Therapists often run into a curious problem during treatment: Clients
aren’t very good at describing their emotions. How exactly do you
express the nature of your depression?
So this spring, relationship counselor Crystal Rice hit upon a clever
idea. She had her clients use Pinterest, the popular picture-pinning
social network, to create arrays of images that map out their feelings.
It’s a brilliant epiphany: While emotions can be devilishly difficult to
convey in words, they’re often very accessible via pictures. “This way
we can really identify what’s going on,” Rice says.
As Rice discovered with her clients, Pinterest’s
appeal is that it gives us curiously powerful visual ways to
communicate, think, and remember. If you see one picture of a guitar,
it’s just a guitar; but when you see 80 of them lined up you start to
see guitarness. This additive power is precisely what helps Rice’s
clients paint their internal worlds.
Part of the value of Pinterest is that it brings you
out of yourself and into the world of things. As the Huffington Post
writer Bianca Bosker argued, Facebook and Twitter are inwardly focused
(“Look at me!”) while Pinterest is outwardly focused (“Look at this!”).
It’s the world as seen through not your eyes but your imagination.
Granted, Pinterest encourages plenty of dubious
behavior too. It can be grindingly materialistic; all those pins of
stuff to buy! Marketers are predictably adrool, and as they swarm
aboard, the whole service might very well end up collapsing into a heap
of product shilling.
But I suspect we’ll see increasingly odd and clever
ways of using Pinterest. If a picture is worth a thousand words, those
collections are worth millions.
Read more here
Saturday, October 13
Wednesday, October 10
the Copyright Alert System
The nation’s major internet service providers by year’s end will institute a so-called six-strikes plan, the “Copyright Alert System” initiative backed by the Obama administration and pushed by Hollywood and the major record labels to disrupt and possibly terminate internet access for online copyright scofflaws.
The plan, now four years in the making, includes participation by AT&T, Cablevision Systems, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon. After four offenses, the historic plan calls for these residential internet providers to initiate so-called “mitigation measures” (.pdf) that might include reducing internet speeds and redirecting a subscriber’s service to an “educational” landing page about infringement. The internet companies may eliminate service altogether for repeat file-sharing offenders, although the plan does not directly call for such drastic action.
Read more here
The plan, now four years in the making, includes participation by AT&T, Cablevision Systems, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon. After four offenses, the historic plan calls for these residential internet providers to initiate so-called “mitigation measures” (.pdf) that might include reducing internet speeds and redirecting a subscriber’s service to an “educational” landing page about infringement. The internet companies may eliminate service altogether for repeat file-sharing offenders, although the plan does not directly call for such drastic action.
Read more here
Sunday, October 7
Trust in Media Survery
Only 8 percent of Americans say they have a "great deal" of trust in the news media, according to a new Gallup poll -- a record low for the 40 years Gallup has been polling the question.
This combined 40 percent who were generally trustful of the media was the lowest percentage ever. Meanwhile, 39 percent said they had “not very much” trust and 21 percent said they had “none at all"—zero confidence in the media and making 60 percent who said they were generally distrustful of the media.
Read more here
This combined 40 percent who were generally trustful of the media was the lowest percentage ever. Meanwhile, 39 percent said they had “not very much” trust and 21 percent said they had “none at all"—zero confidence in the media and making 60 percent who said they were generally distrustful of the media.
Read more here
Saturday, October 6
Inside Brand Journalism
Brand journalism (is) marketers using the tools of digital publishing and social media to speak directly to consumers. The advertising industry commonly refers to it as content marketing, brands disintermediating news professionals by writing and distributing thought leadership content.
Special features, special sections, sponsored content and similar revenue-driving content features involve editorial conflicts that result in professional compromises.
In marketing you’re trained to leave out the bad and the ugly for good reason: you have to protect the company, your customers, your partners and your shareholders. We’re learning that we have to let go a little. Loosen up our collar a bit to reach our audience at their place and in a more conversational style that’s conducive to dialogue and engagement.
Read more at Forbes
Special features, special sections, sponsored content and similar revenue-driving content features involve editorial conflicts that result in professional compromises.
