YouTube — Long-term Strategy Pays Off With Amazing Stats for 2011
How many views did YouTube have in 2011? More than you might imagine. Is it any wonder YouTube is front and center in so many cultural shifts?
"Hating Amazon Is Not a Strategy" — The World Reacts As Amazon Opens a New Front in the Pricing Wars
The misplaced anxiety and consternation publishers and authors showed in the face of Amazon’s Price Check app revealed an industry and culture rooted in the past. And that’s not where the readers of the future are coming from.
More On the Power of Mobile — Trends, Functionality, and Adoption All Point to Dominance
Mobile integration with plants, carpets, and shoes? Yes, they are increasingly being used, as the centrality of mobile devices increases.
The Broader Context of Patron-Driven Acquisitions
A new book edited by David Swords on patron-driven acquisitions (PDA) provides a good background on the topic, but there is a broader context of PDA, which is not fully addressed.
The Costs of Print
The question of when print will end is often framed as if it is a natural occurrence, an evolutionary question, or the likely outcome of a sporting event, rather than a business decision that publishers may revisit on a regular basis.
Another View of DRM for Publishers
Publishers’ practice of clinging to DRM may be strengthening Amazon’s already overwhelming market position. Publishers should consider dropping DRM and even assisting in the creation of new digital venues.
Little Printer — Possibly a Big Disruptor
Can a cloud-based printer with a small footprint insert print back into daily information flows?
What We Should Learn from the Collapse of Borders
The collapse of Borders should be a wake-up call to publishers that assume that the core infrastructure of their legacy businesses will always be there to provide essential services.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Plagiarist
Is plagiarism of fiction less of a problem for publishers? Another tale of pilfered prose seems to indicate that checking for plagiarism isn’t something book publishers care about . . . yet.
The White House Calls for Information on Public Access to Publications and Data
The US government’s requests for information are of great importance for the future of academia and scholarly publishing. If you’re a traditionalist who sees open access as the downfall of civilization, an advocate who thinks information must be free, or someone who falls somewhere in between, this is your chance to create the future you’re seeking.
The Internet Can Be Touched — The Physicality of Cyberspace
The Internet was built and is being built. This fascinating little video shows the unique characteristics of this construction project, including why some big buildings are so important to its existence.
Is Anyone Immune? "Race Against the Machine" and Today's General Purpose Technologies
General purpose technologies are broadly applicable, and when they double in effect like IT has been doing for decades, they can start taking fast tracts of land. Is there anything safe as we “Race Against the Machine?”
Siri and the Resurrection of the Semantic Web
Siri may be many things — cool feature, Google killer, source of amusement — but it is perhaps the ultimate expression of the semantic Web. And it’s still in beta.
Can Amazon and Apple Peacefully Coexist? Probably, But As for Google…
The Google Era isn’t over by a long shot, but initiatives from Apple and Amazon reveal that the search giant is open to disintermediation by some clever and large-scale commercial tactics.
Quantum Levitation — Turning Your World Upside-Down
When science breaks your brain, it’s time to acknowledge its power once again.