Is Real News Lost in Fluff and Puff?
September 22, 2011
Paul Carr rants on Tech Crunch on the increasing lack of professional, well-written content on the internet, triggered by the firing of Jack Shafer, media critic and editor-at-large, from Slate, the Washington Post’s online magazine.
The article, Now Can We All Agree That The “High Quality Web Content” Experiment Has Failed?, goes on to explain how this last straw is proof that professional journalism on the web is dead or dying. Either way, the future of thought-provoking writing will not be found online. The trigger for the write up was the information about Slate’s ability to generate revenue from high quality content. Two words, No dice.
Newspapers and magazines, with their subscription numbers plummeting, ran to the internet in an effort to reclaim some of their precious readers and accompanying advertising dollars. Unfortunately, the internet is awash with news and it seems that readers don’t appreciate high-quality writing like they used to. With online advertising constantly eating away at quality in an attempt to beef up ad sales, the online article is losing value at an alarming rate.
So what is a respected, knowledgeable news source to do? Carr explains:
Increasingly the best writing and reporting is to be found in books and Kindle Singles, where readers are happy to pay directly for high-quality information and entertainment. As Web content continues to get dumber, and more ethically compromised, the market for high quality content away from the web will continue to grow.
Carr might be right about the growing market of for-fee news, but always the optimist, I believe there is still hope for legitimate reporting on the internet. Much like journalism has had to adapt several times before the most recent techno-revolution. CNN paid $20 million for a eBook app.The allure of advertising wrapped in a dressing of free fluff calling itself news may satisfy the general Internet audience for now. Wait a few years, and I think that those interested in facts instead of Lady Gaga’s antics may be unable to discern fact from fiction, invention from reality. Yes, a brave new world may be under construction as I write this short item. Fluff and puff seem to have the upper hand at the moment.
Catherine Lamsfuss, September 22, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Is XML Looking at JSON Tail Lights?
September 21, 2011
Extensible Markup Language has a long and distinguished lineage. Think CALS and SGML. We try to pay attention to XML centric search and content processing companies. Examples include the very quiet Dieselpoint and the repositioned Mark Logic Corp.
We have heard anecdotes about some disenchantment with XML, which has been stretched to perform a wide range of content acrobatics. Now it seems that some Twitter features will not support XML. Many older applications rely on XML support for functionality, but Twitter could likely force developers to make updates. In Programmable Web’s article, “Twitter API Ditches XML For Trends: New Features Are JSON-Only,” Twitter’s Jason Costa explained why Twitter is removing XM L:
As well as standardizing the trends URL we are also planning to switch the trends API to JSON only. The reason for this is because the use of XML on the trends API is significantly low and removing support would allow us to free up resources for other developments. Running down the data formats supported by Twitter’s various APIs, there is still plenty of XML support (as well as RSS and Atom), but some of the newer features are JSON-only.”
What’s JSON? The acronym means JavaScript Object Notation. According to JSON.org, it is:
a lightweight data-interchange format. It is easy for humans to read and write. It is easy for machines to parse and generate. It is based on a subset of the JavaScript Programming Language, Standard ECMA-262 3rd Edition – December 1999. JSON is a text format that is completely language independent but uses conventions that are familiar to programmers of the C-family of languages, including C, C++, C#, Java, JavaScript, Perl, Python, and many others. These properties make JSON an ideal data-interchange language.
Will XML have a future at Twitter? Right now it appears that Twitter streaming is already JSON-only. This move by Twitter may presage an important shift in the Web from XML to JSON.
XML is a complex beastie and publishing companies have embraced XML because it makes slicing and dicing of content easier. But an investment is required to make XML deliver. Chopping out complexity may put pressure on vendors who emphasize the XML ingredients in their enterprise solutions.
If light weight JSON gains traction, some disruptions may be triggered in a forceful way.
Andrea Hayden, September 22, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Google Seems to Be into Real Publishing
September 9, 2011
A couple of years ago I wrote my final monograph for Infonortics Ltd., a publisher which is based in the UK. Frankly I was tired of Google and wanted to do some poking into more interesting topics. I had material for several chapters about Google’s aspirations to be a force in rich media, which is where “real” publishing seems to be going. I took my cue from Google when it started to cut back on white papers and old fashioned text for the breezy, often content light videos about things Google. I chopped the video stuff from Google: The Digital Gutenberg and focused on content. Much in that three year old monograph is still relevant. I think Infonortics is still selling the monograph, but royalties have stopped flowing. Maybe Infonortics has quietly shut down. Who knows? Last Web address I had was www.infonortics.com.
