Truth in magazine titles: As someone who publishes magazines for associations (when not blogging, among other things), I have lots of association magazines pass through my in-box. Don’t know why I receive it, but something about this magazine’s name makes me smile.

BusinessWeek gets it: A couple weeks ago, I was on a panel with BusinessWeek’s Rob Hof during which he spoke some about how he integrates blogging into the work flow of reporting for the magazine and BusinessWeek Online. I thought he did a good job explaining how blogging is a part of the process — not just one more responsibility and hassle as many publishers and editors in the audience apparently perceive it to be.

Today, there’s a great example of how BusinessWeek is rapidly embracing new forms of social and conversational media and how the role of journalists can expand, rather than be threatened, in the context of social media (or whatever you want to call it).

BusinessWeek’s Heather Green’s research and reporting on “the business of podcasting” first led to posts on her blog about the topic and then to a story in the magazine. With the knowledge gained in that research, she then created a follow-up analysis piece for BusinessWeek Online. And then, on her blog, she’s links to the first of a series of accompanying podcasts on the topic that use the recordings of some of the interviews she conducted while working on the story — or perhaps, interviews she’s set up afterward.

Now, is this an example of a news organization trying to get three-times the work out of one reporter? I don’t think so: I see a magazine that is making an investment in Heather on behalf of the magazine’s readers: “Go out and discover all you can on this topic,” they are saying. When she returns, BusinessWeek (editors, I assume) are giving her a wide array of options to do one thing — tell her story. Perhaps not in these words, they are saying to her something like this:

How can you tell this story as fully as possible? On your blog, you can share what you’re learning and engage in a conversation with those who are extremely passionate about this topic. In the magazine, you can give the general business reader a snap shot of what is taking place. On the website, you can go indepth to analyze the topic for those who want to more deeply understand its business implications for investment and other strategic reasons. Via podcasting, you can use the very technology you are exploring to give listeners direct access to the best “voices” on the topic.

I continue to believe BusinessWeek is one of the few old school magazine/online “brands” that is not running from, but is embracing new forms of social and conversational media. In talking with some folks there (like Rob), I have discovered them to be quick to admit they’re learning by doing, but aren’t we all? They’re not perfect by any stretch. But by the time everyone else wakes up, they’ll be way out of the gates.

Technorati Tags: blogging, magazines, businessweek, web2.0

The WSJ goes all Apple: Yet another “free feature” from tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal is about Apple. In this one, Walt Mossberg goes all gooey over the iMac G5. I guess that WSJ editor knows that stories saying the iMac G5 is the “gold standard” of desktop computers will generate some Google-juicing incoming links.

Technorati Tags: apple

Who would have guessed — iPod users have ‘pirated’ stuff on those things: (From the Wall Street Journal [free feature]) “This intersection between consumer technology and piracy isn’t something most companies are eager to talk about. (Apple declined to comment.) But because Apple CEO Steve Jobs is being touted as the savior of the beleaguered recording industry, it is at least worth exploring how all those iPods he is selling to the public are really being used.”

Sidenote: Is it just me, or does this following sentence seem awfully “bloglike” for a newspaper article:

“It didn’t take long after Apple introduced its new product for crafty Netizens to start sharing movies and TV shows formatted for the device (do a Google search with the words “torrent,” “video” and “iPod,” if you don’t believe me, or visit Podtropolis.com).

I added the boldface: since when do newspaper reporters go conversationally snarky in the middle of a news story? Break it down and this “exposé” of iPod “pirated content” is a thinly veiled how-to guide for iPod users on how to find such content.

Update: I guess this is a column, not a news story, so I stand corrected on the part about the “style” of writing. I still think he’s winking at the reader, however.

Technorati Tags: apple, ipod

This quote is flat: From an interview with Thomas Friedman in the Financial Times:

“And what’s even more interesting to me is: who invented podcasting? Nobody. It was an application that just emerged from the network.”

One of the “initial developers” of podcasting responds:

“Analogously, who wrote Tom Friedman’s latest book? No one, it just popped off the printing press.”

(Rexblog flashback, 10/11/2004: “Marconi personally taught me how to podcast“)

Celebrity endorsement: Nick Bradbury is switching back to Technorati for blog search. That’s good enough for me.

Technorati Tags: blogging

What Paul Conley Said: “I would prefer that publishers spend less time thinking about electronic design and spend more time thinking about electronic distribution.”

