"Joint Communications" creates #1 organic search result on Google for Joint Communications
Last January, an experiment began. After less than one year -- with no advertising dollars spent and lots of word of mouth linking around the world, Joint Communications seems to have figured out how to break through Google organic searching. Naturally.
"Jointblog". "Media Trend Watching". And now "Joint Communications". Fantastic!
When a search for "Joint Communications" was done on Google in January 2005, tens of millions of results showed up, mostly referring to military or governmental committees. Media Strategist firm Joint Communications Corp. was way in back of the pack, at least in terms of Google searching. Basically nowhere to be found through search. "Long Tail" theorists believe that in order to win brand name effectiveness with organic internet searching, firms must be in the Top 2 search results. But making that happen -- getting the searchbots to find the site -- is not that simple.
Yet, today, just 11 months later, out of 62,400,000 link results found, Joint Communications Corporation (that's us at the Jointblog) is the #1 site identified when "Joint Communications" is Googled. Same thing with the other top search engines: they all agree JointCommunications.com is what you mean when you search for Joint Communications.
Thank you to all who enjoy the Jointblog...make sure you share the bookmark with your friends and colleagues. 2006 will show more growth from the Jointblog, with a promise to deliver and share essential stories, articles and thought pieces on the very best of "Media Trend Watching". Don't forget...send your tips on stories we should include to the email links in the right-hand column. Peace -- Chris Kennedy
posted by Unknown @ Saturday, December 31, 2005,
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Trend View From John Parikhal: A Look Back at 2005, A Look Ahead for 2006
(John Parikhal, December 2006)
The biggest news stories in 2005 were poorly handled disasters (hurricanes, earthquakes, oil prices), technology shakers (WiMax, iMusic/Video), and the brief "rediscovery" of poverty in America (before everyone switched channels for the new episode of Lost).
On the media/advertising business side, quite a few head-in-the-sand CEOs woke up with a headache. In most cases, their company had at least 10 YEARS of warning about how technology might disrupt their business and when it did, they acted as if it were someone else's fault.
Record companies continued to blame the customers because of their own unwillingness to acknowledge the digital train that had been running down the track since at least 1992 (can anyone say "Kodak"?)
Advertisers suddenly discovered that "mass" advertising was no longer working (Alvin Toffler wrote a best seller about how this wa already happening - 25 years ago!). 
And, without a clearly articulated plan, the multi-billion dollar radio business suggested that HD radio would somehow save their 40%+ margins.
The biggest "missed" story was the continuing damage to productivity that is caused by e-mail.
If you get and respond to more than 85 e-mails a day, you're losing about 2-3 hours a day in productivity (which is why you're working harder and getting less done). This explains a lot of the collapse in creativity and forward thinking that used to happen in radio (and many other businesses). There's no time or incentive to think.
Read the rest of John Parikhal's article on 2005 and what's ahead for 2006 click here.
posted by Unknown @ Saturday, December 31, 2005,
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Ten Failed Tech Trends for 2005
Okay, there are things that happened as predicted...and many things that did not.
"90% of everything is crud"...as Sturgeon's Revelation goes regarding how wrong science fiction gets at predicting the future. Case's corollary to Sturgeon's Revelation is that 90% of technology trend predictions are wrong. And this year is no different than others...a lot of predictions went wrong.
High Def for Windows Media Player?
Fixed compression loss for mp3s?
64-bit Windows XP...let alone the much-fabled/maligned Longhorn?
HD-DVD or Blu-Ray?
Sony's copyright=protected CDs?
Erosion of Apple's iPod/digital music servicing domination?
The completely digital-connected home?
Gmail becomes as important as Google?
Well...maybe in 2006...or maybe not.
This Yahoo article takes a look at 10 failed tech trends for 2005.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Saturday, December 31, 2005,
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iTunes Album Downloads Doing Brisk Business
The iTunes Music Store's single sales gets most of the news for download totals. Last July, the 500 millionth download was sold...the countdown for the one-billionth download sale will happen sometime this late winter/early spring. Almost 4 million videos have been downloaded from iTunes since the release of the Video iPod in mid-October. All amazing news for download sales and depressing news for brock-and-mortar retailers.
There's another new trend to watch from iTunes. While physical album sales continue to slump at retail outlets (blamed on digital music downloading), Apple is doing brisk business in online album downloads. Its iTunes is offering exclusive songs, digital booklets and added tracks as bonuses for consumers who buy iTunes albums, marking them with a special “iTunes Version” tag.
“While the record labels whine about losing album sales, Apple is selling albums. Apple is proving albums are popular -- they’re just not popular at stores,” said analyst Richard Doherty of Envisioneering Group.
By adding in special features and content, iTunes is proving customers will buy albums -- and not just singles -- if the CONTENT is there, if the CONVENIENCE is there, if they can CONTROL when they want to consume and use, if the product can increase their CONNECTION through entertainment. THAT's the New Entertainment Economy in action.
