MarkLogic Reveals Strategies for Publishers
September 30, 2010
A reader sent me a copy of a news release from MarkLogic. “MarkLogic Unveils Strategies for Publishers to Create Innovative New Tools and Products at Frankfurt Book Fair 2010” contained some interesting information. Here are two points that jumped out at me:
- MarkLogic’s customers include, if I read the news release correctly, seem to include McGraw-Hill, Springer, Pearson Education, Thomson Reuters, John Wiley & Sons, Simon & Schuster, and Oxford University Press. That’s an impressive line up, and it certainly suggests that the company has been inroads in a number of top firms. The implication is that MarkLogic will continue to capture customers in this segment.
- MarkLogic’s system allows its customers to create new products and streamline work flow, aggregate content, syndicate content, and deliver content. The outputs? Print, of course, as well as mobile devices and digital products.
My take on this announcement is that MarkLogic has shifted from offering an XML solution to a broader information solution. XML is still there, but the message in the news release for me is that MarkLogic allows publishers to generate new revenue, reduce costs, and support the consumer’s growing appetite for content when it is wanted and how it is wanted. Looks to me that I will have to chase down a MarkLogic senior manager and find out more about the firm’s positioning for 2010 and beyond.
Stephen E Arnold, September 30, 2010
Freebie
Targit Is Number One
September 29, 2010
I do have a difficult time figuring out how a company makes or does not make one of the many Top 100 lists. I learned on a call this morning that Targit Business Intelligence, a company in Denmark with offices in Tampa is ranked as Number One on a Computerworld’s Top 100 list. Here’s a screenshot of the Targit splash page with the announcement:
Kudos to Targit, a company offering a business intelligence suite. We have encountered the system in the past and found it to be a good product. The product fits into the next-generation of content processing systems. Targit says:
TARGIT was founded in 1986, with CEO Morten Sandlykke as one of the founding partners. From the beginning, TARGIT developed and sold Business Management Systems. While starting out as a software company providing applications to the retail and oil business, Targit quickly realized the overwhelming need for analytical processing tools that could help management in day-to-day decision-making. With the acquisition of Morton Systems in 1996, TARGIT started to develop a Business Intelligence tool based on the same basic ideas of usability, versatility and ease of implementation that has always been a Targit trademark. In October 2000, the company was reorganized; the “new” Targit Inc. is a pure business intelligence company that markets only the Business Intelligence product line; Targit BI Suite. The first version of the Targit Business Intelligence technology was launched during spring of 1996. The core technology of Targit Business Intelligence is protected by several international patents.
The company says that it has more than 270 marketing Targit throughout the world and has over 3,700 customers with more than 260,000 named users. You can see some good examples of the system and its interface on the Targit Video Demo Web page.
What caught our attention is the fact that the Computerworld seems to be specific to Denmark. Nothing wrong with that, but my hunch is that the list may be a clever way to open the door for Computerworld ad sales people to ring up a firm on the list. The idea is that advertising in a Computerworld publication, on its Web site, or participating in some other special program is the object of the game. In fact, the list reveals more about Computerworld than the names of the companies placed on the list.
I learned that several conference organizers are shifting to a pay-to-speak model. Other companies are skipping the public conference opportunities and holding user conferences. MicroStrategy contacted me today inviting me to a free business intelligence seminar. The idea is to learn about business intelligence and interact with a business intelligence system. My hunch is that this will be MicroStrategy’s own system.
As search and content processing vendors shift to new markets, I expect that more innovative marketing and promotion opportunities will become available. The problem is that procurement teams are likely to have a very difficult time figuring out what is real, what is marketing, and what is coming in the next release of a particular product.
As search implodes, I think I will be witness to an explosion of content systems that are transforming themselves into different types of companies.
For established players, this creates a need to market better. The good people at Computerworld seem to have hit on a “special” list as one way to boost revenue and, in my opinion, create confusion for those trying to find a system to resolve a quite particular problem. Lists don’t solve problems. I think long lists without context create more work and can lead to confusion. Desperate times call for innovation. Lists. New. Fresh.
Stephen E Arnold, September 29, 2010
Freebie
Egentia: Another Aggregation Play
September 28, 2010
The newspaper is no longer the most sought after when it comes to finding the latest information. More and more people are putting down their paper and turning to online news to keep them informed. The company Eqentia aims to build a business portal that will have the same prestige for entrepreneurs that Google News has for the average user who wants to be informed about general news and developments.”
The article “Eqentia.com – Like Google News but For Businessmen” on KillerStartups.com explains a little more about the site. Basically, the company wants to allow users to customize their news options and get only the business news they want. Users can get the latest news from their business sector, keep an eye on the competition or see consumer patterns which can be helpful when coming up with marketing or media campaigns. A similar setup is already used by Silobreaker, which is dedicated to providing users with relevant news. Users perform automated searches in order to find in depth and relevant news instead of unsubstantiated chatter. Both sites give new meaning to the phrase “have it your way.”