Observation: I love great design — print and online — however, I couldn’t agree with Paul more. People are reading your articles via newsreaders, blackberries, Treo browsers, who knows, smoke signals. When you design a website with the belief that your readers are all going to “enjoy” it via the most recent version of a web browser on a large desktop monitor, you’re displaying a high degree of cognitive dissonance (translation: you’re convincing yourself of something you want to believe, rather than that which might actually be).

Paul’s post also reminds me that I’ve been meaning to point to the (Washington) Post Remix weblog (tagline: “The Post’s Official Mashup Center”). I’ll echo Paul’s suggestion to anyone in the “traditional” media business who has the desire to “get it.” Follow the Washington Post’s enlightened lead. However, on this front, I’m sorry to say I also agree with Paul, who writes, “But truth be told, I can’t imagine that any B2B publishers will be able to do such things for several years. Heck, I can’t convince many of the folks I work with to link outside their own Web sites! Many journalists aren’t ready for the present, let alone for the future.”

(Actually, I can think of some B2B publishers who are ready to follow the Post’s lead, but I could count them on one hand. Come to think of it, the Post even has a B2B publishing unit that pumps out lots of “mashup-ready” RSS feeds. Somebody there will should get it.)

Technorati Tags: magazines, mashup, media, B2B

What Jason Calcanis said: “OK, let’s stop the bubble machine right now.”
Observation: I’ve been known to disagree with Jason on occasion, however, on this we agree. Until “widows and orphans” show up betting their pensions on the IPO of some company that is just a mashup with no revenue, we’ve got a long way to go. Despite my preference for the keep-it-small and don’t-take-VC-money for as long as you can approach, I have no problem with all the VC money flowing into early-stage companies. Frankly, that’s the business they’re in and I don’t think they’ll deserve anyone’s sympathy if they one day have to write-off their investment. But VCs and well-heeled early-stage investors losing money is not a bubble busting.
As I’ve blogged before, the least interesting part of what’s taking place now is the investment part of the story. Unfortunately, the flow of investment money is one of the few stories the general business news media (and, unfortunately, much of the B2B media world as well) know how to cover. The “transactions” of Web 2.0 (geez, I hate that term, but I’ve decided to capitulate and use it whenever I need a meaningless term that means everything) are not the story (unless, of course, you’re in the business of covering that facet of business).
Another observation: That said, I do believe there is some “monetizing of eyeballs” taking place. And frankly, that’s not necessarily a bad thing nor a bubble thing.

Technorati Tags: blogging, media, web2.0

Not in time for Christmas - Mac “Kaleidoscope” digital hub: Think Secret, the go-to source for Apple rumors (so go-to, Apple is suing him), is reporting that at Macworld (I’m guessing, on January 10 at 9 a.m. PDT), “Apple’s Mac mini will be reborn as the digital hub centerpiece it was originally conceived to be. The new Mac mini project, code-named Kaleidoscope, will feature an Intel processor and include both Front Row 2.0 and TiVo-like DVR functionality.”

It’s no secret that Apple will one day introduce something it hopes to be for the “home-entertainment” market what the iPod is for the in-your-pocket-and-ears entertainment market. Personally (and I’m biased, so take this with a grain of salt), I think Apple will be the company that finally succeeds — at least, at the top end of this market — with a fully “converged” digital hub (but I doubt they’ll ever use the word goofy term “digital hub” in describing it) that brings together audio, video, computing and online media…and hangs flatly against your wall.

Why Apple? Its product will be elegantly simple and beautifully designed. More importantly, the user interface won’t be created by Microsoft or Sony others who don’t typically display Apple’s unique insight into how to make things simple to understand and use.

Update: Dave Winer can’t overlook the attitude Apple sometimes displays with their software. He’s right.

Also, I remembered this morning that I said the following back in October: “I can predict one thing. In about 2-3 years, I’ll be purchasing a TV-media center flat screen something-or-other that will hang on my wall and be fairly large — and it will have the Apple brand on it. I won’t be disappointed in the previous model because I’ll wait until they have exactly what I want.”

I stand by that prediction. Except knock off a year.

Technorati Tags: apple

No way am I saying anything negative about this: An article in tomorrow’s Wall Street Journal (free feature) explores a provision in tax legislation currently making its way through Congress that would provide relief to songwriters.

Quote:

Country music is cool these days — and now Congress may make it more profitable for the people behind the lyrics. A bipartisan group of lawmakers, prodded by members of the country-music industry, added a provision to pending tax legislation that would lower taxes for songwriters.

The lawmakers propose to change a section of U.S. tax law — written before singer Garth Brooks was born — that would tax songwriters’ handiwork as capital gains rather than ordinary income as under current law.