--Chris Kennedy
referenced AdAge story
posted by Unknown @ Friday, December 30, 2005,
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Older Boomers Increase Web Usage
On-demand and increased confidence in online information drives surging 55+ use of the Web.
ABOUT 61 PERCENT OF ONLINE users age 55 and older say they use the Web more heavily now than one year ago, according to a new study by Burst! Media. The study, based on a recent survey of 1,000 Web users at least 55 years of age, also found that the vast majority of respondents--65.5 percent--visit more Web sites now than last year, with about one in three--34.5 percent--saying they visit "many more" sites today than last year.
At the same time, many Web users in that age group have cut back on their use of traditional media, according to Burst! Media. About 44 percent told researchers they spend less time watching TV today than one year ago, while about 44 percent spend less time reading newspapers and around 37 percent spend less time reading magazines.
Why is this age group turning to the Web? The greatest proportion of respondents--around 69 percent--said the on-demand nature of the Web gave it an edge, while around 68 percent of respondents thought the Web had more accurate information than offline media. About 60 percent thought the Internet was superior because it offered content that couldn't be found in other media.
An eMarketer report released last May also concluded that older boomers and adults in their early 60s tended to be Web-savvy. That report found that about two-thirds of adults between the ages of 50 and 64 use the Web.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Friday, December 30, 2005,
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2005: The Web's Rebirth
CNet.com looks back at 2005, dubbing it "The Year of the Internet's rebirth". Five years after the dot com meltdown triggered a nationwide recession, Internet media is thriving as it never has before. Cnet writes that convergence is now (finally) upon us, a generation that has grown up with the Web is coming of age, and a digital, social revolution is imminent. Not only is the Web bringing the once anonymous to prominence through tools like blogging, but it's also leading countries like India into a technology renaissance. The special feature discusses all of the major stories of the year--from the Supreme Court-Grokster ruling to Apple's once-unthinkable alliance with Intel--providing links to 30-plus articles.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Thursday, December 29, 2005,
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From ExtremeTech: Tech Trends to Watch in 2006
Look for the On Demand surge to get bigger in 2006.
With the growing number of technology-infused products and services tipping into the mainstream, even hesitant tech adopters are starting to take advantage of new ways to acquire, share and enjoy entertainment.
Which items will go from conversation pieces of the digerati to must-haves for the mass market? Sizing up some of the notable entertainment technology trends of 2005 gives one perspective on the emerging status quo and what are likely the breakout technologies in 2006.
1) Portable Entertainment PCs
2) HDTV
3) Making Digital Video
4) Sharing Personal Media
5) Video to Go
6) Podcasts
7) Entertained by Open Source
full story
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, December 28, 2005,
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U.S. TV Must Be All-Digital By February 2009
The U.S. House of Representatives yesterday approved a budget that calls for all American TV to be broadcast via digital signal by Feb. 17, 2009. Translation: Consumers who don't subscribe to cable or satellite television or who don't own TV sets capable of receiving digital signals will be out of luck. Since only 15 percent of U.S. households do not currently subscribe to cable or satellite TV, the 2009 date should not pose much of a challenge
The new budget provides up to $80 per household in the way of coupons for those who must purchase converter boxes for their old TV sets; the converters permit old-tech analog TVs to continue to function. Among those objecting to the moves yesterday was Consumers Union. "This is the government making your TV go black and then only paying for part of the costs for some of the people to make it work again," said Gene Kimmelman, public policy director of the organization.
full story (NYTimes.com log on may be required)
posted by Unknown @ Tuesday, December 20, 2005,
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2006 Forecast for Internet from leading Business-to-Business Execs
Most Internet buzz over the last year has raved about things like new video distributions, blogs, iTunes and podcasts. That's consumer-side (or Business-to-Consumer) excitement bubbling up to mainstream media reports. However, the opinions from B-to-B is quite different. Recently, executives in the B-to-B sphere weighed in on what they think is hot and what's not for 2006.
Among their hot items are Internet video, RSS, blogs and podcasts, but they don't expect much advertising revenues just yet via these formats--particularly RSS and podcasts, which may have been pushed too hard too fast, and when there's currently very little opportunity for ads, some said. Consumers will grow their usage of these media forms but the business prospects for them remain small, executives said. B-to-B media revenues, however, are expected to grow more than 20 percent next year. Sounds like good growth to me and reason to wondere why those B-to-B execs aren't feeling more cheery about their predictions? Maybe they still remember their mis-steps from the dot com bust not too long ago...? If so, good for them for being sensible.
full article
posted by Unknown @ Monday, December 19, 2005,
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Stern, Jack sparked format flips at radio in 2005
The year is ending nearly two weeks too soon to catch the biggest radio news of the day: the debut of Howard Stern on Sirius Satellite Radio.
His move is arguably the make-or-break moment for Sirius. The company predicts it will have 3 million subscribers by the time Stern hits the air on January 9. Rival XM expects to have twice that.
