Comments on: Philly’s second prize http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/23/phillys-second-prize/ by Jeff Jarvis Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:40:25 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.1 hourly 1 By: Rob http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/23/phillys-second-prize/#comment-391002 Rob Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:45:31 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=4253#comment-391002 Jeff Great concept - big media companies paying contributors, maybe indirectly, to aggregate external web content, like amassing armies of online sidebar writers (not unlike the old fashioned newspaper practice of using freelancers to cover regional or far flung events). It's hard to imagine big media taking this risk, or even grasping the concept for starters. FYI, I still love the Toronto Star but it maddens and saddens me to see major media organizations with such rich history and strong brand identity stumbling in these epochal times. (Torstar, the Toronto Star's parent company, laid off 60 staff at three large dailies in Ontario this week). Jeff
Great concept – big media companies paying contributors, maybe indirectly, to aggregate external web content, like amassing armies of online sidebar writers (not unlike the old fashioned newspaper practice of using freelancers to cover regional or far flung events). It’s hard to imagine big media taking this risk, or even grasping the concept for starters.

FYI, I still love the Toronto Star but it maddens and saddens me to see major media organizations with such rich history and strong brand identity stumbling in these epochal times. (Torstar, the Toronto Star’s parent company, laid off 60 staff at three large dailies in Ontario this week).

]]> By: Free is Emperor http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/23/phillys-second-prize/#comment-390999 Free is Emperor Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:20:20 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=4253#comment-390999 Well it means that most cities will end up with one paid and one free newspaper. Paid for older readers and free for younger readers. It's going to be the Inquirer and Metro in Phillly. Well it means that most cities will end up with one paid and one free newspaper. Paid for older readers and free for younger readers.

It’s going to be the Inquirer and Metro in Phillly.

]]> By: Jeff Jarvis http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/23/phillys-second-prize/#comment-390998 Jeff Jarvis Tue, 24 Feb 2009 15:04:27 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=4253#comment-390998 I could see a world where the readers add such value as you did - and get rewarded for it if the paper sold ads on your blog because you're a part of its network, eh? I could see a world where the readers add such value as you did – and get rewarded for it if the paper sold ads on your blog because you’re a part of its network, eh?

]]> By: Berend http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/23/phillys-second-prize/#comment-390997 Berend Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:58:50 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=4253#comment-390997 Small typo: hedavy debt -> heavy debt. :) Enjoy! Small typo: hedavy debt -> heavy debt. :) Enjoy!

]]> By: Rob http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/23/phillys-second-prize/#comment-390996 Rob Tue, 24 Feb 2009 14:27:09 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=4253#comment-390996 Unfortunately, drastic change, if it comes at all, may come too late to save most (many?) newspaper jobs, meaning good journalists end up retraining to push paperclips because greedy, intransigent media owners have resisted drastic change for decades. They continue to resist, despite the evidence it is necessity. I'm not sure why, but they're killing themselves by refusing to adopt new techniques. Here's one simple example that I found disheartening (as a 20-year daily newspaper vet). Canada's biggest circulation daily, the Toronto Star (thestar.com), ran a fascinating story this past weekend about the outlaw biker gang, the Hells Angels, going to court in Canada to seek return of trademarked nick knacks that have been seized in years of police raids. The Death Head logo of the Angels is registered with the U.S. Patent office. Fascinating story, I thought, which I saw in the printed paper that I get delivered at home on the weekend. I rushed online, thinking the Star, which has been relatively foresighted in adopting online strategies, would have value-added content online. To my horror, I discovered they had no (that's none, zero) external links with the story when there's a fascinating wealth of material online that could enhance it. After about 10 minutes of surfing and digging, I found the Patent Office page with the Death Head trademark (which makes for fun and fascinating reading). I also found online several statements of claim in past Hells Angels lawsuits against entrepreneurs who dared to use the Death Head without permission. The stuff is fun to read, fascinating and would have ratcheted up the value of the Star's coverage immeasurably. But they were apparently too afraid, or too lazy, or too stupid, to link to it. So I did. I wrote an entry on my crime blog (http://cancrime.com) about the Angels story in the Star, with all the external links. God help the link-fearing MSM (of which I am an employee - crime writer at the Kingston Whig-Standard, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, thewhig.com) Unfortunately, drastic change, if it comes at all, may come too late to save most (many?) newspaper jobs, meaning good journalists end up retraining to push paperclips because greedy, intransigent media owners have resisted drastic change for decades.