The challenge seems to be marketing, not technology. There is an abundance of choices.
April Holmes, September 28, 2010
Freebie
Alerts and Books
September 22, 2010
One of the champions of Alerts (also known as selective dissemination of information or SDI) is the AtHoc organization. If you are not familiar with the company, you may want to check out its industrial strength tools on the company’s Web site. We also like the alert service available from Indigo Stream called GigaAlert, which is a useful news updating service. It is much better than the free alert available from Google News. Just scroll to the bottom of the News search results page and you will see the sign up link.
But when you want to use a free alert service designed expressly to keep book lovers informed, we have a recommendation for you.
At Any New Books, you simply have to sign up with your valid email, choose as many options from the 42 categories that span a broad range of subjects, and receive one weekly digest of handpicked new book releases for every category selected.
The good thing about this service is that the selection process is not automated, and human editors pick up the books covering the subjects you love. This useful service with the punch line “Never miss a great book again,” is just like another search, without a search angle. It is interesting to find a search service that involves the human aspect in the automated era.
The service is free and seems to work as advertised. No search required either. The curation approach works well in our opinion.
Stephen E Arnold, September 22, 2010
Freebie
KlickOut: Curation from the Users
September 11, 2010
In this age of information, KlickOut provides a platform where content is available for free, can be shared with the world, and even managed by the users themselves in a democratic fashion. For the content it receives from the people world over, the website says, “You are the editor and you are the reader here. We’re here to provide a place where people can collectively determine the value of content.”
Users upload their content as ‘Upcoming Stories’, which viewers add as favorites if they like it, and on gaining popularity the content is shifted to the home page of its respective category, on the basis of receiving a critical number of favorite counters. The best of each category makes it to the front page of the website, and the content varies from news to videos to images. Users can even login through their Facebook account and view or submit content in categories like movies, TV, celebrity, music, lifestyle, gaming, business, health, sports, world, and technology.
Curation is useful. Low or zero cost curation could be a solution to the laundry lists of baloney that are now delivered with Alacrity.
Leena Singh, September 11, 2010
Freebie
Electric Pig Shocks with Pay Wall News
September 11, 2010
I saw a newsflash from Electricpig.co.uk which asserts that it is the only tech you need. Well, include the goose and I am happy. The story that caught my attention had this headline: “The Times Paywall Is Broken: content Set Free, for Now.” The point is that you can read the Murdoch Times here at this moment (September 10, 2010 at noon eastern). What’s interesting in that right before I saw the Electric Pig’s snort I read “USA Today to Throw Open Its Data This Month.” The main point in this write up is, in my opinion:
Media Content providers are increasingly opening up their vast amounts of data to developers. The latest to announce this is USA Today, with plans to provide much of its content via an API later this month. The nationwide newspaper aims to raise internal awareness about its databases first, with public access and a developer contest to follow. At the moment, the developer site is open to internal developers only. However, USA Today plans to launch it to the public by end of September.
Several observations before these flit from the goose’s mind:
- The challenge will be a business model that allows the giant publishing outfits to maintain their life style. The goose has witnessed publishing companies realize that their McMansions can no longer be supported by the online revenue streams “content” generates. There is money flowing but it pays for a Hardin County trailer rental.
- The assumption is that an application will unlock revenue. My work suggests that applications are a bit like motion pictures. The pictures are expensive and it is tough to pull off a blockbuster. Blockbusters happen, but will publishers have the cash to keep investing until a winner emerges.
- With the downsizing in publishing operations with which I am familiar, the younger staffers have little choice but practice their craft in the new digital Gutenberg environment. As a result, the big publishers will be competing with folks who understand their strengths and weaknesses with an insider’s sensitivity. I think this puts the big outfits at a disadvantage. Think of the plight of Nokia. That’s a model that some publishers will follow.
The goose has no answers. What do you expect from a goose anyway?
Stephen E Arnold, September 11, 2010
Freebie
Twitter for Free Expression
September 10, 2010
Technology and Twitter have tweaked the fourth pillar of democracy. “The power of the Internet and social networks like Twitter is starting to force the media to be honest,” says Stan Beer in the ITWire Australian Election special article “Twitter becomes the new oracle of the media.” The author uses the case of the Fairfax freelancer Adam Turner’s tweets on election night, and summarizes that Facebook or Twitter posts have become sensitive, consequential, and accountable.