If January holds satellite's D-Day, then terrestrial radio took the covers off its beach-head armaments on December 6. That is when eight major broadcasters came together to announce their strategy to turn high-definition radio (terrestrial's digital initiative) from a neat idea to a practical reality.
But satellite is not the only competition for terrestrial radio. The success of the iPod and the podcasting phenomenon that followed have worked to make everyone a radio programer and inspired the likes of NPR and Infinity to release podcasts of their own. The latter also took a San Francisco AM and crowned it the first all-podcast radio station.
The shuffle function of the iPod was equally inspiring to radio. Stations that had switched to the format du jour, Jack, touted it as the radio version of an iPod on shuffle. Jack became the new format by not having a format. The listener never knew who the next act would be (K.C. & the Sunshine Band into Nirvana was fair game) but would surely like it.
Latin formats were another big format-flip target. By the time the summer ratings came out, a baker's dozen of stations in the top 25 markets had flipped to Spanish-language programing. Ten had ratings increases.
With all of these pressures, the business of radio is no longer a stock market favorite. To combat that, traditional radio is aggressively investing in itself.
full Billboard.com story
posted by Unknown @ Sunday, December 18, 2005,
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Online Daters Take Match and Yahoo To Court For Fraud
One of the major categories contributing to the growth of the Internet in the 90s was Online Dating. It was also a category that seemed to survive the dot com bust mainly intact. Recently, though, it seems online dating is oversaturated and losing its effectiveness. And that may be leading the top services to do some unsavory tactics to extend subscriptions from unsatisfied memberships.
Online daters are taking matchmaking services Match.com and Yahoo! Personals to court, saying they were the victims of dating fraud. Match.com is being accused of tricking customers into renewing their subscriptions to the service through e-mails sent from presumed love interests, when in fact the messages come from company employees. The lawsuit also contends that Match.com charges employees to go on sham dates with subscribers as a marketing ploy. Meanwhile, Yahoo! has been accused of posting fictitious profiles on its personals site to make it look like more singles have subscribed to its site. Both companies, of course, declined to comment on pending litigation. It's interesting to note that the suits come at a time when growth in the online dating industry has slowed significantly.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Sunday, December 18, 2005,
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VC advice on finding the money in the Long Tail
The theory of the Long Tail is that our culture and economy is increasingly shifting away from a focus on a relatively small number of "hits" (mainstream products and markets) at the head of the demand curve and toward a huge number of niches in the tail. As the costs of production and distribution fall, especially online, there is now less need to lump products and consumers into one-size-fits-all containers. In an era without the constraints of physical shelf space and other bottlenecks of distribution, narrowly-target goods and services can be as economically attractive as mainstream fare.
David Hornik, a VC at August Capital who has been a good sounding board for TheLongTail.com's research, has a long and thoughtful post on where the money in the Long Tail is. He's been pitched countless Long Tail business plans, and his conclusion after all this is the ones that make sense are not so much content creators as aggregators and filters:
The aggregators are those web businesses that seek to collect up as much of the Long Tail content as is possible, so as to make their "stores" a one stop shop for content no matter how popular or obscure.
The filterers are those businesses that make it easier to find the content in which we are interested, despite the increasing proliferation of content creators, hosts, aggregators, etc. The purest form of filterer is the search engine.
full Long Tail report
posted by Unknown @ Saturday, December 17, 2005,
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IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER FOR MAC USERS
Mac IS X users: if you've been wondering why Internet Explorer has not been working properly for your web surfing, here's the reason why...
In June 2003, the Microsoft Macintosh Business Unit announced that Internet Explorer for Mac would undergo no further development, and support would cease in 2005. In accordance with published support lifecycle policies, Microsoft will end support for Internet Explorer for Mac on December 31st, 2005, and will provide no further security or performance updates.
Additionally, as of January 31st, 2006, Internet Explorer for the Mac will no longer be available for download from Mactopia. It is recommended that Macintosh users migrate to more recent web browsing technologies such as Apple's Safari.
As for the Jointblog, it is optimized for Windows Firefox, Internet Explorer (98/ME/XP), Netscape and AOL. For Mac OS X users, it is optimized for Firefox (get 1.5 or higher), Safari, Netscape and AOL.
Transfer your Mac IE bookmarks to another browser and delete the application from your hardware...it won't be useful for Mac users any longer.
full announcement
posted by Unknown @ Saturday, December 17, 2005,
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Google Nears AOL Deal
Search giant will pay $1 billion for 5%
Search engine giant Google is near a deal to pay $1 billion for a 5% stake in America Online, according to an executive briefed on the matter.
AOL, owned by Time Warner, and Google have a preliminary agreement and will spend the weekend negotiating details, the source says.
Microsoft, once considered the front-runner for a search-and-advertising deal with AOL, now appears to be out of the running.
Under the proposed deal, the executive who has been briefed on the matter says:
•AOL will sell advertising among search results provided by Google on AOL. Google now sells those ads and gives AOL a percentage.
