced yesterday that it would acquire About Inc. and its Web site, About.com, from Primedia Inc. for $410 million.
Recommended read: B.L. Olchmann from whatsnextonline.com wonders, why the the Times story doesn't even mention the fact that About.com 500 guides all operate blogs on what About.com site describes as 50,000+ topics from personal finance to health and fitness. The guides converted to blogs two years ago, using Moveable Type. Having such a vast network of blogs and bloggers certainly positions the Times well for incorporating blogging into its infrastructure.
If you have access to Adweek IQ Interactive read their first comment on the impact this deal could have and some additional information at February 17, 2005 IQ Interactive IQ News Daily Briefing
Then the Media Investment Bankers DeSilva & Phillips lauded this deal as phenomenal (no wonder, considering the reimbursement for deal) and prognosed that About.com would be profitable starting first quarter 2001 and had a golden road ahead with 700 publishers on board, low cost structure and the shiny Network-Luna Network concept ... some might agree to hastily about achieved leverage, but unfortunately, I think the return was even less ... exept that Warner didn't sell AOL (yet).
When I tried to discuss with Tom in New York about his great "concept" he admitted, that right now he just has a vision, but no plans and that wasn't any different 9 month later - I always credit nine month, the time human need to produce something with head, heart, hand and feet's - and it hasn't changed much since than.
Now the NYT Company paying (in cash) 410 mio. USD - for Primedia probably the best part on this deal all together (they paid 2000 690 mio. USD in stocks) - "owns" the about 500 blogs and about 22 mio monthly user and many will watch carefully whether the NYT has a plan for execution. Martin A. Nisenholtz, now Senior VP president at the Times company, plays the chances from this deal down ("it's to small to influence, change the way we make business ...) and sees mainly benefits on the level of online advertising inventory and revenue.
Sorry folks, About.com stands for and was always about community building, experts advise, information resources, ideas, tools, etc. ... hope the NYT will get this and use it for the better (and for profitable growth).
More ...
See the announcement from NYT: The New York Times Company announced this afternoon that it had agreed to acquire the online consumer information provider About.com from Primedia Inc., a magazine publisher, for $410 million in cash.
Read more from Katharine Q. Seelye at the NYT February 18, 2005: The New York Times Company announced yesterday that it would acquire About Inc. and its Web site, About.com, from Primedia Inc. for $410 million.
Recommended read: B.L. Olchmann from whatsnextonline.com wonders, why the the Times story doesn't even mention the fact that About.com 500 guides all operate blogs on what About.com site describes as 50,000+ topics from personal finance to health and fitness. The guides converted to blogs two years ago, using Moveable Type. Having such a vast network of blogs and bloggers certainly positions the Times well for incorporating blogging into its infrastructure.
If you have access to Adweek IQ Interactive read their first comment on the impact this deal could have and some additional information at February 17, 2005 IQ Interactive IQ News Daily Briefing
Sonntag, Februar 13, 2005
The new, exciting Mag "Make" from O'Reilly
From O'Reilly we will get soon a new, fine Mag called Make, devoted to digital projects, hardware hacks, and D.I.Y. inspiration.
Make will start off as a quarterly print, as Website with Blogs, Audio, Video and more ...
In their own words:
Make will start off as a quarterly print, as Website with Blogs, Audio, Video and more ...
In their own words:
MAKE is a new hybrid magazine/book ("mook") published quarterly by O'Reilly. MAKE brings the do-it-yourself mindset to all the technology in your life. MAKE is loaded with exciting projects that help you make the most of your technology at home and away from home. It follows in line with the Hacks books and Hardware Hacking Projects, but it takes a highly visual and personal approach.
To see the content of the first issue go to ...
Joichi "Joi" Ito writes on his Weblog about Make:
Make is a mook (hybrid magazine/book) and a website for do-it-youself gadgety hacking published by O'Reilly. The team is my favorite do-it-yourself hacker Philip Torrone, Mark Frauenfelder of Boing Boing and Dale Dougherty from O'Reilly ...
Freitag, Februar 11, 2005
How To Start Your Very Own Blog In Fifty-One Easy Steps!
Enjoy internetslacker funny piece
"How To Start Your Very Own Blog In Fifty-One Easy Steps"
on Kuro5hin:
Interested in the blogging scene?
Confused how to go about setting up your very own blog?
Follow these fifty-one easy steps and you'll be a l33t blogger in no time!
has some truth and fun for everyone and you might find quite a few steps you got (or will get) through, when you do or did your own first steps in blogging.
