Comments on: The tchotchkefication of The Times http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/ by Jeff Jarvis Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:51:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: The Column » Blog Archive » Less Than Candid http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-373566 The Column » Blog Archive » Less Than Candid Sat, 19 Apr 2008 17:41:42 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-373566 [...] Jeff Jarvis, who once supervised the creation of an index at the Chicago Trib, doesn’t mince words: [...] [...] Jeff Jarvis, who once supervised the creation of an index at the Chicago Trib, doesn’t mince words: [...]

]]> By: Mediablog - 20 Λέξεις » Inside the Times, A good Idea http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372179 Mediablog - 20 Λέξεις » Inside the Times, A good Idea Thu, 27 Mar 2008 22:48:29 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372179 [...] “I hate the new and expanded news summary The New York Times introduced today on pages 2 and 3. It’s inefficient, wasteful, and ultimately insulting” (Jeff Jarvis) [...] [...] “I hate the new and expanded news summary The New York Times introduced today on pages 2 and 3. It’s inefficient, wasteful, and ultimately insulting” (Jeff Jarvis) [...]

]]> By: INSIDE THE TIMES, A GOOD IDEA at WHAT’S NEXT: INNOVATIONS IN NEWSPAPERS http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372178 INSIDE THE TIMES, A GOOD IDEA at WHAT’S NEXT: INNOVATIONS IN NEWSPAPERS Thu, 27 Mar 2008 21:50:54 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372178 [...] “I hate the new and expanded news summary The New York Times introduced today on pages 2 and 3. It’s inefficient, wasteful, and ultimately insulting” (Jeff Jarvis) [...] [...] “I hate the new and expanded news summary The New York Times introduced today on pages 2 and 3. It’s inefficient, wasteful, and ultimately insulting” (Jeff Jarvis) [...]

]]> By: Jeff Prescott http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372071 Jeff Prescott Wed, 26 Mar 2008 22:18:12 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372071 What a total waste of space. If you read the NYT, you already "get it." Or else you'd be reading USAToday. Why is The Times dumbing down? They don't have to! I'd trade those 3-pages for 3-more pages of New York news, a national TV listings page or another sports page! The results from Aqueduct are more beneficial to me......... What a total waste of space. If you read the NYT, you already “get it.”
Or else you’d be reading USAToday.
Why is The Times dumbing down?
They don’t have to!
I’d trade those 3-pages for 3-more pages of New York news, a national TV listings page or another sports page! The results from Aqueduct are more beneficial to me………

]]> By: beloml http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372056 beloml Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:49:57 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372056 Page one space can't be that valuable. The Houston Chronicle had a grocery store ad running across the bottom of page one within the past week. Page one space can’t be that valuable. The Houston Chronicle had a grocery store ad running across the bottom of page one within the past week.

]]> By: John C Abell http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372051 John C Abell Wed, 26 Mar 2008 14:23:32 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372051 I guess my only quibble with this is with the content this seems to replace: these were largely international pages -- the so-called vegetables in that metaphor everyone has used too much. I actually haven't done a count -- has anyone? -- so it might be possible that other "A" section material has been offered up as sacrifice. But fundamentally I don't think this is a detour into the dark side. Also remember to take pity on those of us who read the paper on the subway: the fewer times we have to brace and fold a broadsheet, the fewer enemies we make of our fellow riders. I guess my only quibble with this is with the content this seems to replace: these were largely international pages — the so-called vegetables in that metaphor everyone has used too much.

I actually haven’t done a count — has anyone? — so it might be possible that other “A” section material has been offered up as sacrifice. But fundamentally I don’t think this is a detour into the dark side.

Also remember to take pity on those of us who read the paper on the subway: the fewer times we have to brace and fold a broadsheet, the fewer enemies we make of our fellow riders.

]]> By: Richard A http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372034 Richard A Wed, 26 Mar 2008 03:07:18 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372034 Hi Jeff. It's awful, and it won't last. In fact I give it six months. It's always been a mystery to me (well, no but I'll explain) why US newspapers fail to make use of page 3, their best display page after the front. The reason is that it's prime ad display space - and the fact that advertisers know that should, you'd think, have tipped off newspaper designers and editors that maybe they could use page 3 better. But they prefer the revenue I guess. Hi Jeff. It’s awful, and it won’t last. In fact I give it six months.

It’s always been a mystery to me (well, no but I’ll explain) why US newspapers fail to make use of page 3, their best display page after the front. The reason is that it’s prime ad display space – and the fact that advertisers know that should, you’d think, have tipped off newspaper designers and editors that maybe they could use page 3 better. But they prefer the revenue I guess.

]]> By: Right and Wrong on Attention « Network(ed)News http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372033 Right and Wrong on Attention « Network(ed)News Wed, 26 Mar 2008 02:47:12 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372033 [...] to Jeff Jarvis for inspiring this [...] [...] to Jeff Jarvis for inspiring this [...]

