Another fairly different industry where exactly the same thing (that Shirky is talking about) is happening is the textbook publishing industry.
They have a fairly stupid business model that contains both high fixed costs (they ship heavy free copies to thousands of professors, many of whom sell the books into the used book market) and high variable costs (each text costs in double figures to publish and weighs several pounds to ship). They are under pressure from shortening life cycles and lots of free Internet material.
But they don't understand what business they are really in. They come from book publishing and all they can see if book publishing (with lots of expensive digital embellishments).
Anyway, it is fairly structurally similar to the newspaper conundrum.
I had Shirky's essay linked to my blog by Saturday - and today I linked a very different essay by Michael Scherer at Time Magazine to my blog post. Scherer touches on the shrinking size of news nuggets to make them digestible for the web, and the implications of this on journalism business models.
Thanks, Mike, for moving forward this discussion.
"But are better-targeted ads really something that delivers any benefit to users?"
Yes, if my social contract is that I have to tolerate ads in order to get a service for "free", then I would much rather they be ads of some interest and value to me. I might actually buy something now and then.
I wonder where US Case Law stands on Major League Baseball's assertion that they own the "pictures, descriptions, and accounts" of their baseball games?
Anyone here know?
It seems to me the chess case is fairly similar to this.
Thanks. I think the interview went well. I made heavy use of Mike's logic - especially the part about predators scattering from Craigslist and being harder to track, brushed up on Section 230 - and pointed out it was very unlikely the sheriff will get a conviction, and was able to discuss the fact that Craigslist has an 18 point plan for dealing with illicit activity in their Erotic ad section.
FoxNews Chicago tonight - perhaps picked up by other Fox stations. They report, you decide blah blah blah.
I have no opinion as to whether the lawyer should win or lose. As, unlike some posters above, I realize I don't know all the facts.
I do have some sympathy for the story the lawyer is telling, though. My rental tenant paid her October rent by check on October 3. I deposited it on October 6 and it cleared quickly. On October 21, the bank pulled back the money (she didn't have cash in her account to cover the check). That caused me to bounce quite a few checks. I'd presumed once the check cleared it was mine to spend.
This is true, I am not making this up to make a point
Last night my wife and I were trying to take pictures of our new kittens sleeping. They looked very cute.
But the camera generates an artificial shutter noise (and a noise with the redeye light a moment before the shot). So most every picture caught the kittens reacting to the noise, rather than in their natural position.
I completely agree with your thesis. This should become a textbook example of the stupidity that sometimes occurs when IP is blindly enforced against a company's own marketing self interest.
I was a regular Scrabulous player. I tried their new game once and didn't feel comfortable with it. So I have been using the Scrabble "beta" since. Have now completed nine Scrabble games (much slower pace than I'd previously been playing Scrabulous (that means less page views with ads for those of you keeping score at home.)
And the Scrabble lawyers and still messing up within themselves. I spent most of December in Europe, which meant my Scrabble games were on hold as my Hasbro application was able to tell I was at a French IP address and blocked me from playing. How stupid is that? I am not going to drop my games mid-game to load a Mattel application (if one exists) - and I wouldn't be able to play with my regular American partners anyway!
Wouldn't it make much more sense for Hasbro and Mattel to work out a cross promotion agreement that their application users can use the game anywhere? After all, such a solution will only result in more page view (rather than frustrated users.)
$20 for parking; $2-$4 for gasoline
30-45 minutes travel time from living room to theater seat
30 minutes travel time back home from final credits to living room.
Two hour movie is really 2:15 when you factor in the front end commercials.
My wife and I are going out less and watching DVD more. My wife still sees lots of movies; I watch many less than I used to - there are so many other entertainment options available.
Just yesterday I read through the list of the top 20 grossing movies of 2008. I saw 3 of them in the theater (and one on an airplane.) Three more I will catch on TV sometime in the future. The rest don't interest me. My wife saw 5 of the 20 in a theater.
Brooklyn Bridge comments don't get to the reality of the matter
So, people above joke about a bridge. But this is a real issue with legitimate needs on both sides of this, um, bridge.
On one hand, we do want transparency in government. We do want to know that bailout money is truly needed, deserved, and not going to cronies. We want to know our government is making good decisions - and we need data to know this.
On the other hand, when a company receives emergency government assistance, this signals to the financial markets -- and in the case of banks to depositors -- that the firm is in trouble. Money bails from the ship and (to continue the metaphor) is under the bridge. We learned from last month's bailout bill that the big banks couldn't take advantage of bailout funds on a solitary basis for fear of creating a run on deposits.
The solution to the problem has to address both of these hands.
On the post: You Can't Wait For The Perfect Business Model
and I forgot the point I really wanted to make
They have a fairly stupid business model that contains both high fixed costs (they ship heavy free copies to thousands of professors, many of whom sell the books into the used book market) and high variable costs (each text costs in double figures to publish and weighs several pounds to ship). They are under pressure from shortening life cycles and lots of free Internet material.
But they don't understand what business they are really in. They come from book publishing and all they can see if book publishing (with lots of expensive digital embellishments).
