Archive for November, 2006
November 17, 2006 at 12:30 am · Filed under Uncategorized
Traditional media companies are in a bit of an odd position these days. They have cash. And, despite the geek revolution that is Web 2.0, they are not exactly strapped for audiences - yet. Things are changing and they know it.
Print businesses aren't doing so hot. Television audiences aren't exactly loyal anymore. As a result, media companies are investing more dollars in their digital publications, hoping to replace lost advertising revenue. Sounds like that will solve all of their problems, right? Maybe not.
Let's take a closer look. A good number of publishers do not own content. They license it from 3rd party vendors. Editorial staffs then take that content and pick what they feel is suitable for publication. Publishers that DO own content are getting it ripped off at ever increasing rates. Believe it, or not, this model has actually been fairly successful - until now.
The new model is media served a la carte. Video, text, audio, images, and even applications are being exposed via web services and widgets. People are no longer are satisfied with the "go-to" content model, instead demanding a "come to me" web. Where do people want their content to show up? Well they are spending more and more time with personalized aggregation sites like social networks, startpages, and blogs. To make matters more difficult, as production costs decrease more and more content is user generated.
Netvibes is a fantastic example of this new paradigm. With this hosted service, people can quickly assemble their favorite content from across the web using simple drag-and-drop tools Much of this content is user generated. I can grab photos from flickr, news from blogs, and articles from Wikipedia. Every morning in grad school, my buddy checked his sports news on ESPN, his mail on Yahoo, and news on CNN. Is it so crazy to think that, instead of visiting these three pages everyday, he might rather have all of his stuff on a single page.
This has some pretty serious implications for media companies banking on monetizing web sites subject to editorial processes. This model made sense when it was difficult to aggregate and filter content online. But, how long can this last with better tools like Netvibes, emerging that enable users to personalize best-of-breed content from around the web?
The good news for media companies is that all is not lost. Google, Yahoo, and Microsoft have now officially moved into the media game. Maybe it is time that the old guard strikes back. Just las Fox has managed to become a digital powerhouse through acquisition and investment over the last 14 months, other media companies can also invest in capabilities to fight the next generation platform wars like:
1. Tools for users to create content (slideshows, blogging)
2. Tools for users to share/assemble content (startpages)
3. Core web services (video, events, music, dating, games)
4. Cross platform distribution (mobile, web, television, desktop)
5. Open up to developers (yhoo, sourceforge)
So here is my quick takeaway for media companies. Snap out of the broadcast mentality. If you want to make it, think platform. Don't deliver people canned content. Empower them to create, consume, and share media across the web. Good luck!
technorati tags:
media,
web2.0,
tips,
widgets
* username: hoomanradfar
November 16, 2006 at 12:38 am · Filed under Uncategorized
At
Clearspring, I have the opportunity to deal with hard-core technies as well as marketing/advertising folks. As you can imagine, these two groups do not always see eye-to-eye. There are those rare few, however, that manage to bridge the gap.
For those of you that do not already check out his blog,
Steve Rubel is one of those cats. Although he technically on the dark side (JK) of the force (marketing/advertising/communications) his geek sense is pretty keen. Perhaps more importantly, he has a knack for translating his ideas into the written word.
I assembled a collection of his latest posts below. It seems that there is a bit of a trend emerging in his thinking...
Widgets + Steve Rubel = Heart.
Major Marketers and Widgets
Google Gadgets
Widgets Transforming Blogs
Web 3.0 and Widgetized Web
Start Pages
technorati tags:
steverubel,
blog,
widget,
web2.0
* username: hoomanradfar
November 6, 2006 at 2:49 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
I am sitting at Widgets Live and the excitement is off the hook.
It is absolutely amazing how many different folks are represented here. Just to name a few Fox, Microsoft, Yahoo, Adobe, Feedburner, Meebo, Netvibes and more have made their way out here. Given that
Om and crew only had a month to slap this bad-boy together I am beyond impressed with the turn-out. I am trying to snap shot some occasional cool stuff throughout the day. So, here goes...
If it was not readily apparent before, widgets are going cross-platform in a big way. Widgets that work on the web (DHTML, Flash) will inevitably run on the desktop over the next year, or so. Fox Interactive Media (FIM) labs debuted their platform on this front. With their platform, you can build Flash widgets that people can not only post to MySpace, but also move to the desktop if you download a desktop client app. Adobe discussed the Apollo project, which enables a similar world from a different angle. Apollo is a run-time engine that enables Flash/DHTML content to be rendered on the desktop. In other words, people can build platforms like SpringWidgets with the Apollo engine. And last, but not last, is the team from Microsoft Live. Those guys also are working towards a converged webtop and desktop with their Sidebar project.
So, if you thought widgets were going cross-platform before, now you know! Here are some links for you to check out below...
Adobe Apollo Run-Time
Microsoft Sidebar
The Springbox
Apple Webclip
technorati tags:
widgetslive,
conference,
widgets
p.s. That picture is NOT from Widgets Live. Unfortunately, I don't have a digital cam on me!
* username: hoomanradfar
November 1, 2006 at 3:29 pm · Filed under Uncategorized
After receiving a million comments/questions/opinions about BrightCove from all of my fine, feathered, friends, I decided that I would bite the bullet and blog about it.
In my opinion, their new position is pretty simple. They are competing with everyone. I mean everyone. YouTube, Revver, NBBC, Voxant, College Humor, and more specialize in delivering pieces of the new BrightCove platform. The move by Brightcove is either a super-brilliant all-or-nothing dash to own the legal video market, or it is absolutely Captain Insano. Only time will tell I suppose.
If they do pull this off, the web will definitely be a very different place. Not to mention they will be very rich video moguls. Either way, I wish them the best of luck. See below for a breakdown of the BrightCove vs. Everyone.
1. Brightcove.com
- Consumer-facing Video Gallery
- Search, discover and share videos
- Video can be distributed via a viral video player
Sound familiar? Check out
College Humor,
YouTube,
Google Video, and
Yahoo Video
2. BrightCove Network
- Syndication service for independent content creators
- Upload video for free
- They will put in the ads
- Content owner gets a 50% rev share
Sound familiar? Check out
Revver. This also puts them in competition with video ad technologies like recent AOL acquisition
Lightning Cast.
3. BrightCove Syndication Network
- B2B marketplace
- Gallery for participants to find shared content
- Distribution services
- Licensing services
Sound familiar? Check out
NBBC.
4. BrightCove Platform
- Hosted SaaS for content providers
- Distribute video from your site
- Use the platform, put in your own ads
- Keep ad revenue, sell downloads
Sound familiar? I don't even feel like going through this one. :)
Technorati tags:
video,
brightcove,
syndication,
web2.0
* username: hoomanradfar