The article expresses the view that, “So-called fair and balanced media is populated with content produced by humans – and nearly all humans are biased and anything but fair and balanced.” The author implicates the publications to have pseudo-standards; portraying as fair and balanced but having biased policies. He points out that the media bosses “may publicly express their political preference in pre-editorials but for journalists to openly reveal their bias is not on.” They then revert to the tweets, which take more of a confessionary role – a medium for repressed or free expression?
Leena Singh, September 10, 2010
Freebie
The Specter of Open Source Textbooks
September 9, 2010
Have publishers found a new revenue handhold with electronic books? Can publishers create rich media books that are part content, part design and user experience, and part software? Can publishers fend off the push for open source content from “the community”? These are tough questions which I considered after reading the Silicon Valley.com news article “Cassidy: Former Sun Chief Scott McNealy’s Better Idea for School Textbooks.” I thought the write up shed light on how Scott McNealy, the co-founder of Sun Microsystems, plans to turn elementary and high school education inside out.
He has created ‘Curriki’, a Web site described as: “a combination of Facebook, Wikipedia, YouTube, MySpace, Twitter for anybody involved in K-12.” It is, he explains, “a free and open source digital compendium of just about everything teachers use to teach – textbooks, worksheets, tests, video presentations, podcasts, you name it.” This project aims to eliminate bulky textbooks, and help schools save money from getting them printed. With the open source digital textbooks, he advocates, “teachers could add, subtract, and change curriculum… comment on each other’s lesson plans. Students would receive instant feedback.” This is a fresh challenge to traditional publishers, educational bureaucracy, and a source of inspiration to save our schools and our future.
Oracle is enlisting a flock of legal eagles to deal with the open source pests heading towards the firm’s database business. Is there an Oracle among publishers? I am thinking. I am thinking. What I envision is Freddy Kruger in Nightmare on Sixth Avenue.
Stephen E Arnold, September 9, 2010
Freebie
Google and Its Content Hoover
September 7, 2010
Nothing works better than money when one wants to grease the content skids. Financial details are tough to get and then difficult to verify. In today’s content Jacuzzi, one pays to play. Two examples:
“YouTube Seals Its Biggest Premium Sports Deal Yet”. Google has found a way to make major league baseball find love and affection for distribution of baseball games in a handful of countries. If this generates clicks, I think the Google will extend the deal. Why would the major league play ball? My hunch: money.
“Google, AP Strike New Deal On Web Licensing Rights”. Google and the Associated Press seem to have found common ground. My hunch is that money makes the dominance of Google palatable.
So what?
First, these deals may be precursors of more high value content tie ups. A big pile of content means that lots of users will visit Google. Good for Google, reasonably good for its partners, and possibly lousy news for other distributors.
Second, once Google users get out of high school, those viewing habits may be tough to change. Google has time on its side and content creators with some old school love do not have time.
Third, other vendors who want to compete with Google will either have to pony up or watch the Google start thinking exclusive. Yikes.
Stephen E Arnold, September 7, 2010
Freebie.
Arnold For-Fee Columns for September 2010
September 5, 2010
Here’s the line up of for-fee columns I did for September 2010. The information in these writings does not appear in this blog. You can navigate to the source publications online or to the hard copies of the publication for the stories. In the case of Enterprise Technology Management, you may have to register to gain access to the write ups. Keep in mind that the for-fee work is more serious and fact-rich than the content in my Beyond Search Web log. Due to the agreements I sign for these for-fee writings.
Here’s the run down for my for fee August 2010 columns. These will appear over the next four to 12 weeks. Each for-fee publication has a different editorial cycle.
- Information Today, “Voice Search: Beam Me Up, Scotty” The focus is on the hope focused on voice search as the next big thing.
- Information World Review (Bizmedia), Summer Time Blues is a look at the changes I noted among selected search vendors between May 1, 2010 and August 31, 2010. The IWR was to be online only in 2010 but this story will appear in a special print edition of the publication in a couple of months.
- KMWorld, “Google in the Enterprise: Are Caution Lights Flashing?” The topic is the impact of Google’s legal troubles.
- Smart Business Network, “Facebook Advertising: The Friend Approach” The article explains the benefits of using the Facebook platform to reach prospects. The story will appear in SBN’s dozen print publications.
I also wrote a story about open source search. It will appear in a consulting firm’s client publication.
The full text of these articles is available directly from the publisher. Every five or six years, I gather up out-of-date columns and put them on ArnoldIT.com. Best bet to get these write ups, then, is to contact the publisher who buys certain rights from me.
What’s interesting to me is that I find in my newsreader azurini writings that use the content of some of my for-fee writings but overlook a credit line or footnote. My 7th-grade teacher would not have been happy. The 66 year old goose does not care. He creates this content; imitation and all that.
Stephen E Arnold, September 5, 2010
Freebie but I get paid to write these for fee thingies.
aklaver@enterpriseimi.com
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