]]> By: Juan Giner http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372028 Juan Giner Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:31:38 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372028 Jeff, It depends. You can do stupid summaries for stupid non-readers, or you can do better summaries for smart readers, As you can see here http://www.innovationsinnewspapers.com/index.php/2008/03/17/la-gaceta-de-los-negocios/ INNOBVATION did in 2003 this 24 Hours briefing on six pages for a new newspaper that wanted to be like a daily Economist. Some years after, the same idea and design has been introduced a few days ago by LA GACETA in Madrid. The rational behind this daily briefing was to present the most relevant news, pictures and graphics of the last 24 Hours in order to devote the rest of that compact newspaper to the best stories of the day. So, we give you the news of the world in six pages and now we will give you more pages for the stories that really matter. The new formula was: 20% of the space for the 80% of the news. 80% of the space for the 20% of the most relevant news. Do it with first class design and graphics. And do it with what INNOVATION calls the RADAR team that tracks the news for the online operations. In a newspaper like The New York Times that still uses and abuses of the "jumping" disease, this new News Summary is, if I may say so, an excellent step forward. Jeff,

It depends.

You can do stupid summaries for stupid non-readers, or you can do better summaries for smart readers,

As you can see here

http://www.innovationsinnewspapers.com/index.php/2008/03/17/la-gaceta-de-los-negocios/

INNOBVATION did in 2003 this 24 Hours briefing on six pages for a new newspaper that wanted to be like a daily Economist.

Some years after, the same idea and design has been introduced a few days ago by LA GACETA in Madrid.

The rational behind this daily briefing was to present the most relevant news, pictures and graphics of the last 24 Hours in order to devote the rest of that compact newspaper to the best stories of the day.

So, we give you the news of the world in six pages and now we will give you more pages for the stories that really matter.

The new formula was:

20% of the space for the 80% of the news.

80% of the space for the 20% of the most relevant news.

Do it with first class design and graphics.

And do it with what INNOVATION calls the RADAR team that tracks the news for the online operations.

In a newspaper like The New York Times that still uses and abuses of the “jumping” disease, this new News Summary is, if I may say so, an excellent step forward.

]]> By: Paul Neely http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372027 Paul Neely Tue, 25 Mar 2008 23:24:05 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372027 The NYTimes.com box makes more sense than the giant p.2-3 index. If you want people to read both the paper and the website, then indexing the web extras may be appropriate promotion and an encouragement to digital migration. The internal news summary, however, is an echo of mid-sized dailies, where it passes for breadth of coverage and is often combined with a dash of celebrity news. It might be an encouragement to go farther inside the paper; it might also be a reason to go no farther. For The New York Times to provide an easy way to "keep up" without having to consider the details -- well, that hasn't been the mission of the Times until now, has it? The NYTimes.com box makes more sense than the giant p.2-3 index. If you want people to read both the paper and the website, then indexing the web extras may be appropriate promotion and an encouragement to digital migration. The internal news summary, however, is an echo of mid-sized dailies, where it passes for breadth of coverage and is often combined with a dash of celebrity news. It might be an encouragement to go farther inside the paper; it might also be a reason to go no farther. For The New York Times to provide an easy way to “keep up” without having to consider the details — well, that hasn’t been the mission of the Times until now, has it?

]]> By: Mike G http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372025 Mike G Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:22:58 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372025 You're exactly right. It amazes me how determined the newspapers are to go after people who don't read newspapers, while neglecting the people who do. You’re exactly right. It amazes me how determined the newspapers are to go after people who don’t read newspapers, while neglecting the people who do.

]]> By: simon h http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372021 simon h Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:44:42 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372021 The Times (of London) did this about ten years ago and it was hailed as a great innovation. Not sure it shifted a single extra copy, however. Shortened attention spans or not, there is clearly a place for this compacted short-form journalism and that is on the train to work. The Metro in London is filled with stories that can be read between two stops when you're strap-hanging. There's nothing new about this, either. Read the melancholy New Grub Street and you'll find a description of London magazines that were written so that no single item tok longer than two Tube stops to read. And that was in about 1880. The Times (of London) did this about ten years ago and it was hailed as a great innovation. Not sure it shifted a single extra copy, however.

Shortened attention spans or not, there is clearly a place for this compacted short-form journalism and that is on the train to work. The Metro in London is filled with stories that can be read between two stops when you’re strap-hanging.

There’s nothing new about this, either. Read the melancholy New Grub Street and you’ll find a description of London magazines that were written so that no single item tok longer than two Tube stops to read. And that was in about 1880.

]]> By: robertdfeinman http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372020 robertdfeinman Tue, 25 Mar 2008 20:33:06 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372020 A waste of three news holes, but it's cheaper than paying three reporters to file stories to fill the space, I guess. It doesn't even make sense for the subway rider who wants to keep the number of page turns to a minimum while standing in a crowd... A waste of three news holes, but it’s cheaper than paying three reporters to file stories to fill the space, I guess.

It doesn’t even make sense for the subway rider who wants to keep the number of page turns to a minimum while standing in a crowd…

]]> By: MarjorieW http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372016 MarjorieW Tue, 25 Mar 2008 15:11:56 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/2008/03/25/the-tchotchkefication-of-the-times/#comment-372016 Here's a fun media tchotchke - a poll asking who's the biggest pig in politics. My guilty pleasure: http://www.wowowow.com/poll/who-biggest-pig Here’s a fun media tchotchke – a poll asking who’s the biggest pig in politics. My guilty pleasure: http://www.wowowow.com/poll/who-biggest-pig

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