MP3s Are Dead, At Least For Headline Purposes
from the the-attention-economy-at-work dept
We know that some news and trade publications these days find life more difficult in "the age of Google News," when they're competing with so many other sources for attention. Thanks to the fact that news aggregation systems usually just show a headline and maybe a blurb, these headlines often need to stand out to attract attention (though, there's some disagreement on that). However, it still amazes us how often headlines have little, if anything, to do with the content of an article. Take, for example, an article in today's TechWeb: MP3s Could Become Extinct. That's quite an assertion -- and bound to generate some clicks, right? Of course, if you read the actual article, you'll note that not once is the word "mp3" even mentioned outside of the headline. In fact, the article has nothing to do with the mp3 format at all. It's basically TechWeb reposting a press release (without an ounce of critical thought, or perspective from someone who might disagree with the claims) from an analyst firm making future predictions about the mobile device market. Like all such analyst predictions, it's pretty much useless. About the closest the article comes to discussing what the title claims is the idea that standalone digital music players will become a part of mobile phones -- which, of course, has nothing to do with the viability of mp3s. At best, the title should be adjusted to wonder if standalone mp3 players will go extinct, but that's such a minor story, along the lines of all those old stories about how the PDA market was dying, when what they were really reporting was that the PDA market and the mobile phone market were merging. Either way, we're sure plenty of people clicked to find out about those poor, dying mp3s... only to find them already extinct from the actual story.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
your mother was a whore
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
"Hi Boss. I just called to tell you that they told me to tell you that there's nothing to tell you."
Tighten up the reigns a little, Mike. The news day can't be THAT slow, can it?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re:
I actually thought it was a good story. TechDirt has always commented both on the world of tech, but also the press that covers it. Pointing out weak coverage can be both amusing (as in this case) and good for the entire industry. I say this was a good post...
Besides, I always wonder why people think they should decide what TechDirt posts. If you want to do that, why don't you start your own site?
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
You people missed the point
It reminds me of the technique used in television news, where they say something like "Could your blender kill you? Stay tuned for a special report." Then you wait through the show to get to their special report that tells you if you don't clean your blender after making fish chowder, you might get food poisoning. Sheesh.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: You people missed the point
Yeah, and usually the story comes from some lowly dumb-ass who used such an unsanitary blender to make salsa and put his/her party guests in the hospital. One moron's mistake or carelessness now becomes a NATIONAL HEALTH ALERT!! Remember! Always wash your kitchen appliances before you use them. It is also recommended that you also wash your plates and flatware after use. Oh and don't forget to brush your teeth.
Next up after the break, young boy accidentally kills best friend when his baseball bat slips out of his hands while swinging at, and missing, a well-pitched curve ball. Consequently Local Officials may ban baseball in small community.
I can see it now:
BLENDER-WATCH 2006!!
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: Re: You people missed the point
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Cure for AIDS here
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Better luck next article, dude.
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
I Was Here...
Since this article was soooo useful... (J/K)
Just doing&nb sp;some useless graffiti:
_ __________=_
&nbs p;\@([____]_____() -- -- -- x THIS ARTICLE
_/|-&nbs p; [____]
// (( )
/____|'----'
___ _/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Since this article was soooo useful... (J/K)
Just doing some useless graffiti:
_ _____ _____=_
\@([____]_____() -- -- -- x THIS ARTICLE
_/|- [____]
// (( )
/____|'----'
____/
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
||
||
||
||
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
They're Right
:P
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
Re: They're Right
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]
[ link to this | view in chronology ]