Newspapers are the cornerstone of democracy.
(No, not anymore. Only a little more than half the people in America read a newspaper on a weekly basis.)
Yes, now more than ever. People can more clearly develop their opinions because the sources of content have multiplied. And the power of the intellectual ruling class (i.e. editors) who filter and censor and control the flow of information is dying.
Newspapers need to be the leaders in this true democratization of information. Newspapers need to liberate its readers. Give them what they are truly curious about.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Individuated
Many people have questioned the new term "Individuated" for the type of self-selected news and news products we are contemplating. But one venerable critic/media authority has come down firmly on the side of the term: Vin Crosby of Syracuse University, the author of Digital Deliverance. Read his analysis at http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3630054. And I might add -- perhaps coincidentally -- Wikipedia also now agrees. Look up "individuation" and under the Media Industry Use of Individuation subhead you'll find: "The term Individuation has begun to be used within the media industries to denote new printing and online technologies that permit the mass customization of the contents of a newspaper, a magazine, a broadcast program, or a Web site so that the contents match each individual user's own unique mix of interests, unlike the Mass Media practice of producing the same contents for each and every reader, viewer, listener, or online user.."
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
INC 3
The dates for the next Individuated Newspaper Conference (number 3) are set for June 24-26 at The Washington Times in Washington, D.C. Visit www.individuatednews.com.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Getting started
It's easy.
Simply go to http://www.mydailyonline.com and sign up.
That will generate before your very eyes a personalized MyDailyOnline site. Please note the URL across the top, because that is your URL to visit and change over and over again.
(Go ahead visit mine: http://www.mydailyonline.com/pvandevanter -- and you will see that a four-column page has been generated using 13 RSS feeds.)
If you look top right on your (or my) page you will see an "edit feeds" button.
Click that and 13 windows appear with RSS feed addresses embedded.
By changing out any of those RSS feeds and hitting the "submit" button, the four-column page is automatically changed to reflect the new feed.
That's how you slowly build your own crude, four-column,online newspaper -- but you get the idea of how we will eventually paginate a newspaper with only content someone has requested.
Simply go to http://www.mydailyonline.com and sign up.
That will generate before your very eyes a personalized MyDailyOnline site. Please note the URL across the top, because that is your URL to visit and change over and over again.
(Go ahead visit mine: http://www.mydailyonline.com/pvandevanter -- and you will see that a four-column page has been generated using 13 RSS feeds.)
If you look top right on your (or my) page you will see an "edit feeds" button.
Click that and 13 windows appear with RSS feed addresses embedded.
By changing out any of those RSS feeds and hitting the "submit" button, the four-column page is automatically changed to reflect the new feed.
That's how you slowly build your own crude, four-column,online newspaper -- but you get the idea of how we will eventually paginate a newspaper with only content someone has requested.
Proposed personal newspaper conference
Several professionals are trying to put together the first global "Conference on the Personal Newspaper" in spring of 2oo7.
Myself -- a media executive -- in the U.S. ; Gregor Dorsch -- a marketing expert-- and Christian Bayerlein -- a printer -- in Germany; Stephan Jung -- a software expert -- at MIT.
Others are joining us all the time. If you want to attend, or just keep up with the email exchanges you can contact me at admin@petervandevanter.com.
We expect a two-day conference with presentations on progress across the seven challenges itemized in an earlier posting on this blog.
We are hoping to have the conference in one of the key towns associated with Gutenburg, i.e. Mainz or Leipzig, in order to have some historic alignment.
Myself -- a media executive -- in the U.S. ; Gregor Dorsch -- a marketing expert-- and Christian Bayerlein -- a printer -- in Germany; Stephan Jung -- a software expert -- at MIT.
Others are joining us all the time. If you want to attend, or just keep up with the email exchanges you can contact me at admin@petervandevanter.com.
We expect a two-day conference with presentations on progress across the seven challenges itemized in an earlier posting on this blog.
We are hoping to have the conference in one of the key towns associated with Gutenburg, i.e. Mainz or Leipzig, in order to have some historic alignment.
Personalizing music
Let's look at the history of another medium in the last decade: music.
Used to be people bought prepared discs of music called albums and 45s.
Today people download music from the internet and create their own albums, or CDs.
The medium has been personalized.
Too often there is so much noise about distribution changes, and marketing changes, and pricing changes -- that the obvious is overlooked. People now choose their mix of music, instead of buying it canned.
Now the canned goods are still available, but the driving force -- the phenomenon -- in particular, the I-pod, is all about personalization.
Why can't we do the same for newspapers: peresonalization?
Used to be people bought prepared discs of music called albums and 45s.
Today people download music from the internet and create their own albums, or CDs.
The medium has been personalized.
Too often there is so much noise about distribution changes, and marketing changes, and pricing changes -- that the obvious is overlooked. People now choose their mix of music, instead of buying it canned.
Now the canned goods are still available, but the driving force -- the phenomenon -- in particular, the I-pod, is all about personalization.
Why can't we do the same for newspapers: peresonalization?
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Direct mail bonanza
Where will the new money for the personal newspaper come from? How will the personal newspaper grow new advertising revenue?
By one-upping direct mail.
The personal newspaper is better than direct mail.
The personal newspaper is invited into the house and knows for sure the interests of the subscriber, so advertising can be dependably targeted. (Direct mail is NOT invited into the house and can only guess the interests of the receiver, based on demographics.)
And there is a lot of money spent on direct mail -- in fact, more than is spent on newspapers.
In 2006, $59.6 billion was spent on direct mail, whereas $48.1 billion was spent on newspaper advertising (source: The New York Times, "Junk Mail is Alive and Growing", November, 2006).
By one-upping direct mail.
The personal newspaper is better than direct mail.
The personal newspaper is invited into the house and knows for sure the interests of the subscriber, so advertising can be dependably targeted. (Direct mail is NOT invited into the house and can only guess the interests of the receiver, based on demographics.)
And there is a lot of money spent on direct mail -- in fact, more than is spent on newspapers.
In 2006, $59.6 billion was spent on direct mail, whereas $48.1 billion was spent on newspaper advertising (source: The New York Times, "Junk Mail is Alive and Growing", November, 2006).
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