In marketing you’re trained to leave out the bad and the ugly for good reason: you have to protect the company, your customers, your partners and your shareholders. We’re learning that we have to let go a little. Loosen up our collar a bit to reach our audience at their place and in a more conversational style that’s conducive to dialogue and engagement.
Read more at Forbes
What Data says about us
"Big" data is something of a misnomer. It's colossal. From the beginning of recorded time until 2003, we created 5 billion gigabytes of data. In 2011 the same amount was created every two days. By 2013 that time will shrink to 10 minutes. The amount of information we take in in a single day is more than someone living in the 16th century would view in his entire lifetime.
The book from which this excerpt is drawn, The Human Face of Big Data, is created by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt.
Read more here
The book from which this excerpt is drawn, The Human Face of Big Data, is created by Rick Smolan and Jennifer Erwitt.
Read more here
Google, Publishers Resolve Copyright Battle
Google and the Association of American Publishers have resolved a longstanding legal battle about the search giant's book digitization project... The settlement allows publishers to decide whether to exclude their books from Google's Library Project. When publishers allow their books to remain in Google's search index, the company will be able to display up to 20% of the work and sell digital versions through Google Play. Publishers who don't remove their books will also be able to receive a digital copy for their use.
While the deal resolves the publishers' battle with Google, the company is still facing a lawsuit by the Authors Guild. U.S. Circuit Court Judge Denny Chin recently said that case could proceed as a class-action, but Google appealed the ruling to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. That case is now on hold while the appellate court reviews whether class-action status is appropriate.
The legal proceedings date to 2005, when the Authors Guild and Association of American Publishers sued Google for infringing copyright by scanning books from public libraries. In addition to digitizing the books, Google made them searchable and displayed snippets through its search engine.
Google has always argued that it has a fair use right to scan in books and display snippets, but the issue hasn't yet been litigated.
In 2008, Google reached a $125 million settlement with authors and publishers, but the deal was scuttled by Chin due to antitrust concerns.
That deal was controversial because it would have allowed Google to digitize orphan works -- books under copyright, but whose owner isn't known -- without fear of copyright infringement lawsuits. Currently, no one can publish orphan works without risking liability -- which can run as high as $150,000 per infringement. For that reason, Amazon and other companies said that the deal would have disadvantaged them.
Read more here
While the deal resolves the publishers' battle with Google, the company is still facing a lawsuit by the Authors Guild. U.S. Circuit Court Judge Denny Chin recently said that case could proceed as a class-action, but Google appealed the ruling to the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals. That case is now on hold while the appellate court reviews whether class-action status is appropriate.
The legal proceedings date to 2005, when the Authors Guild and Association of American Publishers sued Google for infringing copyright by scanning books from public libraries. In addition to digitizing the books, Google made them searchable and displayed snippets through its search engine.
Google has always argued that it has a fair use right to scan in books and display snippets, but the issue hasn't yet been litigated.
In 2008, Google reached a $125 million settlement with authors and publishers, but the deal was scuttled by Chin due to antitrust concerns.
That deal was controversial because it would have allowed Google to digitize orphan works -- books under copyright, but whose owner isn't known -- without fear of copyright infringement lawsuits. Currently, no one can publish orphan works without risking liability -- which can run as high as $150,000 per infringement. For that reason, Amazon and other companies said that the deal would have disadvantaged them.
Read more here
Thursday, October 4
Facebook Hits Major Milestone: 1 Billion Active Users
Facebook hit a major milestone today: The biggest social network in the world now has 1 billion active users each month. That means that one in seven people in the world are Facebook users.
The Los Angeles Times reports:
"The next billion will be a lot tougher than the first. One big reason: A third of the world's population can't access Facebook. The Chinese government has blocked access to the website since 2009, although many still scale the "great firewall" to use it.
Along with the announcement, Facebook also released a bunch of statistics (.doc). Among them:
— The median age of the users signing up for Facebook in the week leading up to milestone was 22.
— The top users of Facebook were: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States. Facebook listed them alphabetical order, not by usage.
— The average user had 305 friends.
Read more here
The Los Angeles Times reports:
"The next billion will be a lot tougher than the first. One big reason: A third of the world's population can't access Facebook. The Chinese government has blocked access to the website since 2009, although many still scale the "great firewall" to use it.
