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Those of us who seem to be living at the cutting edge of technology often don't take enough time to reflect on how quickly things change. The point was driven home for me recently when my grandfather celebrated his 100th birthday and gave a speech about his life growing up a century ago.
It's worth taking a few minutes to watch and listen...
I came across some interesting data while doing some research tonight, and I thought I'd share it in raw form before I have a chance to tie it together with some thoughts I have.
What follows are the 10 most trafficked online news sites that create original content, according to data from Alexa. We can dispute the accuracy of Alexa data, but it is publicly available and in many instances I believe that the relative positions it offers are correct in many cases. Of course, I welcome other data from comScore or others if they'd like to share it.
In parentheses after each is the overall site rank in the Alexa system.
1. BBC (50)
2. CNN (113)
3. NY Times (227)
4. MSNBC (*)
5. Reuters (561)
6. Forbes.com (656)
7. Guardian Unlimited (689)
8. Fox News (759)
9. News.com.au (798)
10. Washington Post (865)
* MSNBC's overall traffic ranking is not provided but rather is included in MSN.com's numbers
Here are the 10 U.S. newspaper web sites with the most traffic, again according to Alexa with overall site rank in parentheses.
1. NY Times (227)
2. Washington Post (865)
3. USA Today (1036)
4. Wall Street Journal (1036)
5. LA Times (1507)
6. San Francisco Chronicle (1708)
7. NY Post (2436)
8. Chicago Tribune (2918)
9. Houston Chronicle (4072)
10. Seattle Post-Intelligencer (**)
** Seattle Post-Intelligencer's overall traffic ranking is not provided but rather is included in nwsource.com's numbers
Doug Haslam of Topaz Partners was kind enough to grant an interview to Sarah Wurrey of CustomScoop's Media Bullseye during the recent SNCR symposium in Boston. Doug talked about his firm's work with Scuderi Group to promote an innovative new air hybrid engine.
Not only does it make good content, but it's also letting me perfect my video production skills. Each one I produce seems to improve, even though I still have a long way to go.
I have developed a bad habit. I snack too much. No, I'm not talking about in real life (though that's probably true, too). I'm talking about in my information consumption habits.
The Snacking Concept
A popular meme the past few months, popularized in part by a Wired magazine story, has been that consumers want information in "snackable" form. That is, in bite-size bits that are easily digested. And that's precisely what I do on a daily basis. I read short emails using Gmail, skim through 140 character Twitter messages, and sort through blog posts using Google reader (most of which are but a few hundred characters in length).
Some Snacking is Good
On the one hand, these little chunks of information let me stay on top of a lot of topics at a very basic level. I'm getting some of the "serendipity" that I often worry we are missing in our hyper-organized information society that those of us who qualify as early adopters seem to be living in. For instance, I know that Britney Spears' 16 year old sister is pregnant. I don't particularly care, but it's not a bad idea to be aware of pop culture at some level.
I Don't Want to Contribute to Your Snacking Problem
The problem with snacking, though, is that it doesn't encourage deeper dives into important topics. It's one of the reasons why I have abandoned my old habit of putting up very short blog posts where I offer very little other than a regurgitation of someone else's information. I still curate information, but through the use of shared links in my Google Reader, delicious tags, and Twitter messages. For this blog, I now focus on longer commentaries, for the most part, and try to offer something original -- in information, perspective, or both. No more "me too" posts here. My other main writing outlet, Media Bullseye, explicitly discourages snacking and tries to provide more depth to all of its articles and commentary.
My New Information Diet Lifestyle
But that solves my contribution to the snacking problem, not a solution for my own habits. That requires a bit more effort. For one, I need to do a better job of reading books. I still read a fair amount, but too often I go for easy reads designed to simply entertain or to read an important industry book to allow me to better address trends. But I also need to read longer magazine articles and other more meaty content on a more regular basis.
Here, then, is the action plan I'm going to try to follow:
1. Read More Books. I'm already on a quest for books about the history of the media industry, but I have also already started to dig into other thought-provoking books like Charlie Gasparino's book (King of the Club) about former NYSE Chairman Richard Grasso (recommended by Brad Feld). I'm going to try to stay away from glib business books that profess to offer general advice on how to have better meetings, hire better employees, or work more efficiently. I have read enough of those to last me a lifetime. I want to read about what real people have actually done. I'm not a philosopher, I'm an entrepreneur.
2. Read Less Blogs. I started down this path by wiping out all of my blog subscriptions a few weeks ago. I have started adding back slowly, but I hope to control my eagerness to add others. It means a lot of friends aren't on my regular reading list anymore, and that pains me, but I need to spend less time in this arena and more consuming other information. To help make sure I'm not missing interesting stuff, I am subscribing to more curators of information (notably shared items by Chris Brogan, Robert Scoble, and Bryan Person, along with Jason Hirschhorn's excellent Media Redefined feed). I am also relying on Twitter for leads to useful posts, as well as emails from friends and colleagues.