•AOL will get special promotions for its content on Google.com.
full USAToday.com story
posted by Unknown @ Friday, December 16, 2005,
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Media Tech Trends in 2006
The American Press Institute taking a look at Media Tech trends for 2006:
• Subscription Electronic Media: The Yahoo Music service’s subscription model (based largely on Microsoft’s Janus Engine) began to get a lot of traction this last year as online purchases of music started to decline. Movies are next, and the star of that show will be the company who buys the rights and denies Netflix’s entry into this segment. A limitation remains the combination of a distinct lack of HD content and the massive amount of time it would take to download that content to the home. This move could be a spoiler for Apple because their technology will not work, for video or audio, with any subscription service.
• Home Media: Moving content around the home has been a real problem. Microsoft’s Media Center platform has had a relatively cold reception and products like the Sonos have received more attention. TiVo, once a darling, is on the ropes hoping for a reprieve, and Cisco recently acquired Scientific Atlanta to address this problem in what was an uncharacteristically large (and possibly uncharacteristically disastrous) move on their part. A little company called Digital Deck, staffed by ex-TiVo employees, may have figured out that the problem can be solved if you simply leverage the technology already in the home. Question is, will the media come from a service or from a central home server? Initially the answer is likely to be "yes."
• Personal Media: As the Video iPod (largely because it was great at music and took a unique approach to video) achieved success this year, it set the stage for the media products to follow. From eBooks (yes, at the Consumer Electronics show they were expected to be big again and are apparently selling well in Japan already) to new mixed-media players products that allow people to watch TV, listen to talk and music, and read electronically from a hand-held device, the push for portable media is expected to explode next year. Podcasts aren’t just audio anymore.
• DRM: The three letters from hell (Digital Rights Management). With the Sony rootkit fiasco still fresh in everyone’s mind, the market is set to go to war against companies who go too far in implementing piracy controls. There is massive resistance, in particular, to attacking those who aren’t doing anything illegally, and going after kids has lost its luster as well. Thanks to the raising wave of litigation, expect firms to be much more measured in their approaches to piracy in 2006.
• Advertising Dollars from Tech: With launch campaigns in the hundreds of millions of dollars, both Intel Viiv and Microsoft Vista (what is it with V's all of a sudden?) are slated to pump a massive amount of advertising revenue into the system. Related campaigns from PC hardware and accessories manufacturers could pump this up dramatically, and Apple will be launching their Intel-based products with an equally well-funded campaign. We are talking additional revenues in the $1 to 2 bil. range, which will clearly make someone’s year. Going after this money will undoubtedly keep a number of people in the industry well occupied for some time.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Thursday, December 15, 2005,
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As Radio Looks To Its Future, Wall Street Downgrades It
Infinity Radio splitting from the Viacom mothership to reclaim its heritage "CBS Radio" name. Clear Channel trying to take leadership for fewer commercials with "Less Is More" (but still more than it should be to ease listener demands). Arbitron trying to move radio to the ratings future by moving away from analog to digital PPM diary keeping. Howard Stern moves to Sirius while XM gets an "Apprentice" episode with Donald Trump; both stocks are up. A major cooperative alliance of the largest radio groups is formed to help "push" HD Radio to the market.
The massive consolidation and cash/real estate run up is done, some selloffs still could happen (Disney's ABC Radio division). Listenership is still has huge reach (estimated at between 200 million and 230 million people across the US for terrestrial "free" radio). And radio remains one of media's best free cash flow industries (who doesn't like 40%+ margins?). But Wall Street (the heroin radio has become addicted to) is now asking "What's Next?" (What, 40% isn't good enough return for you?) It doesn't like what it sees and is starting to downgrade radio stocks, siting a lack of apparent growth potential in a tough, "soft" advertising market for all medias without the word "Internet" in it.
In my opinion, the only way radio is going to let its black eye heal is to stop playing to Wall Street's needs and start playing to Main Street's needs. When was the last time you heard newspapers -- another "old media" cash flow darling literally "printing" money -- playing up to Wall Street?
Read what's on some of Wall Street's analysts mind these days...
full MediaPost.com story
posted by Unknown @ Thursday, December 15, 2005,
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Google's Empty Stocking
The holiday shopping season is a nice reminder that Google doesn't dominate every part of the Web. Aside from a cute name, Froogle, the company's comparison shopping site, is mediocre at best, receiving 60 percent fewer visitors than its chief rivals Yahoo! Shopping, eBay's Shopping.com, and E.W. Scripps' Shopzilla in October, according to Nielsen/NetRatings. The irony is that Froogle is free for retailers--unlike the other shopping engines--so why haven't they lined up to use the service? Analysts say that because Google has so few resources devoted to Froogle, the process of getting listed is cumbersome for retailers. Meanwhile, Yahoo! Shopping, Shopping.com and Shopzilla all make money on each click, and prices are expected to be 40 percent higher than last year.
full Forbes.com story
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, December 14, 2005,
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What ever happened to the paperless office?