Along with the announcement, Facebook also released a bunch of statistics (.doc). Among them:
— The median age of the users signing up for Facebook in the week leading up to milestone was 22.
— The top users of Facebook were: Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico and the United States. Facebook listed them alphabetical order, not by usage.
— The average user had 305 friends.
Read more here
Friday, September 28
More Declines Predicted For Newspapers
All the trend lines for newspaper advertising are pointing down, and the latest forecast from eMarketer does nothing to dispel this gloomy picture. According to the research firm’s most recent report, total ad revenues for newspapers will decline from $22.5 billion in 2012 to $21.5 billion in 2013, $21 billion in 2014, $20.63 billion in 2015, and $20.4 billion in 2016, for a 9.5% drop over the next four years.
Separately, newspapers’ digital ad revenues will continue to experience modest growth, but not enough to offset losses on the print side. Here, eMarketer sees total digital ad revenues edging up from $3.4 billion in 2012 to $4 billion in 2016, for a 17.6% increase in four years.
According to the Newspaper Association of America, total newspaper ad revenues -- including print and digital -- plunged from $49 billion in 2006 to $24 billion in 2011, for a 51.5% decline in just five years.
Read more here
Separately, newspapers’ digital ad revenues will continue to experience modest growth, but not enough to offset losses on the print side. Here, eMarketer sees total digital ad revenues edging up from $3.4 billion in 2012 to $4 billion in 2016, for a 17.6% increase in four years.
According to the Newspaper Association of America, total newspaper ad revenues -- including print and digital -- plunged from $49 billion in 2006 to $24 billion in 2011, for a 51.5% decline in just five years.
Read more here
Television Top Source of Local News
A Pew study released Wednesday finds television to be the top source of local news in both rural and urban areas. The study is divided into four categories — large cities, suburbs near large cities, small towns or cities and rural areas. Local television tops each category as the most-accessed news source among survey respondents, besting word of mouth, local radio and the print version of a local newspaper.
Read more here
Read more here
Tuesday, September 25
TV Remains Decision Driver For Purchases
A study commissioned by the TVB shows that local television is the dominant influencer of decisions throughout the purchase funnel from awareness at the top through purchase at the bottom. Research shows that 64% of respondents say TV is the “primary action driver” of awareness and 39% of purchase. Newspapers came in second with awareness at 10%. The Internet (online behavior save email) was second at 10% for purchase.
Read more here
Read more here
Sunday, September 23
A journalist’s quick guide to Reddit
Sure, Reddit was already the unofficial “front page of the Internet,” the soul of all things meme, the secret sauce behind BuzzFeed’s viral posts, a breaking news curator and a Q&A forum for journalists, celebrities, newsmakers.
But then President Obama did a surprise Q&A appearance Wednesday that nearly crashed servers and drew almost 23,000 comments and questions. Obama didn’t bestow legitimacy upon Reddit — with nearly 40 million visitors and 3.2 billion pageviews a month, it already had that. But the visit from a sitting president certainly says something about its increasingly mainstream relevance.
The structure: Reddit consists of a bunch of “subreddits,” or topic sections. The most popular stuff bubbles up to the front page, but each post starts and lives on a specific subreddit. Every post, and every comment on every post, can be upvoted or downvoted by each user. Votes are how the community determines the best content, which rises to the top.
Definitions: Like many online communities, Reddit has developed its own shorthand. AMA, the type of post Obama did, stands for “Ask Me Anything.” It’s an open Q&A thread where one notable person answers questions from everyone else. TIL is short for “Today I Learned…” TIL usually precedes a specific surprising fact. Both AMAs and TILs could be occasional sources of story ideas for journalists.
Read more here
But then President Obama did a surprise Q&A appearance Wednesday that nearly crashed servers and drew almost 23,000 comments and questions. Obama didn’t bestow legitimacy upon Reddit — with nearly 40 million visitors and 3.2 billion pageviews a month, it already had that. But the visit from a sitting president certainly says something about its increasingly mainstream relevance.
The structure: Reddit consists of a bunch of “subreddits,” or topic sections. The most popular stuff bubbles up to the front page, but each post starts and lives on a specific subreddit. Every post, and every comment on every post, can be upvoted or downvoted by each user. Votes are how the community determines the best content, which rises to the top.