Some "serious" (or down under) bloggers didn't find it funny, as the comments suggest ... and if you read it, please keep in mind that "internetslacker" calls himself a comedy writer ...
"How To Start Your Very Own Blog In Fifty-One Easy Steps"
on Kuro5hin:
Interested in the blogging scene?
Confused how to go about setting up your very own blog?
Follow these fifty-one easy steps and you'll be a l33t blogger in no time!
has some truth and fun for everyone and you might find quite a few steps you got (or will get) through, when you do or did your own first steps in blogging.
Some "serious" (or down under) bloggers didn't find it funny, as the comments suggest ... and if you read it, please keep in mind that "internetslacker" calls himself a comedy writer ...
Donnerstag, Februar 10, 2005
Webcast Paneldiskussion March 9, 2005: "The Vanishing Newspaper."
Das Media Center des American Press Institute veranstaltet am 9. Maerz eine Webcast Paneldiskussion zum Thema "The Vanishing Newspaper."
Mehr darüber auf Bob Stepno's Other Journalism Weblog
Mit dabei ist u.a. der Autor des aktuellen Buches (Nov. 2004):
The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism In The Information Age, Phil Meyer
Weitere Teilnehmer, Themen und zum Ablauf direkt auf der Website des Media Center
Mehr darüber auf Bob Stepno's Other Journalism Weblog
Mit dabei ist u.a. der Autor des aktuellen Buches (Nov. 2004):
The Vanishing Newspaper: Saving Journalism In The Information Age, Phil Meyer
Weitere Teilnehmer, Themen und zum Ablauf direkt auf der Website des Media Center
Dienstag, Februar 08, 2005
Podcasting - kurz und bündig erklärt - 4 Min. Video
In einem 4 Minuten Video Podcasting erklärt (und verkauft): Was ist Podcasting, Anwendungs-Szenarien & Wie gehts ...
(in Englisch, Real format ca. 7 MB)
Zunächst eine präzise Information - kurz und bündig für den, der sich für Podcasting interessiert und ein nachahmenswertes Beispiel (deswegen steht es hier) wie Anbieter von Premium Services "neue" Angebote erklären, den Einstieg zeigen und Nutzen mehren könnten!
Das Video gibt in Lisa's Williams Weblog Learning the Lessons of Nixon
The URI to TrackBack this entry is:
http://www.cadence90.com/wp/wp-trackback.php/3356
Gefunden über Dan Gillmor on Grassroots Journalism, Etc.
(in Englisch, Real format ca. 7 MB)
Zunächst eine präzise Information - kurz und bündig für den, der sich für Podcasting interessiert und ein nachahmenswertes Beispiel (deswegen steht es hier) wie Anbieter von Premium Services "neue" Angebote erklären, den Einstieg zeigen und Nutzen mehren könnten!
Das Video gibt in Lisa's Williams Weblog Learning the Lessons of Nixon
The URI to TrackBack this entry is:
http://www.cadence90.com/wp/wp-trackback.php/3356
Gefunden über Dan Gillmor on Grassroots Journalism, Etc.
Freitag, Februar 04, 2005
Citizen Journalism at Ventura County Star - well done, well communicated!
From the desk of Howard Owens, Director of New Media Ventura County Star. He writes:
Subject: Citizen Journalism
Our online editor, Alicia Hoffman, will be adding the role of citizenjournalism/user-content specialist to her duties.
We see blogs, forums, photo blogs and other forms of citizen journalism as asignificant part of the online news world. Our readers want to be part oft he process of sharing the news and shaping the news. Technology is giving them the tools to do it, and as Dan Gillmor has pointed out, our readers often know more than we do.
They can also be more places than we can. And, they also know what interests them and what news they want in ways that traditional, top-down journalism might miss. We need to give appropriate attention to this growing facet of our business.
Alicia's primary duties as online editor do not change, but the focus of her job will be different. She will pay close attention to how we're interacting with our readers and the content and business opportunities that emerge, and help to shape our evolving strategy. She will guide us in the world of "journalism as a conversation" as we develop VenturaCountyStar.com as the online community center for Ventura County.
Our current plan is to grow organically in this area rather than push any one big initiative. We have blogs, forums and photo blogs now. We will work to grow these and help promote citizen journalism in Ventura County.
Well done Howard! And Good luck Alicia!
Subject: Citizen Journalism
Our online editor, Alicia Hoffman, will be adding the role of citizenjournalism/user-content specialist to her duties.
