Changing media landscape panel

The panel went well today, I was actually very surprised. I ended up coming off sounding very intelligent and well spoken, thank goodness! I was worried I would bungle the whole thing. I even got to say “bullshit”. People love it when you cuss on panels. Photos from the changing media landscape panel.

There were two things people were curious about: RSS and Podcasting. I will handle those thing first.

RSS, Really Simple Syndication

This description taken from the I, Cringley website.

RSS is short for “Really Simple Syndication.” RSS feeds are online files that contain the headlines and full stories of blog posts. These feeds are automatically updated and are viewed through an RSS news reader (also called an RSS aggregator). Learn all about RSS.

Podcasting

A podcast is a media file that is distributed over the Internet using syndication feeds, for playback on portable media players and personal computers. Learn all about Podcasting.

Here are my notes for today’s panel on the changing media landscape:

This is an unformatted train of thought you may or may not be interested in. This was what I based manys of the things I talked about today.

  • Younger generation not concerned with revealing lots of information about themselves
  • Some technologist see a backlash coming. Counterculture. Each generations counterculture defines it self by rejecting the previous generation’s conventions.
  • Ask other panelist how they are handling user generated content.
  • I am not a reporter, I am an information gatherer and distributor.
  • Go along to get along mentality in traditional media.
  • Trend towards Corporatization of news
  • Trend towards Democratization of news
  • Trend towards licensing content. Creative Commons.
  • How to generate revenue? Traditional models not working. Craigslist gutted the traditional newspaper revenue stream!
  • Future of television: independent video, web video divisions of each major network
  • USA Today will be a good litmus test for the expansion of old media into new media
  • Web 2.0 is not a technology, it’s caring about your customers and being authentic. If you don’t do those two things people are going to call bullshit. Because everyone’s bullshit meters are so good now days.
  • Today’s teens and even younger kids do not have any concept of traditional media as we all know it. I think this is the thing that will shift the landscape the most.

The Changing Media Landscape: Challenges and Opportunities
1. One of the challenges bloggers face is credibility. With only a tiny fraction of the fact-checking resources of the MSM sometimes bloggers get their facts wrong. (Sometimes we all do!)

  • One of the advantages of blogs is the ability to make corrections instantly. No waiting until the next day to correct changes.
  • Changes can be made inline, to the original article, instead of just appearing on a corrections page
  • Reliance on crowdsourcing: other bloggers and readers can and will tell you when you have a fact wrong.

2. Blogs can broadcast audio, video and text instantly around the globe for virtually nothing. Blogs aren’t “opinions”, they are a publishing tool. A cheap one at that!

3. News and reporting is becoming more of a conversation than a lecture. Brands who are succeeding create an emotional connection with the consumer. (think Target vs. Walmart) The same thing goes for news organizations, they will need to create an emotional connection with their reader/viewer to be successful.

http://del.icio.us/joeymarchy/media
http://www.folioweekly.com/folioblog/?p=173
http://www.jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/012507/met_7557918.shtml
http://www.cyberjournalist.net/news/004008.php

  • Cool things about blogs are publishing free. I can distribute audio, video and text to 100’s of people free.
  • Blogs aren’t credible – rushed reports, have you ever gotten a fact wrong, corrections item. When was the last time they TV did a correction item.
  • More and more newspapers are moving to allowing users to comment (like blogs) 1000 editors/contributors.
  • News and Reporting, less lecture more conversation.
  • Brands that are succeeding, create emotional connection, same thing goes with news.
  • Comment and respond with reporter, you may listen more to that person.
  • “Do you know the names of your readers?” I do. The only thing that separated you from everyone else is knowing your readers.
  • Traditional media can’t scale, too many readers.
  • All papers running blogs using typepad: solution they are using is $20-30/month vs Broadcast cost. Unique that places are using low cost tools.
  • Niche vertical market news industries, go to pubs are online because that can be so focused.
  • Traditional media mandates: report on things that wouldn’t get reported on, both sides of the stories, bloggers can’t do this. MSM business models are flawed, can afford to keep thousands of writers on staff.
  • People fear what they don’t understand, but fear more what disrupts their business model.
  • Just education, blogs aren’t just opinions, they are a publishing tool.

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This entry was posted on Thursday, March 15th, 2007 at 10:31 pm and is filed under Events, News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.