Definitions: Like many online communities, Reddit has developed its own shorthand. AMA, the type of post Obama did, stands for “Ask Me Anything.” It’s an open Q&A thread where one notable person answers questions from everyone else. TIL is short for “Today I Learned…” TIL usually precedes a specific surprising fact. Both AMAs and TILs could be occasional sources of story ideas for journalists.
Read more here
Saturday, September 22
Web Video Still Hasn’t Made a Dent in TV
TV ad spending hasn’t gone anywhere, and it doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere. Year in, year out, advertisers have been dumping around $70 billion into TV, and the Web video guys really haven’t captured any of it. The growth they have seen comes mostly from ad dollars moved out of other Web properties.
Read more here
Read more here
Saturday, September 15
Why journalists love Reddit
“Journalists everywhere are using it to get ideas for features,” Benji Lanyado, a freelance writer based in London, told me recently. “Stories appear on Reddit, then half a day later they’re on Buzzfeed and Gawker, then they’re on the Washington Post, The Guardian and the New York Times. It’s a pretty established pattern.”
Much of the “inspiration” is simple: journalists trawling Reddit and simply lifting ideas, photos or quotes: sometimes with credit, oftentimes without. But it’s more than just a source of material for aggregators, copycats and rip-off artists. Look a little deeper and Reddit’s news filter is also influential in other, less visible ways.
The site’s huge traffic (now more than three billion page views a month) means that it pushes through a lot of attention. Stories that rise to the top of the site can suddenly get propelled into the stratosphere — meaning that other media outlets, including TV news, have a greater chance of spotting them. The voracious, skeptical approach of many redditors also acts as a sort of built-in fact checking service for journalists too lazy or time-poor to do the legwork themselves:
And then there’s the site’s original content — things like the AMA sub-section, which has turned into an interview slot and confessional all in one. These real-life stories have helped turn Reddit from a simple link machine into something that creates its own stories, with the result that it’s constantly driving headlines.
The utility of Reddit for journalists is such that Lanyado has decided to build The Reddit Edit, a skinned version of the site. It’s aimed, at least in part, at that diminishing cadre of media workers who still shy away from the site. It looks more presentable than its parent, and puts forward only the hottest stories across a variety of topics: if Reddit calls itself “the front page of the internet”, then The Reddit Edit would be the 60 second news bulletin.
Read more here
Much of the “inspiration” is simple: journalists trawling Reddit and simply lifting ideas, photos or quotes: sometimes with credit, oftentimes without. But it’s more than just a source of material for aggregators, copycats and rip-off artists. Look a little deeper and Reddit’s news filter is also influential in other, less visible ways.
The site’s huge traffic (now more than three billion page views a month) means that it pushes through a lot of attention. Stories that rise to the top of the site can suddenly get propelled into the stratosphere — meaning that other media outlets, including TV news, have a greater chance of spotting them. The voracious, skeptical approach of many redditors also acts as a sort of built-in fact checking service for journalists too lazy or time-poor to do the legwork themselves:
And then there’s the site’s original content — things like the AMA sub-section, which has turned into an interview slot and confessional all in one. These real-life stories have helped turn Reddit from a simple link machine into something that creates its own stories, with the result that it’s constantly driving headlines.
The utility of Reddit for journalists is such that Lanyado has decided to build The Reddit Edit, a skinned version of the site. It’s aimed, at least in part, at that diminishing cadre of media workers who still shy away from the site. It looks more presentable than its parent, and puts forward only the hottest stories across a variety of topics: if Reddit calls itself “the front page of the internet”, then The Reddit Edit would be the 60 second news bulletin.
Read more here
Taking the E-Book Revolution to Africa
Worldreader is shipping Amazon’s single-purpose Kindle reader to schools and communities in sub-Saharan Africa with a near-term goal of providing 1 million e-books to children in the largely English-speaking countries of Ghana, Uganda, and Kenya in the next year.
