Comments on: Ostrich meets sand http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/ by Jeff Jarvis Sun, 12 Oct 2008 19:38:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Doc Searls is dead wrong on newspapers » mathewingram.com/media http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-350373 Doc Searls is dead wrong on newspapers » mathewingram.com/media Fri, 25 May 2007 17:48:19 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-350373 [...] Okay — maybe not totally wrong. I think he is right that some people will always want to hold a paper in their hands, just as some people want to hold books, or listen to radio plays. But the number of those people is dwindling. As I mentioned on my friend Kent Newsome’s blog, I think Doc would probably like to return to a happier time when newspapers ruled the world. So would I. But that’s not happening. And to say that newspapers should charge people for the news and give away their archives is — sorry Doc — one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Almost as dumb as the guy Jeff writes about here. [...] [...] Okay — maybe not totally wrong. I think he is right that some people will always want to hold a paper in their hands, just as some people want to hold books, or listen to radio plays. But the number of those people is dwindling. As I mentioned on my friend Kent Newsome’s blog, I think Doc would probably like to return to a happier time when newspapers ruled the world. So would I. But that’s not happening. And to say that newspapers should charge people for the news and give away their archives is — sorry Doc — one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Almost as dumb as the guy Jeff writes about here. [...]

]]> By: Doc Searls is dead wrong on newspapers » mathewingram.com/work http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-350371 Doc Searls is dead wrong on newspapers » mathewingram.com/work Fri, 25 May 2007 17:41:15 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-350371 [...] Okay — maybe not totally wrong. I think he is right that some people will always want to hold a paper in their hands, just as some people want to hold books, or listen to radio plays. But the number of those people is dwindling. As I mentioned on my friend Kent Newsome’s blog, I think Doc would probably like to return to a happier time when newspapers ruled the world. So would I. But that’s not happening. And to say that newspapers should charge people for the news and give away their archives is — sorry Doc — one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Almost as dumb as the guy Jeff writes about here. [...] [...] Okay — maybe not totally wrong. I think he is right that some people will always want to hold a paper in their hands, just as some people want to hold books, or listen to radio plays. But the number of those people is dwindling. As I mentioned on my friend Kent Newsome’s blog, I think Doc would probably like to return to a happier time when newspapers ruled the world. So would I. But that’s not happening. And to say that newspapers should charge people for the news and give away their archives is — sorry Doc — one of the dumbest things I’ve ever heard. Almost as dumb as the guy Jeff writes about here. [...]

]]> By: Thomas J. Stein » Free news http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349713 Thomas J. Stein » Free news Sat, 12 May 2007 13:13:23 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349713 [...] Ostrich meets sand [...] [...] Ostrich meets sand [...]

]]> By: Rocky Agrawal http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349587 Rocky Agrawal Fri, 11 May 2007 01:54:19 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349587 Actually, Chuck, you can get a really slick version of the Target circular online. Read more about it here: http://blog.agrawals.org/2007/04/08/advertisers-disintermediating-newspapers-too/ Most of the circulars you'll find in the Sunday paper are available in easy-to-use form. Not so much the coupons, though. The biggest problem facing newspapers is that most of them (WSJ is a key exception) are largely aggregators of commodity content. Wire stories, TV listings, stock quotes, features... all of these are now available directly from the real sources online. The cost advantage newspapers had in being the most efficient delivery mechanism has been eliminated by the Internet. Actually, Chuck, you can get a really slick version of the Target circular online. Read more about it here:
http://blog.agrawals.org/2007/04/08/advertisers-disintermediating-newspapers-too/

Most of the circulars you’ll find in the Sunday paper are available in easy-to-use form. Not so much the coupons, though.

The biggest problem facing newspapers is that most of them (WSJ is a key exception) are largely aggregators of commodity content. Wire stories, TV listings, stock quotes, features… all of these are now available directly from the real sources online. The cost advantage newspapers had in being the most efficient delivery mechanism has been eliminated by the Internet.

]]> By: Tansley - addendum http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349472 Tansley - addendum Wed, 09 May 2007 15:14:11 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349472 For Chuck Olsen: You know, that's one of the MAIN arguments I use for keeping the paper, every time my wife brings up canceling our subscription. I think you've got something, there... For Chuck Olsen:

You know, that’s one of the MAIN arguments I use for keeping the paper, every time my wife brings up canceling our subscription. I think you’ve got something, there…

]]> By: Chuck Olsen http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349453 Chuck Olsen Tue, 08 May 2007 21:53:46 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349453 You know, my mom likes getting the Sunday paper <i>because</i> of the ads. She can sit at the kitchen table and see what's on sale at Target this week, peruse all kinds of stuff she may or may not actually need. It seems like newspapers should come up with a creative incentive to mimic this experience online. Coupons? Is that too old-fashioned? You know, my mom likes getting the Sunday paper because of the ads. She can sit at the kitchen table and see what’s on sale at Target this week, peruse all kinds of stuff she may or may not actually need.