The dream seems to recede further into the future every year. But now sales show that offices may finally be turning the page on paper use. From The Christian Science Monitor)
For office innovators, the unrealized dream of the "paperless" office is a classic example of high-tech hubris. Today's office drone is drowning in more paper than ever before.
But after decades of hype, American offices may finally be losing their paper obsession. The demand for paper used to outstrip the growth of the US economy, but the past two or three years have seen a marked slowdown in sales - despite a healthy economic scene.
Analysts attribute the decline to advances in digital databases and communication systems, employment trends, and a generation of office workers who are more comfortable with the new technology. Escaping our craving for paper, however, will be anything but a cold-turkey affair.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, December 14, 2005,
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Infinity Broadcasting Now To be Called The Historic "CBS Radio"
Apparently Infinity does not go on forever...
With the pending Viacom split, CBS Corporation has unveiled plans to re-brand its radio division, Infinity Broadcasting, as CBS Radio. The division includes 179 radio stations, the majority of which are in the nation's Top 50 markets. The announcement was made jointly by Leslie Moonves, Chief Executive Officer and President of the new CBS Corporation, and Joel Hollander, Chairman and CEO of CBS Radio. CBS Radio will continue to be run by Hollander, who will continue to report to Moonves.
"This is a proud moment for all of us who love the CBS name, and who know the storied history of CBS Radio," said Moonves. "It is one of the most revered brands in broadcasting, with a history that predates the television era. CBS Radio was there at the infancy of radio, playing a formative role in shaping and building this dynamic industry, and we're incredibly proud to bring it back."
The original CBS Radio was founded in 1928, when William Paley purchased a company comprised of 16 independent radio stations which he turned into one of the first radio networks. The CBS Radio of today includes many of those same stations.
The re-branded CBS Radio will feature as part of its slogan "Broadcast ... HD ... Streaming ... On-Demand," which its stations are now actively pursuing throughout the country.
full fmqb.com story
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, December 14, 2005,
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Media Companies: Not So Boffo in 2006
According to BusinessWeek.com, Standard and Poor's Ratings Services is not optimistic about the outlook for media and entertainment next year. Although local elections and the Winter Olympics are expected to help perk up revenues, S&P sees "slowing momentum" in traditional advertising. S&P is currently targeting 5 percent ad-spending growth in 2006. It cites "numerous concerns" for the somewhat gloomy outlook: "Most important, continuing deterioration of the financial health of U.S. automakers," which would likely have a negative impact on ad spending. Some highlights of the S&P forecast: Broadcast and cable nets "to grow in line, or slightly faster than, GDP." TV Station Groups: Spot revenues are forecast to grow between 6 percent and 8 percent. Magazines: Ad pages projected to post "minimal growth, in the low single-digits." Newspapers: Ongoing challenges related to ad demand, circulation revenues, and newsprint prices. Revenues to grow slightly faster than the 2 percent to 3 percent anticipated for 2005.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, December 14, 2005,
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Dow Jones: Sirius Overrated On Stern Hype?
Is the Howard Stern Publicity Tour (the most he's done since "Private Parts" a decade ago) hurting and not helping Sirius?
According to SmartMoney.com and the Dow Jones, "Howard Stern is over-hyped", said an analyst at Bank of America, who downgraded the company's rating for Sirius Satellite Radio from neutral to a sell. Analyst Jonathan Jacoby said the stock has gotten ahead of itself amidst all the hype surrounding Stern's move to Sirius, which occurs in five days. In a note, Jacoby said that field checks show that Sirius isn't poised for the "blowout" subscriber growth it expected this quarter in anticipation of Stern's move, something the current stock price discounts. Further, he adds that the Stern show's 18 percent ratings nosedive this summer shows that the impact of his arrival at Sirius remains unknown. Jacoby said the valuation gap between Sirius and XM, which is valued lower on Wall Street but has nearly twice as many subscribers, will right itself. B of A recommended that investors sell Sirius and buy XM.
Execs for Infinity Radio (today renamed "CBS Radio" once the January splitup of Viacom happens) - Stern's soon-to-be former home after this week -- must be wearing at least a small smile. Although they no doubt wish Stern well personally, one would expect their hopes that Stern won't do TOO well at Sirius...as they mentioned during a farewell visit to Stern's show this morning.
CBS Corporation CEO and President Les Moonves, who admitted to Stern that he was a fan, surprised everyone when he said he had purchased a Sirius radio so he could continue to listen to him. Joked Infinity (CBS Radio) Chairman and CEO Joel Hollander, who also said he bought a Sirius receiver, "We're rooting for you. Not that much, but we're rooting for you."
full story
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, December 14, 2005,
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Biz360, Feedster Partner for BlogView
Biz360 and Feedster have announced a new service, BlogView, that will help marketers track blog and wiki content discussions on their company, products, and competitors. The partnership will allow Biz360 to identify and add new blog sources as they appear on the internet. Biz360 currently tracks over 15 million unique sources through Feedster, which has the ability to separate the postings of real value to marketers from fake content sites like spam blogs.
posted by Unknown @ Tuesday, December 13, 2005,
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New Media Challenges for Nielsen Media Research
Since the October release of Apple Computer's video iPod, engineers from ratings collector Nielsen Media Research have been studying the device, looking for ways to measure what television shows are playing on the iPod's tiny tube. To be sure, the way ratings are estimated dramatically needs an update.