“This is just such a glaring injustice,” says Bart Herbison, executive director of the Nashville Songwriters Association International. The association, which represents about 30,000 songwriters, says members’ average songwriting income of just $4,700 a year makes more advantageous tax treatment only fair.

At issue is a 1950s era provision that treats the sale of creative works as “income” (taxed at up to 35%) rather than as the sale of a capital asset and thus subject to capital gains tax (taxed at 15%). The songwriters want to have the treatment of “catalog sales” changed to capital gains. (The royalties collected on radio play or the sale of a recorded songs are not at issue.)

One thing, however. Readers of this blog won’t be surprised when I dismiss the meaningless statistic about “the average songwriter having an income of $4,700.” If there are 30,000 songwriters (and frankly, I think I know that many personally, so I figure there are a lot more than that), I’m amazed the average annual income is not $470. Talk about your long tails. How many hit songs are recorded every year? I have no idea, but there aren’t enough hits for the revenues to be spread out over 30,000 songwriters with any significance after the writers at the top of the pyramid take their share.

That said, I live in Nashville and if I ever want to get good service in a restaurant, there’s no way I’m ever going to suggest this isn’t a really swell idea.

Update: Upon further reflection, I’ve decided to advocate that an amendment be placed on the tax bill requiring whoever wrote the song Honky Tonk Badonkadonk to have his taxes doubled rather than cut.

Technorati Tags: nashville, tax

Banning Hodder? How dumb is that! I’m late in catching up with the news that Iranian blogger Hodder (who is a resident of Canada and who has been staying with a friend in New York) has been barred from the U.S. for six months. Hodder (Hossein Derakhshan) came to Nashville for BlogNashville and left with lots of friends. Here are more details (and calls for support) from a site called “Committee to Protect Bloggers” and from Jeff Jarvis.

(via: Nashville is Talking)

Technorati Tags: blogging, nashville

Nashville weather blogging update: This morning, I mentioned this is a good day to have the RSS feed from the weather bloggers at Nashville’s WKRN. Now, I’ve learned the folks at the National Weather Service in Old Hickory (a suburb of Nashville) are live blogging the storms. (Note: As you can see from the photo I just took out my office window, the rain has let up here. ( Click to enlarge.)

Update: Flickr set of three ‘after the rain’ shots.

Technorati Tags: nashville

How do you give someone an iPod that is pre-loaded with tunes from the iTunes store: A friend of mine called me last night with this situation: She would like to give someone an iPod and pre-load it with some specific songs she would purchase from the iTunes store.Simple enough. But when I tried to explain to her how to do it, I decided it isn’t as simple as it sounds.

Why this is problematic for a non-technical person: She’s very much a non-technical person and so is the recipient. She wants the music to all be purchased. The DRM “digital rights management” baked into songs purchased on iTunes, along with the skills necessary to connect an iPod to multiple computers (on both the Mac and Windows platform) make this simple-sounding exercise a potential land mine of Christmas morning screw-ups for people who simply want to hit a button and have it play.

After thinking about it a while, this is the alternative I suggested. It’s not a “pre-loaded iPod” but it’s the best I could think of that uses relatively non-technical consumer-level skills. Does anyone have a better hack that a non-technical person could understand? (That’s key: please, no “First, you need to port Linux to the iPod” suggestions.).

1. Give the person the Nano in the box.
2. Using iTunes, create a playlist of the songs you’d like to give, selecting them from the iTunes store (note: you don’t have to purchase a tune to add it to a playlist).
3. In your iTunes window, highlight the playlist you’ve created and then click on the “arrow” at the right of the name.
4. Select the “give this playlist” option and follow the instructions.

To me, this is not really a “solution” to what she wants to do, rather it’s a hack that Apple has packaged as a feature. Nonetheless, if you’re wanting to give someone an iPod and some songs, I think this is probably the way to do it with the least potential for Christmas morning frustration (as long as the recipient has a computer with a broadband connection).

Technorati Tags: apple, ipod, itunes

Worth noting: The Smithsonian’s American Art Museum is blogging.

(via: Coudal Partners)

Technorati Tags: blogging, smithsonian

What Simon Dumenco said: “The thing print people should fear is not so much the Google Gang’s hyper-competence, but the print industry’s profound incompetence — the widespread lack of truly professional managers, strategists and innovators.”

(From: “At the Wheel of the Wennermobile” AdAge.com [reg. req.])

Technorati Tags: magazines