Anyway, it is fairly structurally similar to the newspaper conundrum.
On the post: You Can't Wait For The Perfect Business Model
brilliant writing
On the post: Google's Behavioral Ads Are Just The Start
Re: Re: There is a benefit
On the post: Google's Behavioral Ads Are Just The Start
I could use some good ads
Yes, if my social contract is that I have to tolerate ads in order to get a service for "free", then I would much rather they be ads of some interest and value to me. I might actually buy something now and then.
On the post: The Coming Disruption In The Textbook Market
open source textbooks
I'd love to get involved (or start!) such a project.
On the post: Can You Copyright A Chess Move?
I always hear Tony Kubek's voice when I say this
Anyone here know?
It seems to me the chess case is fairly similar to this.
On the post: Illinois Sheriff Sues Craigslist For Prostitution; Apparently Unaware Of The Law
FoxNews Chicago tonight - perhaps picked up by other Fox stations. They report, you decide blah blah blah.
On the post: Illinois Sheriff Sues Craigslist For Prostitution; Apparently Unaware Of The Law
Fox News Interview
On the post: Lawyer Sues Citibank For Not Stopping Him From Losing Money In Nigerian Scam
I don't know
I do have some sympathy for the story the lawyer is telling, though. My rental tenant paid her October rent by check on October 3. I deposited it on October 6 and it cleared quickly. On October 21, the bank pulled back the money (she didn't have cash in her account to cover the check). That caused me to bounce quite a few checks. I'd presumed once the check cleared it was mine to spend.
On the post: Can A Professor Force Students To Destroy All Their Notes?
Actually,,
On the post: Latest Pointless Law: Requiring Cameraphones To Click When Taking Photos
This is true, I am not making this up to make a point
But the camera generates an artificial shutter noise (and a noise with the redeye light a moment before the shot). So most every picture caught the kittens reacting to the noise, rather than in their natural position.
On the post: How Hasbro And Mattel Killed Interest In Online Scrabble
completely agree
I was a regular Scrabulous player. I tried their new game once and didn't feel comfortable with it. So I have been using the Scrabble "beta" since. Have now completed nine Scrabble games (much slower pace than I'd previously been playing Scrabulous (that means less page views with ads for those of you keeping score at home.)
And the Scrabble lawyers and still messing up within themselves. I spent most of December in Europe, which meant my Scrabble games were on hold as my Hasbro application was able to tell I was at a French IP address and blocked me from playing. How stupid is that? I am not going to drop my games mid-game to load a Mattel application (if one exists) - and I wouldn't be able to play with my regular American partners anyway!
Wouldn't it make much more sense for Hasbro and Mattel to work out a cross promotion agreement that their application users can use the game anywhere? After all, such a solution will only result in more page view (rather than frustrated users.)
On the post: Missing The Point In Movie Attendance Numbers
Re: YEP..
$20 for parking; $2-$4 for gasoline
30-45 minutes travel time from living room to theater seat
30 minutes travel time back home from final credits to living room.
Two hour movie is really 2:15 when you factor in the front end commercials.
My wife and I are going out less and watching DVD more. My wife still sees lots of movies; I watch many less than I used to - there are so many other entertainment options available.
Just yesterday I read through the list of the top 20 grossing movies of 2008. I saw 3 of them in the theater (and one on an airplane.) Three more I will catch on TV sometime in the future. The rest don't interest me. My wife saw 5 of the 20 in a theater.
On the post: Don't Speak Your Mind In British Columbia -- Even At Home
QED
I think he demonstrated himself to be a prick. QED.
On the post: Plenty Of Companies Would Consider Going Virtual To Save Money
Re: Corollary to the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle...
On the post: Monster Mini Golf Using eBay To Fight Monster Cable's Trademark Lawsuit
Coupon redemption
If they ask why, I can just tell them I'd assumed they were a division of Monster Mini Golf.
On the post: It Makes No Sense For The President To Not Use Email
Re: Wow
Your response makes no sense to me. In what way is Mike's post ignorant? You don't say.
On the post: Washington Post Story Convinces Service Providers To Pull The Plug On Major Spam Enabler
But for how long
On the post: Washington Post Story Convinces Service Providers To Pull The Plug On Major Spam Enabler
What are they?
Agreed this is whack-a-mole, but what are those better, more efficient ways? I can't think of anything practical that would work.
On the post: Bloomberg Sues The Fed For More Transparency Over $2 Trillion In Emergency Loans
Brooklyn Bridge comments don't get to the reality of the matter
On one hand, we do want transparency in government. We do want to know that bailout money is truly needed, deserved, and not going to cronies. We want to know our government is making good decisions - and we need data to know this.
On the other hand, when a company receives emergency government assistance, this signals to the financial markets -- and in the case of banks to depositors -- that the firm is in trouble. Money bails from the ship and (to continue the metaphor) is under the bridge. We learned from last month's bailout bill that the big banks couldn't take advantage of bailout funds on a solitary basis for fear of creating a run on deposits.
The solution to the problem has to address both of these hands.
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