3. Read More Article Content. Whether from newspapers, magazines, online journals, or elsewhere, I want to make sure that I am consuming more detailed written content from interesting people. In some cases I am seeking content that may challenge my existing beliefs or make me uncomfortable. In others, I'm looking for deeper dives on topics that I want to know more about. And sometimes I'll read an article or commentary that provides information to validate my own opinion. I think a good mix is key. The toughest part here is to find the right stuff to read. Most of the curators that I rely on point to blog posts and only rarely highlight more detailed information. This is a problem that I haven't solved yet (which means it may turn into some sort of a business -- so watch out if you work for me!).
What say you? Does this lifestyle change make sense to you? What other advice might you give me or am I just completely off my rocker?
I spend a lot of my day looking at and discussing innovative technologies, techniques, products, and companies. But we all need to remember that innovation isn't limited to for-profit operations. In fact, a great example of innovation in the non-profit sector is DonorsChoose.
From the organization's web site:
DonorsChoose.org was pioneered by teachers at a Bronx public high school in the spring of 2000. Charles Best, then a social studies teacher, saw first-hand the scarcity of materials in our public school classrooms and the profound impact of this scarcity on kids' education. Looking for a way to address this problem, he sensed an untapped potential in people who were frustrated by their lack of influence over the use of their charitable donations. DonorsChoose.org, a website connecting classrooms in need with individuals who want to help, was born.
I first became involved with DonorsChoose as part of venture capitalist Fred Wilson's "challenge" that he took part in along with other bloggers. The idea was to get readers to participate, and I did.
I have been very fortunate over the years and work to support various charitable endeavors as a result, but I am one of those who like to be more directly involved with my giving and this group gives me the chance to do so.
But what really impressed me was the follow-up. I chose to fund a printer for a vocabulary program in a Brooklyn, NY elementary school. Recently, I received a thank you note from the school, which would be great in itself. But it was simply a cover letter for a stack of thank you notes, handwritten by the students and decorated with drawings.
That kind of follow-up will serve DonorsChoose well and help keep supporters engaged. Well done!
Can anyone suggest any good books for the history of media? Interested in media generally, as well as specific media (newspapers, TV, radio, etc.). I believe we learn a lot about the future by looking to the past, but have yet to find any really good books in this category.
That's what I argue in a commentary today on Media Bullseye. It has sparked a bit of discussion already, with Amanda Chapel weighing in to laud my views, which can only mean that it's a polarizing piece!
Jim Turner sums up when many others seem to be thinking: " This post is somewhat like a shotgun blast. Some of the pellets hit there mark and some not so much..."
Or Doug Haslam who noted, "The best rule is that rules are made to be broken. Should I agree with every little thing you said? I know better than that."
Read my commentary and tell me what YOU think.
For those of you who are not yet subscribed to Media Bullseye, check out my review of Geoff Livingston's book Now is Gone. In a nutshell: "Geoff Livingston has successfully authored a book that many communicators new to the social media game will find to be a useful introduction to the techniques needed to thrive. Recommended, with reservations."
Do you think any customer would turn down free shipping? Of course not. Yet the French courts have ruled that Amazon.com must charge its customers for shipping. Why? Because other booksellers have complained that it makes them look expensive by comparison. Well, duh!
The problem here isn't that Amazon offers free shipping, but rather that French law restricts product discounting. The answer to the problem isn't to pull the plug on Amazon, but rather to give other booksellers the flexibility they need to operate their businesses in a competitive manner.
When you look at the actions of France and other European government, it is a wonder that American companies choose to participate in those markets at all. In some cases, the volume is simply enough to endure the pain and suffering the regulations over there cause, but smaller, more innovative companies will likely be loathe to put up with it.
Yet another example of why regulation stifles innovation.
It has been a lot of work, but Media Bullseye finally gets to see the light of day. It is the result of a partnership between two companies I am involved with. The first, CustomScoop, I suspect most of you are familiar with. I co-founded that company in 2000 and it has been an active and successful participant in the media intelligence marketplace ever since. The second is one that I founded earlier this year, Eaglon. This startup already publishes Cork & Knife, focused on fine food and drink.
Eaglon's mission is to create multimedia magazine titles that marry text, audio, and video and delivers content both online and in print to consumers. It will own and operate independent titles (like Cork & Knife) but it will also partner with other organizations and companies to create co-branded publications (like Media Bullseye). I envision this second category as a sort of modern "in-flight-style" magazine that provides valuable content to readers, viewers, and listeners, while also helping to raise an organization's profile and credibility.
For the debut of Media Bullseye, I wrote an article explaining this theory of turning any company into a publisher. I explain how I think it might work and what needs to be done to be successful.
I am grateful to a lot of people for helping get this launched in a timely fashion (we wanted to make sure we were up and able to cover the SNCR event in Boston this week). First of all, the team of folks that I work with is second to none. In particular, Sarah Wurrey, Ian Muir, Phil Charles, and Jen Zingsheim-White all made significant contributions. And I am especially thankful to some of the early outside contributors to Media Bullseye, including Chris Brogan, Chris Thilk, and Scott Monty.
You will certainly hear more from me in this space about Media Bullseye and Eaglon, but for now just go check out Media Bullseye for yourself. (And feel free to tell your friends, Twitter followers, blog readers, and podcast listeners all about it if you find it valuable.)
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