TiVo, the Video iPod, and mobile phone TV present the next big challenges to television research and ratings giant Nielsen Media Research. To be sure, the game is changing for Nielsen, who for years has been rating television programs by giving a representative panel of U.S. consumers a diary to keep track of their TV viewing habits. But now companies like TiVo, a purveyor of digital video recording services, can provide exact usage numbers to TV networks and advertisers--calling into question the quality of panel data in an age of real-time data reporting. That said, Nielsen is expanding its tools to cover these new forms of TV usage. They already have the brand and the client relationships to stave off any challenges by would-be usurpers to its ratings empire.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Tuesday, December 13, 2005,
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15 Years of the World Wide Web
CNN takes an excellent look at the Top 10 events that have happened on the World Wide Web we now called The Internet.
At 15 years old, the World Wide Web has had an impressive life...so far. Imagine where it will take us and what we will experience in the future.
CNN's top 10 Web moments
These are CNN.com's picks as the top 10 moments in the World Wide Web's short but impressive life. Vote for the one you think is the most significant at CNN.com:
10. WiFi hotspots -- wireless Internet connectivity appears in airports, hotels and even McDonald's.
9. Webcams and photo sharing -- communication becomes visual, and inboxes fill with baby photos.
8. Skype -- telephony turns upside down with free long-distance calls, Ebay snaps it up in September 2005 for $2.6 billion.
7. Live 8 on AOL -- five million people watch poverty awareness concerts online in July 2005, setting a new Net record.
6. Napster goes offline -- Regulators close the pioneering music swap site in July 2001 and file-sharing goes offshore.
5. Lewinsky scandal -- Matt Drudge breaks the Clinton/Lewinsky sex scandal in 1998. The blog is born.
4. Tsunami and 9/11 -- two tragic events set the Web alight with opinion and amateur video.
3. Boom and bust -- trillions of dollars were made and lost as the dotcom bubble ballooned and burst between 1995 and 2001.
2. Hotmail -- went from having zero users in 1995 to 30 million subscribers 30 months later. It now has 215 million users.
1. Google -- redefined search. Invented a new advertising model and commands a vast business empire.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Tuesday, December 13, 2005,
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HD Radio Offers Tantalizing Hope for Niche, Hyperlocal Radio Content
The National Association of Broadcasters estimates there are 247 million listeners of over-the-air "terrestrial" radio vs. only about 3 million subscribers to XM and Sirius satellite radio and 4.1 million listeners of the top three online radio networks. Still, broadcast radio is one of the last holdouts of analog technology, and the media landscape is shifting inexorably to digital...to a new technology called "HD Radio", promising more choice from terrestrial radio stations and often commercial-free.
Since the announcement for the first HD radio broadcasts in the last year, more than 500 stations say they are broadcasting HD programming...although the availability of hardware devices to thear the broadcasts is still slowly coming to market for consumers. Boston Acoustics has probably the best high-end device to date; both BestBuy and CircuitCity say they have plans to make HD radio available in store in 2006.
“The HD Digital Radio Alliance” — eight groups coordinate part of its rollout. They’ll divvy up local market format choices on the new multicasting channels. And they’re agreeing to call that channel “HD-2.” Clear Channel’s Peter Ferrara will be president/CEO of the new Alliance — whose stations pledge to spend at least $200 million in marketing in 2006. Here are the Alliance’s charter members — Bonneville, Citadel, Clear Channel, Cumulus, Emmis, Entercom, Greater Media and Infinity.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Friday, December 09, 2005,
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25 Years Ago Today...
25 years ago today outside the Dakota building just to the west of Central Park, the human life of John Lennon ended with 5 bullets to his back, shot by a madman.
John Lennon's spirit lives on. Tonight, thousands will celebrate the life and spirit of John Lennon at Strawberry Fields in Central Park near the Dakota...as well as around the world. His message of peace and love remain needed and important during troubling times.
While you are thinking of him today, play his music and slip into his world of thinking.
First song I heard turning on the radio today: "Revolution"
First song I heard when turning on my iPod: "Girl"
Both are good starts to the day.
To get you started:
1) 'Instant Karma'
2) 'Nowhere Man'
3) 'You've Got to Hide Your Love Away'
4) 'Woman'
5) 'Dear Prudence'
6) 'Across the Universe'
7) 'Jealous Guy'
8) 'Help!'