The point is that Google is now a publisher. I assume from my redoubt in a land much enamored of cabbage that “Google Buys Zagat — Restaurant Ratings To Bolster Yelp Killer And Groupon Killer” is accurate. What strikes me is that Google is catering (no pun intended) to those who eat out. In some families, eating out is not an every day event. But Google needs reviews and other types of content. Publishers may hit pay dirt if the Google acquisition machine pulls in their parking lot.
What caught my attention was not the purchase of Zagat. I wrote about Google as a next generation publisher years ago. Nope. The novel point in the write up for me is the use of the word “killer”. Most services don’t kill other services. My hunch is that the deal space is struggling with or without Google and its doppelganger Amazon. I also think the ratings sector is going to find some bare spots in the ski run.
If Google does get into the “killing” business, I think that even docile, charitable attorneys will have to think new thoughts about Google as the next best thing to a go round with Cornelius Vanderbilt about steamship and railroad rights. My view is that hooking “Google” and “kill” may do some semantic damage to the Google.
But traffic is important, so maybe the purchase of a long in the tooth, quirky source of food guidance for the person with a job or solid billability is an attention grabber. My view is that this is interesting but not significant news. For more on the “digital Gutenberg”, chase down a copy of my monograph from 2008.
Stephen E Arnold, September 9, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com, a publisher still in business
Inteltrax: Top Stories, Aug 29 to Sept 2, 2011
September 5, 2011
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, pulling these stories from across a wide spectrum of analytic topics.
Our feature this week, “Definition of Big Data Evolving” took an inside look at how customers, not designers, are sculpting what we will come to call “big data” in the future.
Another story, “JP Morgan Shows No Sign of Analytic Slowdown” explains how JP Morgan cut its costs by investing in faster analytic tools.
Another interesting story, “Digital Reasoning Beefs up its Front Office,” showed how one of the business intelligence/data analytics world’s fastest risers is strengthening its leadership with an expert in healthcare. (Beyond Search will be running an interview with Dr. Ric Upton in a future issue of Beyond Search.)
These stories and more made up our week as we follow the ever-evolving landscape of big data. Whether it’s executives changing titles or the changing terminology of the field, we’ve got our eyes on it all and will bring the latest scoop to readers.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax, September 5, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Useful: How to Prevent Scraping
September 4, 2011
It is becoming more and more difficult to retain credit for digital passages. Have you ever thoughtfully posted to your site only to find you’ve been outranked on your own content? “Fighting Scrapers when Google Won’t: A Simple Guide” provides some easily implemented steps toward prevention of content theft.
The advice fits neatly under the following banners:
- Make regular Updates
- Link back to your site
- Add “Read More” URL inclusions
- Truncate Your RSS.
These are some useful, common sense suggestions. Basically, treat your online work as you would your lunch in an office: write your name all over it. Those relying on screen scraping technology for content are, in my opinion, lazy. Crating original content or providing a service by highlighting significant articles as I am doing in this short write up, the screen scrapers would reduce clutter on the Internet. Many scrapers are taking content short cuts. Please, heed the advice in the “Fighting Scrapers” article. Add author tags, links to your page, clipping a passage to dangle the meat with a “read more” etc.
Sarah Rogers, September 4, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
CourseSmart: College eBook Leader
August 31, 2011
We monitor the eBook market. The search functions for eBooks are an area ripe for innovation. As we were looking for more effective search solutions for eBooks, we came across an item which we wanted to document.
An example of the way that technology has pervaded every aspect of our lives is the increased use of digital textbooks by college students. Due to high costs of college tuition, many students are finding eBooks to be more affordable and they offer direct access to media resources like online quizzes and extra course material not taught in lectures.
In order to capitalize on this new market, electronic textbook companies like CourseSmart, Barnes & Noble, and Amazon are all fighting for the claim of largest eBook library. Unfortunately, there was no way to objectively compare each company’s offerings–until now.
According to the study What Electronic Textbook Provider Has The Biggest Library? the textbook price comparison site Campusbooks recently did a study to find a winner. The study states:
The site worked with partner booksellers to come up with a list of the 1,000 most popular textbooks for fall 2011 to use as its metric. It takes into account data that professors share with bookstores in order to help them determine demand, including which books they have selected for their upcoming classes and how many students are signed up for them.
After reviewing their data, Campusbooks declared CourseSmart to be the leader in eBooks.
Jasmine Ashton, August 31, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Calibre Aces Ebook Conversion and Management
August 30, 2011
Anyone who uses an eBook knows how challenging managing all the books can be. To solve this annoying problem a new program has entered the market: Calibre, an eBook management tool. With so many different types of files and equally different types of eReaders available, it’s nice to finally have a central command to sort through it all.
The concept was borne from an avid eBook enthusiast and reader, who was unhappy with the software available for eBook management and file conversion. Calibre, as it is today, is a work-in-progress that aims to meet the demands of busy eReading folk. As the website explains,
Today Caliber is a vibrant open-source community with half a dozen developers and many, many testers and bug reporters. It is used in over 200 countries and has been translated into a dozen different languages by volunteers. Calibre has become a comprehensive tool for the management of digital texts, allowing you to do whatever you could possibly imagine with your e-book library.