(It) persuaded Amazon’s hardware engineers to work on reinforcing the casing of the donated devices so they don’t succumb to the harsh environmental conditions of the region. Worldreader also uses special software so that every few weeks free e-books can be wirelessly delivered over cellular networks to kid’s devices. The U.S. Department of State (announced) in June a pilot program to purchase 2,500 Kindles as part of its own global e-reader program. But the initiative, which had not been opened to other e-reader makers, wilted under criticism that it didn’t take into account the needs of sight-impaired people and the government was playing favorites in the competitive e-reading market.
Read more here
(It) persuaded Amazon’s hardware engineers to work on reinforcing the casing of the donated devices so they don’t succumb to the harsh environmental conditions of the region. Worldreader also uses special software so that every few weeks free e-books can be wirelessly delivered over cellular networks to kid’s devices. The U.S. Department of State (announced) in June a pilot program to purchase 2,500 Kindles as part of its own global e-reader program. But the initiative, which had not been opened to other e-reader makers, wilted under criticism that it didn’t take into account the needs of sight-impaired people and the government was playing favorites in the competitive e-reading market.
Read more here
Video games dominate Kickstarter’s list of biggest projects.
SINCE its launch three years ago, Kickstarter, a website on which people who want to make things can ask other people to pay for their projects, has offered hope to penniless musicians, artists and designers. But what the world’s modern Medicis really want to bankroll is new video games. Of the ten most-funded Kickstarter projects, five are related to video games
One reason that games get financed is that gamers are tech-savvy. With an average age in America of 37, they also have plenty of disposable income. They expect no return on their money, save a free or cut-price copy of the game itself.
There are structural reasons within the games industry for Kickstarter’s popularity, too. As development budgets for games have risen, says Aubrey Hesselgren, a games-industry programmer, big publishers such as Electronic Arts and Activision have become risk-averse. Like Hollywood studios before them, they have taken the safe option of churning out endless sequels to already-popular titles in big-selling genres, such as military-themed shooting games. That leaves a long tail of disgruntled fans who can’t find new games they enjoy. The three biggest Kickstarter games are all from underserved genres.
Read more here
One reason that games get financed is that gamers are tech-savvy. With an average age in America of 37, they also have plenty of disposable income. They expect no return on their money, save a free or cut-price copy of the game itself.
There are structural reasons within the games industry for Kickstarter’s popularity, too. As development budgets for games have risen, says Aubrey Hesselgren, a games-industry programmer, big publishers such as Electronic Arts and Activision have become risk-averse. Like Hollywood studios before them, they have taken the safe option of churning out endless sequels to already-popular titles in big-selling genres, such as military-themed shooting games. That leaves a long tail of disgruntled fans who can’t find new games they enjoy. The three biggest Kickstarter games are all from underserved genres.
Read more here
Friday, September 14
Multiscreen TV-Tablet Viewing Soars
Almost two-thirds of tablet owners, 63%, watch TV while using their tablets, per a study from GfK MRI. The research says this is significantly more than any other activity done concurrent with tablet usage.
Read more here
Read more here
Thursday, September 13
Newspaper that plays audio
A print version of the Lancashire Evening Post has been created with a button to allow readers to press the newspaper and play audio. The "smart" newspaper is the latest prototype from an 18-month research project led by the University of Central Lancashire.
Called Interactive Newsprint, the project aims to find a way of connecting a print newspaper to the internet. The newspaper sends a signal to a server to play the audio and gathers data on how many people have clicked to listen.
Read more here
Called Interactive Newsprint, the project aims to find a way of connecting a print newspaper to the internet. The newspaper sends a signal to a server to play the audio and gathers data on how many people have clicked to listen.
Read more here
Wednesday, September 12
People use TV differently
During the first three months of 2012, the average consumer spent about 2 percent less time watching traditional TV than the previous year, Nielsen said. They more than made up for that by spending more time watching material recorded on DVRs or on the Internet through TVs, computers and mobile devices.
The typical consumer spends 14 minutes a day using gaming consoles, although it's more for owners of Wii, XBox and PlayStation 3, Nielsen said. Many of these devices are also popular sites for accessing video, Turrill said.
"The gaming devices are becoming entertainment hubs," she said.
People over age 65 spend nearly 48 hours, on average, watching television each week, Nielsen said. At the other end of the spectrum are teenagers aged 12 to 17, who spend an average of 22 hours per week watching TV.