9) 'I Should Have Known Better'
10) 'Mind Games'
11) 'Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)'
12) 'Don't Let Me Down'
13) 'Imagine'
14) 'Julia'
15) 'Working Class Hero'
16) 'Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)'
17) 'Watching the Wheels'
18) 'Polythene Pam'
19) 'Tomorrow Never Knows'
20) 'Strawberry Fields Forever'
21) 'Give Peace a Chance'
22) 'She Said She Said'
23) 'Mother'
24) 'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)'
25) 'In My Life'
Okay, to keep you going...
26) '#9 Dream'
27) 'I Saw Her Standing There'
28) 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds'
29) 'Nobody Told Me'
30) 'The Ballad of John and Yoko'
And there are so many more...
Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band...or Rubber Soul...or the White Album...or...
CK
peace
posted by Unknown @ Thursday, December 08, 2005,
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New Oxford American Dictionary's "Word of the Year": Podcast
"Podcast" has been selected as the New Oxford American Dictionary's "word of the year" for 2005, and will be added to the official dictionary. Other music industry related terms in the running for "word of the year" included "rootkit" and "Reggaeton."
Just a year ago, the term "podcast" was considered for inclusion in the New Oxford American Dictionary of English, but rejected because not enough people were using it, according to a BBC story. Now, however, illustrating the technology's rapid growth in popularity, the term is not only being added, it's been declared the dictionary's Word of the Year.
The New Oxford American is following the lead of the Oxford Dictionary of English, which added the podcast and other tech terms last summer. We're still waiting for Merriam-Webster to catch up.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, December 07, 2005,
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Turning MySpace into Ad Space
MySpace has grown its audience by 609 percent in the last year to nearly 25 million users, according to eMarketer, which is the major reason why marketers are so eager to do business with the social networking site
The newly owned unit of News Corp. attracts younger users through tie-ins with music and other forms of entertainment. MySpace users are 139 percent more likely to be under 17 than the general Internet population, while Facebook, a networking site catering to college students, has a 283 percent greater incidence of 18- to 24-year-olds than general Internet users.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, December 07, 2005,
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Big Media Trends: Is Smaller Better?
In a bid to become, leaner, meaner and more responsive to the fast-paced world of the Internet, a few big media firms have resorted to breaking apart so they can better compete. Sumner Redstone is splitting Viacom into two, Carl Icahn is threatening the Time Warner board into dividing the company into four, and there have been suggestions that large shareholders would like to see a similar slimming-down at News Corp.
However, Diane Mermigas of The Hollywood Reporter suggests that the ability of a large corporation to bravely enter new territory has less to do with size than it does with strong leadership and efficient management. Many large media firms have watched their stock prices sink this year due to waning investor confidence in big media's ability to adapt, but Mermigas says the main culprit is not size; rather, she says, bulky infrastructures and legacy management are what's slowing these firms down
In some instances, a sale or spinoff of assets could result in higher operational costs, leaving these firms worse off than before, in dire need of strategic alliances. Often, she says, smaller is not better; in fact, smaller firms often look to become bigger. It will be interesting to see how the Viacom split, which is scheduled to be complete by the end of the month, plays out. This week, the stock market gets its first chance to trade shares of the new Viacom and CBS Corp.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Wednesday, December 07, 2005,
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What's The Most Important Brand? You Decide
BrandChannel.com is conducting their annual Reader's Choice Awards for Global Brands, giving you a chance to vote for up to five brands that had the biggest impact on you this year.
Which brands will create the Top Brands list of 2005? Here's your chance to have a say.
click to vote
posted by Unknown @ Tuesday, December 06, 2005,
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Battle Between Microsoft, Google Over AOL Continues
Microsoft and Google are in a "two-horse" race to strike an Internet advertising partnership with AOL, sources familiar with the talks said.
Industry experts say AOL is as critical a swing factor on search technology traffic among the three big Internet media companies -- Google, Microsoft and Yahoo Inc. -- as it once was on online advertising, a category it practically invented in the early 1990s.
Microsoft and Google have each submitted proposals to AOL over the past few weeks.
Google is still very much in the running, the sources said, contradicting Tuesday's Wall Street Journal report that said signs pointed to a deal with Microsoft.
At least one more round of discussions is planned with each of the two parties, one source familiar with the plans said.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Tuesday, December 06, 2005,
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A snappy guide to radio's new choices
It used to be so simple. A radio was a radio in the car, at home or carried with around with you...all tuned to an actual radio station. Today, the kind of radio you listen to often are very reflection of the kind of person you are. Of course, there's still the radio as you traditional know. But there is also Internet-only radio, satellite radio, podcasted radio, and more. Figuring out who is listening is getting harder, too...and to what kind of radio...so how radio listening is being measured is changing, too.
