The potential for using video as a promotional tool has never been better or cheaper — even for nonprofits struggling to get their message out. Google released a list of the top non-profit videos to Mashable earlier this month. It’s no surprise that “Kony 2012” tops the list at over 100 million views, but other […]
Top Non-Profit YouTube Videos of 2012 Read More »
We believed…that if you didn’t understand the Internet your business would be destroyed. And we were right.We also believed — and we didn’t even think of it as a separate belief — if you did understand the Internet, your business wouldn’t be destroyed. And we were wrong about that. — Clay Shirky (Columbia University, November
Recently the Associated Press faced a firestorm of criticism for launching advertising in its Twitter feed. Martin Belam, formerly UX lead for the Guardian, weighed in on the difficulties of developing a business model for media. Try and charge for content and everybody will tell you that a universal paywall can never work. Erect a
Martin Belam on Media Business Models: Try to Make Money And Your Audience Turns on You Read More »
Images matter. Poor use can irreparably damage your work. via Deadspin
Why Having a Photo Editor is a Good Idea Read More »
Back in the stone age I worked for Ed Zander, who once said, “It shouldn’t take extraordinary people to do ordinary things.” Ed (who went on to become CEO of Motorola) meant that a department’s regular operations shouldn’t require herculean efforts. Everyday activities like bringing on a new employee, going to a conference, or pushing
“It shouldn’t take extraordinary people to do ordinary things.” Read More »
A new format for books priced at less than a tenth of the current hardcover price? It’ll destroy publishing, right? Well, it didn’t the first time. In 1939, Pocket Books launched the paperback, a 25-cent version of books that usually sold for $2.75. Critics said that no one would buy. Some said it would bankrupt
Creative Disruption: Introducing the Paperback (1939) Read More »
Craig Silverman writes “Regret the Error,” a regular column on Poytner.org covering the media’s funniest errors and corrections. In the end-of-year spirit, he’s gathered up his favorites — from CNN and Fox reporting that the Supreme Court struck down ObamaCare, to more NSFW fare. Here’s my favorite, from the Atlantic: This post originally referred to
2012 Best and Worst Media Errors and Corrections Read More »
This week, Rick Edmonds at Poynter, Ryan Chittum at CJR, and Mathew Ingram at Gigaom debated the state of the paywall at news sites. Not surprisingly, there is little consensus whether or not subscription paywalls are a deadend or the wave of the future. However, there is one kind of paywall that I haven’t seen
Paywall Media — Why Not Bundle? Read More »
In 1974, former World Bank Economist Anne Krueger wrote a famous article defining “rent-seeking.” The term, of course, stems from the practice of gaining ownership of land and forcing tenants to pay rent. As an economic principle, the idea is that rather than creating new wealth through growth, some people/organizations seek to gain economic advantage
eBooks, Copyright and “Rent-Seeking” Read More »
Here are a few notes from a recent cross-country flight. I’m not sure what I was reading at the time (“The Lean Startup?”), but it’s sound advice. Any really good accountant will tell you that the numbers should inform your decisions, not make them. Analytics work best when chasing incremental growth, not opening up new
The Religion of Analytics Read More »