Read more here
The typical consumer spends 14 minutes a day using gaming consoles, although it's more for owners of Wii, XBox and PlayStation 3, Nielsen said. Many of these devices are also popular sites for accessing video, Turrill said.
"The gaming devices are becoming entertainment hubs," she said.
People over age 65 spend nearly 48 hours, on average, watching television each week, Nielsen said. At the other end of the spectrum are teenagers aged 12 to 17, who spend an average of 22 hours per week watching TV.
Read more here
Local News Trumps Cable In Viewer Numbers
Despite all the big brand awareness of the major cable news networks, the TV station community would like you to know that local TV news programs still deliver much bigger numbers in the respective major markets.
Read more here
Read more here
Tuesday, September 11
A New Language of Journalism
OLD LANGUAGE OF JOURNALISM
Editors, reporters, stories, readers, anchors, viewers, advertisers, church, state, page one, column inches, rating points, photos, op-ed, sound bite, rewrite, correction, rim, slot, copy, blue line, press run, bull pen, bull dog edition, cover, picas, pages, broadcast, networks, broadsheet, bound, full bleed, register, takeout, ahed, lede story, copydesk, overnight, typeset, plate, inverted pyramid, wire, transmit, press time, stringer, “special to,” foreign correspondent, bureau, phoner, spike, kill, presses, stet, double truck, dateline, notebook, file, night editor, copy boy, jump page, in depth, breaking, paid circ.
NEW LANGUAGE OF JOURNALISM
Content creators, posts, participants, comments, marketers, transparency, RSS feeds, authenticity, context, monetize, platform, CMS, video, engagement, data, brands, accountability, aggregation, self-correcting, search, social, friends, curate, distribution, promotion, product manager, project manager, impressions, screens, pixels, galleries, writer, blogger, blog, voice, update, conversation, dialogue, flow, streams, producer, slideshow, terminal, unique visitors, repeat visitors, time spent, page views, tweets, likes, check in, yield, apps, swipe, delete, scroll, timely, relevant, engaging, pay, free, UI, UX, algorithm, SEO, SMO.
THE OLD AND NEW MEET
Old or new, much of the language talks about journalism’s need to observe, interpret and select, with all the biases that entails, conscious or not. The old language of journalism speaks to a moment in history, one defined by technology and social change that bestowed upon reporters and editors the power (often arrogantly perceived as authority) to be the sole collectors and decision-makers of worthy news. The new language of journalism speaks to new technologies and societal upheavals that democratize the journalistic processes of covering and distributing the news.
Read more here
Editors, reporters, stories, readers, anchors, viewers, advertisers, church, state, page one, column inches, rating points, photos, op-ed, sound bite, rewrite, correction, rim, slot, copy, blue line, press run, bull pen, bull dog edition, cover, picas, pages, broadcast, networks, broadsheet, bound, full bleed, register, takeout, ahed, lede story, copydesk, overnight, typeset, plate, inverted pyramid, wire, transmit, press time, stringer, “special to,” foreign correspondent, bureau, phoner, spike, kill, presses, stet, double truck, dateline, notebook, file, night editor, copy boy, jump page, in depth, breaking, paid circ.
NEW LANGUAGE OF JOURNALISM
Content creators, posts, participants, comments, marketers, transparency, RSS feeds, authenticity, context, monetize, platform, CMS, video, engagement, data, brands, accountability, aggregation, self-correcting, search, social, friends, curate, distribution, promotion, product manager, project manager, impressions, screens, pixels, galleries, writer, blogger, blog, voice, update, conversation, dialogue, flow, streams, producer, slideshow, terminal, unique visitors, repeat visitors, time spent, page views, tweets, likes, check in, yield, apps, swipe, delete, scroll, timely, relevant, engaging, pay, free, UI, UX, algorithm, SEO, SMO.
THE OLD AND NEW MEET
Old or new, much of the language talks about journalism’s need to observe, interpret and select, with all the biases that entails, conscious or not. The old language of journalism speaks to a moment in history, one defined by technology and social change that bestowed upon reporters and editors the power (often arrogantly perceived as authority) to be the sole collectors and decision-makers of worthy news. The new language of journalism speaks to new technologies and societal upheavals that democratize the journalistic processes of covering and distributing the news.
Read more here
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