It seems like newspapers should come up with a creative incentive to mimic this experience online. Coupons? Is that too old-fashioned?

]]> By: Martin Stabe » links for 2007-05-08 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349432 Martin Stabe » links for 2007-05-08 Tue, 08 May 2007 12:22:09 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349432 [...] BuzzMachine: Ostrich meets sand There are still those newspaper editors who wish the Internet would just go away, and Jeff Jarvis has found one. (tags: online newspapers internet) [...] [...] BuzzMachine: Ostrich meets sand There are still those newspaper editors who wish the Internet would just go away, and Jeff Jarvis has found one. (tags: online newspapers internet) [...]

]]> By: Tansley - addendum http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349407 Tansley - addendum Mon, 07 May 2007 20:32:47 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349407 How about 'MASTODON MEETS TAR-PIT?' For Karl: Whether it's from subscriptions online or advertising dollars, the revenue to sustain the online version of any newspaper is going to have to come from somewhere. Now, the overhead on a news organization existing exclusively online is going to be substantially lower than than of a printed news organ - no presses, no paper, no pressman's union, etc. - so the online edition can subsist on quite a bit less revenue that a full-blown newspaper. But there will still need to be money coming in, and you'll find the best resource of that remains advertising. If you want to get PICKY about advertising quality, I suggest you remember that 'beggars can't be choosers.' Much as you may wish to carry ads from, say, Bausch and Lomb®, you may well end up having banners touting Comet Cleanser®... I agree with you that the newspapers' have the competitive advantage in local news, but I do not believe that the buggy-whip is a viable investment alternative for such institutions. I believe investment in funerary plots would be far more appropriate and lucrative... How about ‘MASTODON MEETS TAR-PIT?’

For Karl:

Whether it’s from subscriptions online or advertising dollars, the revenue to sustain the online version of any newspaper is going to have to come from somewhere. Now, the overhead on a news organization existing exclusively online is going to be substantially lower than than of a printed news organ - no presses, no paper, no pressman’s union, etc. - so the online edition can subsist on quite a bit less revenue that a full-blown newspaper. But there will still need to be money coming in, and you’ll find the best resource of that remains advertising.

If you want to get PICKY about advertising quality, I suggest you remember that ‘beggars can’t be choosers.’ Much as you may wish to carry ads from, say, Bausch and Lomb®, you may well end up having banners touting Comet Cleanser®…

I agree with you that the newspapers’ have the competitive advantage in local news, but I do not believe that the buggy-whip is a viable investment alternative for such institutions. I believe investment in funerary plots would be far more appropriate and lucrative…

]]> By: CaptiousNut http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349405 CaptiousNut Mon, 07 May 2007 19:51:11 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349405 The ostrich buries its head in the sand? I thought we already debunked that? The ostrich buries its head in the sand?

I thought we already debunked that?

]]> By: Soldier's Dad http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349403 Soldier's Dad Mon, 07 May 2007 19:30:59 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349403 Being familiar with he publishing business, the "cost" of a printed newspaper that one pays buys at a newstand barely covers the cost of distributing the newspaper, never mind paper, ink, editorial staff. Being familiar with he publishing business, the “cost” of a printed newspaper that one pays buys at a newstand barely covers the cost of distributing the newspaper, never mind paper, ink, editorial staff.

]]> By: Karl http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349401 Karl Mon, 07 May 2007 18:56:41 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349401 Paul Vigna wrote: "Ads comprise roughly 60%-70% of the entire contents of a newspaper, and the industry needs to figure out how to replicate that on the Internet. " Respectfully, no. The industry needs to figure out that the Internet is a different medium and replace the ad <i>revenue</i> with advertising that is not so intrusive as to keep folks away from their sites. Or encourage advertising sufficiently compelling to interest its readership. The newspaper industry needs to stop calling itself the newspaper industry (and thinking of itself as such), because its future has little to do with paper. Substantively, local news outlets need to figure out that they are local news outlets and that their competitive advantage is local news. To the extent that "newspapers" intend to remain wedded to text as their main method, they need to realize that the competitive advantage of text is its capacity for in-depth reporting (though news outlets of the future may figure out that they could do long-form video online -- or in-depth reports with multimedia elements -- unconstrained by the time demands of a half-hour newscast). Alternatively, they could invest heavily in buggy-whips, as that market is wide open. Paul Vigna wrote:

“Ads comprise roughly 60%-70% of the entire contents of a newspaper, and the industry needs to figure out how to replicate that on the Internet. ”

Respectfully, no. The industry needs to figure out that the Internet is a different medium and replace the ad revenue with advertising that is not so intrusive as to keep folks away from their sites. Or encourage advertising sufficiently compelling to interest its readership. The newspaper industry needs to stop calling itself the newspaper industry (and thinking of itself as such), because its future has little to do with paper.