We see blogs, forums, photo blogs and other forms of citizen journalism as asignificant part of the online news world. Our readers want to be part oft he process of sharing the news and shaping the news. Technology is giving them the tools to do it, and as Dan Gillmor has pointed out, our readers often know more than we do.
They can also be more places than we can. And, they also know what interests them and what news they want in ways that traditional, top-down journalism might miss. We need to give appropriate attention to this growing facet of our business.
Alicia's primary duties as online editor do not change, but the focus of her job will be different. She will pay close attention to how we're interacting with our readers and the content and business opportunities that emerge, and help to shape our evolving strategy. She will guide us in the world of "journalism as a conversation" as we develop VenturaCountyStar.com as the online community center for Ventura County.
Our current plan is to grow organically in this area rather than push any one big initiative. We have blogs, forums and photo blogs now. We will work to grow these and help promote citizen journalism in Ventura County.
Well done Howard! And Good luck Alicia!
Donnerstag, Februar 03, 2005
Yahoo Contextual Search Tool Y!Q
From Chris Sherman at Search Engine Watch :
Yahoo has rolled out a nifty new tool that lets you use content you're viewing as the basis of a search query, providing results that are difficult to get otherwise without using advanced search commands.
The new tool, called simply Y!Q, lets you use all or part of a web page you're viewing as the source of a search query. Simply highlight relevant portions of text on the page and run a "related search," and Y!Q analyzes the page, extracts the most relevant concepts and uses those as inputs.
Internet Explorer users can download the Y!Q DemoBar ...
Yahoo has rolled out a nifty new tool that lets you use content you're viewing as the basis of a search query, providing results that are difficult to get otherwise without using advanced search commands.
The new tool, called simply Y!Q, lets you use all or part of a web page you're viewing as the source of a search query. Simply highlight relevant portions of text on the page and run a "related search," and Y!Q analyzes the page, extracts the most relevant concepts and uses those as inputs.
Internet Explorer users can download the Y!Q DemoBar ...
Jim Mitchell - spearhead of Mercury News leading technology reporting
Dan Gillmor informs about the dead of his former college:
"Jim Mitchell, a former business editor and columnist of the San Jose Mercury News, died on Monday.
Jim grasped technology's importance as a local story with international impact. Always a gentleman even when we disagreed, he helped me understand Silicon Valley and its people."
Jim Mitchell joint the San Jose Mercury News in 1977 (at that time there where only 3 jounalist in the business department) - we meet first time 1979 at Comdex, Las Vegas - and he was for long a driving force to make make the San Jose Mercury News on of the best in covering the IT and C industry - and technology in general.
"Jim Mitchell, a former business editor and columnist of the San Jose Mercury News, died on Monday.
Jim grasped technology's importance as a local story with international impact. Always a gentleman even when we disagreed, he helped me understand Silicon Valley and its people."
Jim Mitchell joint the San Jose Mercury News in 1977 (at that time there where only 3 jounalist in the business department) - we meet first time 1979 at Comdex, Las Vegas - and he was for long a driving force to make make the San Jose Mercury News on of the best in covering the IT and C industry - and technology in general.
Sony Spends USD 75K on Blog Advertising
BL Ochman writes on her whatsnextblog:
The commercial viability of blogs becomes more obvious with the announcement that Sony Consumer Electronics is spending $75K to sponsor Nick Denton's new blog, Lifehacker.com for three months.
The deal between a blog and a global marketer marks a new milestone for the commercialization of Web logs, Ad Age said. I think commercialization and economic viability are two different things. Unlike traditional media, bloggers are making clear from the gitgo that they are not going to let advertisers dictate what they cover, or how.
Denton's sales pitch to decision making marketers is, "The people on blogs are talking about your products and are early adopters." Underwriting Lifehacker.com makes Sony (SNE)look hip to that audience, he told Ad Age.
The commercial viability of blogs becomes more obvious with the announcement that Sony Consumer Electronics is spending $75K to sponsor Nick Denton's new blog, Lifehacker.com for three months.
The deal between a blog and a global marketer marks a new milestone for the commercialization of Web logs, Ad Age said. I think commercialization and economic viability are two different things. Unlike traditional media, bloggers are making clear from the gitgo that they are not going to let advertisers dictate what they cover, or how.
Denton's sales pitch to decision making marketers is, "The people on blogs are talking about your products and are early adopters." Underwriting Lifehacker.com makes Sony (SNE)look hip to that audience, he told Ad Age.
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