The iPad: First Impressions of Its Importance to Publishers
Initial impressions of Apple’s new iPad device — how the tech press is missing the meaning, what it might mean for publishers, and a chance to tell us what you think.
From the SIIA: Four Executives Describe the Past and Look Into the Future
Four different information industry executives’ perspectives seem to converge on customization. Customers want what they want, when and where they need it, and expect providers to anticipate those needs accurately.
Information Subscriptions Continue to Evolve and Thrive — Why Are Publishers Slow to Adapt?
The subscription model is more prevalent than ever, but it’s also different in important ways. What can publishers learn and implement?
Amazon’s Latest Moves: Is Bezos Conceding the e-Reader Space to Apple?
Is Amazon giving up on the Kindle? Maybe, maybe not. But it’s certainly being pressured in an area of publishing that has heated up quickly and almost counter-intuitively.
Is Privacy Dead? Only When Exploitation Mixes with Apathy
Recently, pronouncements by online mega-players (Google, Facebook) have been lighting up the boards as Eric Schmidt and Mark Zuckerberg particularly have made incendiary comments about the future and value of privacy. Here’s Eric Schmidt, in a brief clip, saying things […]
Highlights from This Week’s Comments in the Kitchen
Highlights from this week’s reader comments, pointing the way to dialog you might have otherwise missed. Also, let me know if you like this as a weekly feature.
Is Google Making Us Stupid, Part II: Perhaps, If We Don’t Seek Truth Over Information
Is a creeping computerization of our intellects making us less willing to accept that truth and knowledge may begin and end with human beings?
Fighting Fire with Fire — The Only Remaining Option?
The shift to the Systems Age is happening so fast and completely that publishers are left with only one option — fight fire with fire. Will they? Can they? Some examples show the way.
The Age of Systems Is Dawning — How Can Information Providers Respond?
Publishers and librarians are creatures of the Information Age. How can they cope with the coming Systems Age?
Some Memorable Dishes from the Kitchen in 2009
As 2009 comes to an end, here is a selection of entries that left an especially nice flavor on the palette.
The Unstoppable Corporate Force Meets the Immovable Social Network
The companies behind social networks and media are running into conflicts with their users as they try to generate revenue from their services. Recent moves by Google, Facebook and AT&T are all sparking controversy as each encounters opposition to their business models from their customers.
Get a Whiff of Google’s Augmented Reality Stickers
Do stickers point to integrated data in the real-world? Or is augmented reality easier to accomplish? What could data integrated into the real world mean to science and research?
Google Will Begin Adding Real-time Search Results in the Next Few Days
As Google adds real-time Web features to its search over the next few days, it may be the last nail in the coffin for publisher-centric commodity information.
The Scholars’ Catalog Project
A new initiative for a unifying online catalog of resources is underway. Can it provide a substrate for future innovation?
When Less Is More: The Upside of Paywalls and Delisting from Google
Rupert Murdoch’s recent moves have challenged the widely held notion that Google and the traffic it generates are essential to a successful web publishing business. Is it better to have lots of freeloading readers or a much smaller group of paying customers? Could the rumored search engine subsidies help support struggling scholarly publishing activities?