They continue to resist, despite the evidence it is necessity. I’m not sure why, but they’re killing themselves by refusing to adopt new techniques. Here’s one simple example that I found disheartening (as a 20-year daily newspaper vet).

Canada’s biggest circulation daily, the Toronto Star (thestar.com), ran a fascinating story this past weekend about the outlaw biker gang, the Hells Angels, going to court in Canada to seek return of trademarked nick knacks that have been seized in years of police raids. The Death Head logo of the Angels is registered with the U.S. Patent office. Fascinating story, I thought, which I saw in the printed paper that I get delivered at home on the weekend. I rushed online, thinking the Star, which has been relatively foresighted in adopting online strategies, would have value-added content online.

To my horror, I discovered they had no (that’s none, zero) external links with the story when there’s a fascinating wealth of material online that could enhance it.

After about 10 minutes of surfing and digging, I found the Patent Office page with the Death Head trademark (which makes for fun and fascinating reading). I also found online several statements of claim in past Hells Angels lawsuits against entrepreneurs who dared to use the Death Head without permission.

The stuff is fun to read, fascinating and would have ratcheted up the value of the Star’s coverage immeasurably. But they were apparently too afraid, or too lazy, or too stupid, to link to it.

So I did.

I wrote an entry on my crime blog (http://cancrime.com) about the Angels story in the Star, with all the external links.

God help the link-fearing MSM (of which I am an employee – crime writer at the Kingston Whig-Standard, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, thewhig.com)

]]> By: Jeff Jarvis http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/23/phillys-second-prize/#comment-390994 Jeff Jarvis Tue, 24 Feb 2009 12:52:01 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=4253#comment-390994 Exactly the question I've been asking myself. I think I realize now that I'd been assuming the possibility of orderly transition. But now I think there will be destruction: things will die and vacuums will be filled. Destruction is clearly harder to deal with; it causes more pain. But perhaps it was inevitable in that the incumbents - who had 15 years since the release of the commercial browser to plan for their tarnsition - instead tried to preserve themselves. I should have seen that coming; how often do incumbents disrupt themselves? Exactly the question I’ve been asking myself. I think I realize now that I’d been assuming the possibility of orderly transition. But now I think there will be destruction: things will die and vacuums will be filled. Destruction is clearly harder to deal with; it causes more pain. But perhaps it was inevitable in that the incumbents – who had 15 years since the release of the commercial browser to plan for their tarnsition – instead tried to preserve themselves. I should have seen that coming; how often do incumbents disrupt themselves?

]]> By: charles http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/23/phillys-second-prize/#comment-390984 charles Tue, 24 Feb 2009 09:07:11 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=4253#comment-390984 "We need completely new models for news, not old models adjusted by increments": does it mean you don't believe in a process of smooth and progressive transition to the new models for existing (and surviving...) newspapers? “We need completely new models for news, not old models adjusted by increments”: does it mean you don’t believe in a process of smooth and progressive transition to the new models for existing (and surviving…) newspapers?

]]> By: barry blyn http://www.buzzmachine.com/2009/02/23/phillys-second-prize/#comment-390975 barry blyn Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:11:48 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=4253#comment-390975 philadelphia, detroit and even now, murdoch may be under pressure with the ny post. the newspaper as we know it, ending shortly... philadelphia, detroit and even now, murdoch may be under pressure with the ny post. the newspaper as we know it, ending shortly…

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