Perhaps the best feature of Calibre is its ability to convert all types of files making it possible for one to download an eBook of any type and then miraculously send it to the eReader of choice. Voila! As one Calibre fan wrote in the article, Best Ebook Library Manager: Calibre, on Book Sprung, “Calibre’s secret weapon is that it’s got crazy ninja formatting skills, and can convert all sorts of files into all sorts of other files. For Kindle owners, this means you can convert unusable file formats into the .mobi format that Kindle likes.”
We look forward to seeing what else Calibre can pull out of its hat, and more importantly, if the eBook providers of the world will play nice with the newest teacher’s pet.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 30, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Aggregation: A Brave New World?
August 24, 2011
As I’m typing this article on my computer, I must confess, I love pen and paper, the smell of a new book, the sound a newspaper makes when its pages are turned. Unfortunately, these physical things are slowly becoming extinct thanks to the internet. Though I stubbornly resist the allure of Kindle, I can see the writing on the wall, or the tablet.
The article How the Internet Has All But Destroyed the Market for Films, Music and Newspapers from the UK’s The Guardian, believes the impending death of physical newspapers, among other media outlets, is due to the lack of law governing and enforced on the internet. According to it, as long as information can be easily pirated and transmitted to others for free, those footing the bill for creating the movies, music and news will continue to see sharp declines in profits.
Image source: http://www.sreweb.com/weekend_emails/sept_10_2010/
To understand how the internet is killing the newspaper star, one must first understand why newspapers have worked so well for so long. It’s all about aggregation and curation. Aggregation is simply the gathering of ‘stuff’; in a newspaper’s case, that stuff is news stories, sports scores, horoscopes, classified ads, etc… Curation is the culling out of unnecessary ‘stuff’.
Newspapers have created brands for themselves because of their unique aggregating and curating. For hundreds of years if someone liked a column in a specific newspaper, they were forced to buy the entire paper to read the one column of interest. The newspaper hoped that the reader would also find the other articles interesting, but it didn’t really matter because the price of the newspaper was the same whether a reader liked one article or all of them.
When Local Search Flops, Loopriz Plans to Deliver Company Info
August 23, 2011
Loopriz is a new service for businesses now available online for businesses worldwide. As their website describes itself,
(Loopriz) has been founded in mid July 2009 as an experiment for businesses around the world, may it be a retailer, an NGO, Corporation etc. to get engaged in the world of information. The idea is for small entrepreneurs and rising businesses to gain faster connections and partners via this platform thus avoiding high advertisement costs.
Although there are several directories available for companies to list themselves on, Loopriz offers free listing, a ‘business card’ type listing, and is not tied to one industry or geographical location.
Information available about companies included in the directory is company name, all contact info, Web site address, industry, and services offered. Those wishing to search for companies can search via company name, region, industry, service, or keyword.
There is also the option to share a ‘business card’ with Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumbir, and other sites.
Although the website is still in growth mode, the possibilities for its success are quite large. As far as networking goes, it doesn’t get any better than free. This site seems similar to Facebook and LinkedIn except that it eliminates all the inane social schmoozing, allowing users to utilize the important info.
The challenges of building a global database of businesses is a formidable one. We noticed some instability in access, so you made to refresh your query.
Catherine Lamsfuss, August 23, 2011
Sponsored by Pandia.com
Inteltrax: Top Stories, August 15 to August 19
August 22, 2011
Inteltrax, the data fusion and business intelligence information service, captured three key stories germane to search this week, two from the healthcare world and one simply an enlightening profile.
The first story was called, “Australian Healthcare Embraces Data Warehousing,” showcased how the Land Down Under was hot-rodding its healthcare with the aid of analytics.
The next story, “Heritage Health Prize and Other Contests Boost Analytic Profiles,” showed how winning this prestigious prize has been the gateway to big things for analytics providers.
Another provider up to big things, Microstrategy, we discovered in our story, “Microstrategy Not Hitting Financial Bottom,” as we detailed how this company lost money because of some big hires last quarter. This story, though, applauded this loss, because it will pay off in the long run.
Whether a nation’s healthcare is improving itself now, a contest winner is about to see big things happen, or a scrappy analytics provider is tightening its belt to become better in the future, the world of business intelligence and big data is never short on drama. We’re going to bring you the inside scoop on all the happenings as this industry evolves.
Follow the Inteltrax news stream by visiting www.inteltrax.com
Patrick Roland, Editor, Inteltrax, August 22, 2011
Sponsored by Digital Reasoning, the developers of Synthesys, the next generation content processing and analytics system
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