The Detroit Free Press's John Smyntek has produced a useful guide to the "new" radio--satellite, podcasting, cell phone, Internet, and HD, complete with his thumbs-up and thumbs-down assessments of each. For example, when it comes to cell phone radio, Smyntek calls it is "the right technological choice. Doesn't nearly everyone have a cell phone?" On the negative side, however, "Who needs another distraction while driving or ... walking through the supermarket?" The writer also does a nice job of explaining People Meters, which are in limited use by both Arbitron and Nielsen, saying they yield information previously unavailable through the familiar diary system of audience measurement.
full story
posted by Unknown @ Monday, December 05, 2005,
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The MySpace Generation
They live online. They buy online. They play online. Their power is growing.
You have just entered the world of what you might call Generation @. Being online, being a Buzzer, is a way of life for millions of young Americans across the country...including my 12-year-old daughter. And increasingly, social networks are their medium.
As the first generation to grow up fully wired and technologically fluent, today's teens (and twentysomethings) are flocking to Web sites like MySpace (and many others such as Neo-Pets, Buzz-Oven and thousands more) as a way to establish their social identities. It no longer is base places like MSN or AOL. It's way more advanced than the social billboard clubrooms of CompuServe Or Prodigy of the early 90s.
Today's wired kids get a fast pass to the hip music scene, which carries a hefty amount of social currency offline. It's where you go when you need a friend to nurse you through a breakup, a mentor to tutor you on your calculus homework, an address for the party everyone is going to. For a giant brand like Coke, these networks also offer a direct pipeline to the thirsty but fickle youth market.
Top of the heap among these virtual hangouts is MySpace.com, whose membership has nearly quadrupled since January alone, to 40 million members. (Friendster is so yesterday.) Youngsters log on so obsessively that MySpace ranked No. 15 on the entire U.S. Internet in terms of page hits in October, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Millions also hang out at other up-and-coming networks such as Facebook.com, which connects college students, and Xanga.com, an agglomeration of shared blogs. A second tier of some 300 smaller sites, such as Buzz-Oven, Classface.com, and Photobucket.com, operate under -- and often inside or next to -- the larger ones.
Although networks are still in their infancy, experts think they're already creating new forms of social behavior that blur the distinctions between online and real-world interactions. In fact, today's young generation largely ignores the difference. Most adults see the Web as a supplement to their daily lives. They tap into information, buy books or send flowers, exchange apartments, or link up with others who share passions for dogs, say, or opera. But for the most part, their social lives remain rooted in the traditional phone call and face-to-face interaction.
The MySpace generation, by contrast, lives comfortably in both worlds at once. Increasingly, America's middle- and upper-class youth use social networks as virtual community centers, a place to go and sit for a while (sometimes hours). While older folks come and go for a task, Adams and her social circle are just as likely to socialize online as off. This is partly a function of how much more comfortable young people are on the Web: Fully 87% of 12- to 17-year-olds use the Internet, vs. two-thirds of adults, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project.
full BusinessWeek story
posted by Unknown @ Friday, December 02, 2005,
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From HollywoodReporter.com: Advice for Big Media in 2006
It's the year-end and the "what to do for 2006" predictions are starting to roll in.
Diane Mermigas of the Hollywood Reporter writes that the new world order of media and entertainment is taking hold in 2006, causing media companies to compete for consumer and advertiser spending like never before. (The Jointblog nods in agreement.) She says the digital broadband revolution is forcing traditional media companies to reinvent themselves right before our eyes, "placing their first unproven bets" on extending their content and services to different outlets so consumers can decide where, when, and how to consume content. She analyzes the advantages and challenges facing each of the major media companies in 2006 and the years ahead, saying (among other things):
1) Time Warner needs to keep America Online and let the consumer market dictate where it will go;
2) News Corp. needs a Web portal;
3) Google, now "irreplaceable," must prove it can stay the course without compromising its original mandate and purpose, and;
4) Yahoo! needs to be wary of "trying to be everything to everyone," and focus.
She also comments on more of big media (Disney, Comcast, Viacom/CBS, NBC Universal, Sony, MIcrosoft and Apple). It's a good read.
- Read the whole story...
posted by Unknown @ Thursday, December 01, 2005,
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NPR's Bob Garfield: Media Approaching Extinction
National Public Radio host Bob Garfield, speaking to a group of about 300 at Ball State University this week, said new technologies are wrecking traditional media and that, during this period of transition, a certain amount of chaos is inevitable. According to an account of his speech, which appeared in Ball State's student newspaper, Garfield, author of the book The Chaos Scenario, said the current fragmentation of media is responsible for a significant loss of advertising. Speaking apocalyptically, the talk-show host said, "The collapse of the old media model will unleash vast forces, and much of it will be coming at you. But," he added, "there's nothing especially orderly about the media's new world order." What's driving the changes in media, Garfield said, was not economics but rather, audience desire.
According to his bio, "On the Media Co-Host Bob Garfield is a columnist, critic, essayist, pundit, international lecturer, and inveterate broadcaster. In print, Garfield's "Ad Review" TV-commercial criticism feature in Advertising Age has made him among the more pitifully groveled-before figures in trade-magazine history."
full story
posted by Unknown @ Thursday, December 01, 2005,
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