I came across this interview on spreadable media with US academic Henry Jenkins on the Nieman Journalism Lab. His thesis is that for things online to thrive, they need to be shared socially: if it doesn’t spread, it’s dead. He defines spreadable media as media that travels across media platfomrs at least in part because
Month: November 2010
Surfing the endless wave
Is it just me, or is anyone else getting a headache from the pace of change in media…? Touchingly, mobile phones now seem rather mature and traditional in technical terms, even though they are only just reaching the point (25 years old) of being handed down from one generation to the next. And now they are merely one
“Hold the blog page…!”
Those campaigning folk at StinkyJournalism have just published a neat little study into the editing habits of US newspapers. Specifically, they wanted to know how many of the top ten newspaper websites actually edited their own blog posts. What do you think they found? The answer may surprise you! Have a look and see how many newspaper blogs
Why we need sub-editors
Sub-editors have become something of an endangered species at all too many media companies. But you only had to turn to page three of The Guardian on November 12, 2010 to see why we need them more than ever now. (The same error was in the story on the website as of 11 am.) Many
In pursuit of ‘appiness
Once again, we’re falling into that peculiarly human flytrap known as technology… Just because we can do it doesn’t mean anyone will actually want to do it…. I’m thinking of things like the red button on digital TV (except for Wimbledon on the BBC of course), the option to surf the net while you watch TV, or
Top tip of the week – digital media
#20 Digital media – make sure your website is designed with users in mind. Make sure your content works in the right way for the right medium. See more top tips here.
Libel rule 1: know who sues
The first rule of libel is to know who sues. You can add another name to the long list: the footballer Cristiano Ronaldo, ex-Manchester United and Portuguese International. He has this week won undisclosed libel damages, and presumably costs, against the Daily Telegraph. It said on paper and online in July 2008 that he was
Top tip of the week – News writing
#19 News writing – it sounds obvious, but news needs to be “new”. Make sure you tell your reader something they don’t already know. See more top tips here.
Content is king: Content + Community = Cash
Newsletters are two a penny: but if the content is good, the penny can be large. Bloomberg is launching $2,000 annual-subscription newsletters for selected sectors of the financial markets. It already has free ones and is relaunching its magazine Bloomberg Markets. It has also bought Business Week, the now ailing US business magazine. This shows
Ink or think?
Not a new debate. Just a new argument. With Rupert Murdoch’s paywall strategy showing early signs of being a sustainable model, the debate over free v. paid-for content rages on. Check out the story that appeared last week and showed some positive food for thought… Meantime there was also an impassioned, although slightly overlong, but interesting and stimulating speech from