Substantively, local news outlets need to figure out that they are local news outlets and that their competitive advantage is local news. To the extent that “newspapers” intend to remain wedded to text as their main method, they need to realize that the competitive advantage of text is its capacity for in-depth reporting (though news outlets of the future may figure out that they could do long-form video online — or in-depth reports with multimedia elements — unconstrained by the time demands of a half-hour newscast).

Alternatively, they could invest heavily in buggy-whips, as that market is wide open.

]]> By: Mark Rutledge http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349400 Mark Rutledge Mon, 07 May 2007 18:07:42 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349400 Newspapers, including the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, still have a powerful edge in the news business: local news. I subscribe to the online version of my hometown newspaper, The Johnson City Press in Johnson City, Tenn. I read it every day in a pdf, page-by-page format. I can read every story, every ad, every editorial in the same sequence as my dear sweet mother -- only I don't get ink on my fingers. There are a few minor inconveniences (the obits appear nearly too small to read unless you call them up in a window, and ads sometimes do not enlarge in the window) but it's mostly the same newspaper. I am surprised at how quickly I've adapted to reading the paper online. If the paper I now work for offered an online, page-by-page version, I'd drop the home delivery. My point is, newspapers are catching up to the Internet. We could always get news from sources other than our hometown newspaper -- except the depth of local coverage. The Internet has not changed that. The sooner all newspapers are completely Internet-friendly, the better for all newspapers. Newspapers, including the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, still have a powerful edge in the news business: local news. I subscribe to the online version of my hometown newspaper, The Johnson City Press in Johnson City, Tenn. I read it every day in a pdf, page-by-page format. I can read every story, every ad, every editorial in the same sequence as my dear sweet mother — only I don’t get ink on my fingers. There are a few minor inconveniences (the obits appear nearly too small to read unless you call them up in a window, and ads sometimes do not enlarge in the window) but it’s mostly the same newspaper. I am surprised at how quickly I’ve adapted to reading the paper online. If the paper I now work for offered an online, page-by-page version, I’d drop the home delivery.
My point is, newspapers are catching up to the Internet. We could always get news from sources other than our hometown newspaper — except the depth of local coverage. The Internet has not changed that. The sooner all newspapers are completely Internet-friendly, the better for all newspapers.

]]> By: Fish In A Barrel: Bullard Vs. The Blogosphere » Webomatica - tech, movies, music blog http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349399 Fish In A Barrel: Bullard Vs. The Blogosphere » Webomatica - tech, movies, music blog Mon, 07 May 2007 17:39:06 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349399 [...] Yeah, that may be a shame, but no amount of fist-waving and insult hurling will change the basic fact: majority rules and the arrows are clearly pointing away from print media’s general direction. [...] [...] Yeah, that may be a shame, but no amount of fist-waving and insult hurling will change the basic fact: majority rules and the arrows are clearly pointing away from print media’s general direction. [...]

]]> By: Steve Boriss http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349394 Steve Boriss Mon, 07 May 2007 14:55:15 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349394 The roots of this problem are in the culture of newspapers, which are accustomed to sharing news without worrying about where the money will come from. It began with their collective formation of the AP, which distributed their material to other news outlets, including local broadcasting outlets. For most of the 20th century, no worries -- other newspapers printing their stories were in other cities, while local broadcasting outlets could not compete on depth. But now we have the Internet. And now, even the AP is publishing their same stories in their same markets. Steve Boriss, http://www.thefutureofnews.com. The roots of this problem are in the culture of newspapers, which are accustomed to sharing news without worrying about where the money will come from. It began with their collective formation of the AP, which distributed their material to other news outlets, including local broadcasting outlets. For most of the 20th century, no worries — other newspapers printing their stories were in other cities, while local broadcasting outlets could not compete on depth. But now we have the Internet. And now, even the AP is publishing their same stories in their same markets. Steve Boriss, http://www.thefutureofnews.com.

]]> By: Paul Vigna http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349393 Paul Vigna Mon, 07 May 2007 14:43:57 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/05/07/ostrich-meets-sand/#comment-349393 Newspapers make the majority of their money off advertising, and Hussman knows that, so it's a little silly of him to lament the lost newsstand revenue. The problem for newspapers in the Internet age is slightly ironic: despite the fact that a website has essentially unlimited space, there isn't as much room for advertising on a web page as there is on a newspaper page. Ads comprise roughly 60%-70% of the entire contents of a newspaper, and the industry needs to figure out how to replicate that on the Internet. When it does - and they will - this time will all be only dimmed remembered as some unpleasantness. Newspapers make the majority of their money off advertising, and Hussman knows that, so it’s a little silly of him to lament the lost newsstand revenue.
The problem for newspapers in the Internet age is slightly ironic: despite the fact that a website has essentially unlimited space, there isn’t as much room for advertising on a web page as there is on a newspaper page. Ads comprise roughly 60%-70% of the entire contents of a newspaper, and the industry needs to figure out how to replicate that on the Internet. When it does - and they will - this time will all be only dimmed remembered as some unpleasantness.

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