Mac Slocum's Recommended Stuff

We Know Hollywood Is This Dumb. Et Tu, Netflix?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:34:00 -0500

We Know Hollywood Is This Dumb. Et Tu, Netflix? : Wow. Just … wow.

Here’s what this will do: It may drive sales of DVDs a bit short term. But soon, online movie piracy will pick up to new heights. If the movie studios have nightmares about piracy now, their reality will be truly terrifying with this plan in place. There are two major factors that stop movie piracy from being as bad as music piracy was a few years ago: Broadband speeds and convenience. Let’s speak to the latter one first: With services like Netflix, Redbox, iTunes, and the like all offering fairly easy ways to get movies you want, when you want them, it’s less of a headache for most people to use them rather than digging around online to get them for free. But with this new 30-day window in place, the masses would be driven online to search for more illegal content — and more importantly, it would begin to fuel a piracy ecosystem for Hollywood content. There would be more people downloading, but also more people sharing. That’s the key.

Take a look through any torrent site (looking isn’t illegal, btw) and you’ll see that most of the activity occurs around new releases. And that’s happening under the current system where new releases are available for either purchase or rental. Remove rental from the equation (you know, the lower priced, easier, less restrictive option) and suddenly pirates go from fringe-dwelling copyright violators to service providers. Wow.

A (Probably Naive) Attempt to Move the DRM Conversation Forward | Booksquare

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:49:24 -0500

A (Probably Naive) Attempt to Move the DRM Conversation Forward | Booksquare:

I long for the day when this finally happens for ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music … EVERYTHING.

I won’t be surprised if we start seeing serious, robust ebook rental schemes. I’d already been thinking about them when I had two completely unrelated conversations about the idea. By serious, I mean a true Netflix-type model where ongoing revenue to the publisher and author is part of the program. Again, everyone knows the rules, and there is potential for purchases galore.

Some ill-considered thoughts about The Texas Tribune

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:12:42 -0500

Some ill-considered thoughts about The Texas Tribune:

The days of silo-based thinking are coming to an end (thank god):

Like many of the journo nonprofits cropping up these days, the Tribune will distribute its work through its own website and via “distribution partners.” That’s not only smart, it’s necessary. Building a brand and destination website from scratch is tricky business (just ask Geoff Dougherty) so getting your name out there in as many outlets as possible is a very good idea. Where the Tribune goes where others have not is the idea that the organization can provide a platform for civic engagement through its “on-the-record, open-to-the-public events.”

"By obsessing about Google’s “evil” intentions they spend too much time playing..."

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 08:30:42 -0500

“By obsessing about Google’s “evil” intentions they spend too much time playing defense and not enough time figuring out their own digital offense.”

- Ken Auletta - I Want Media

Haystack : Web designers in Boston

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 13:21:18 -0500

Haystack : Web designers in Boston:

For future reference: 37 Signals’ Haystack is a web designer database.

The Texas TribuneTribWire | The Texas Tribune

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 09:52:48 -0500

The Texas TribuneTribWire | The Texas Tribune:

TribWire from the Texas Tribune is a very cool example of custom aggregation from a news outlet. Sort of a super Tumblr. As noted in this Nieman Lab piece, the Tribune installed a custom bookmarklet in the org’s browsers so staff can add to the feed on the fly. That’s INSANELY cool.

What information is "personally identifiable"?

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:02:52 -0400

What information is "personally identifiable"?:

Shared by Mac
Intriguing post about the insecurity of supposed “non”-personably identifiable data, such as zip code and birthdate. Further proof that anyone with motivation and database chops can…

Amazon Resurrects Orwell Annotations and Opens a New Can of Worms

Sat, 05 Sep 2009 22:52:53 -0400

Amazon Resurrects Orwell Annotations and Opens a New Can of Worms :

In an attempt to tie up the Orwell debacle, Amazon is offering affected customers replacement copies of “1984” or “Animal Farm” and the reinstatement of any personal annotations. From the New…

Naturally Scarce Products Call "Shotgun." Advertising, You're in Back

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 15:35:35 -0400

Naturally Scarce Products Call "Shotgun." Advertising, You're in Back :

In an interview with CNBC, Gary Hoenig, general manager for ESPN The Magazine, says the economic downturn put advertising in the hot seat:

… the overdependence on advertising is a real…

"User" and "Customer" are Different Animals In the Freemium World

Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:28:57 -0400

"User" and "Customer" are Different Animals In the Freemium World :

The New York Times’ recent piece on Evernote inadvertently cracked open an important question in the “freemium” discussion: What’s the difference between a user and a customer?

The language…

The Future–August 1999 Style!

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:17:55 -0400

The Future–August 1999 Style!:

Way back in August of 1999–hey, that was a decade ago, in a different century!–I was lucky enough to visit MIT’s Media Lab along with fellow members of the American Society of Business…

The real sin: not running businesses

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:50:23 -0400

The real sin: not running businesses:

Shared by Mac
You know analysis is sound when it seems obvious — “Newspapers have been too busy trying to protect specific budget lines that protected specific interests – the size of the…

Lifestreaming: Newspaper Uses Posterous to Solicit and Publish Reader Photos

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 08:50:23 -0400

Lifestreaming: Newspaper Uses Posterous to Solicit and Publish Reader Photos:

Shared by Mac
Great example of how a third-party service can expedite an idea. These days, there’s little excuse for long development windows. Launch, assess and iterate.

You’re probably…

Ping: Using ‘Free’ to Turn a Profit

Sun, 30 Aug 2009 01:41:41 -0400

Ping: Using ‘Free’ to Turn a Profit:

Evernote, a company that makes a Web application to save data users accumulate, hopes that giving away its product will pay off in the end.

Forestalled: Hunter S. Thompson At The O.J. Trial [Media]

Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:59:33 -0400

Forestalled: Hunter S. Thompson At The O.J. Trial [Media]:

“We had an eight-hour negotiating session. Hunter wanted satellite dishes, an unlimited expense account and a suite or two at the Chateau Marmont. We were a dying afternoon paper with no budget.”…

Yes, But How Do You Feel? Sentiment Joins the Web Analytics Toolset

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 09:06:31 -0400

Yes, But How Do You Feel? Sentiment Joins the Web Analytics Toolset: Source Link: New York Times

The New York Times examines sentiment analysis:

An emerging field known as sentiment analysis is taking shape around one of the computer world’s unexplored…

"Twitter Effect" Story Covers Consumer Tech Without the Hysteria (... It's About Time)

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 13:08:07 -0400

"Twitter Effect" Story Covers Consumer Tech Without the Hysteria (... It's About Time) : Source Link: The Baltimore Sun

I was ready to rip this Twitter Effect story for being one of many “trend out of thin air” pieces commonly found in consumer-centric technology coverage. But I…

"Set It and Forget It" Doesn't Apply to Comments

Mon, 17 Aug 2009 09:03:01 -0400

"Set It and Forget It" Doesn't Apply to Comments: Source Link: A VC

Fred Wilson discusses the effort behind good user comments and conversations:

But if the author of the news story, or opinion piece, or blog post, tends to the comments,…

The Wall Street Journal is Not a Newspaper

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 14:22:51 -0400

The Wall Street Journal is Not a Newspaper: Source Link: The Australian

Rupert Murdoch continues to bang the drum for pay walls:

“Quality journalism is not cheap,” Mr Murdoch said, noting that the success of The Wall Street Journal’s…

1-800-Flowers.com Facebook Store Good Step Forward for Online Retail

Fri, 31 Jul 2009 08:53:03 -0400

1-800-Flowers.com Facebook Store Good Step Forward for Online Retail:

1-800-Flowers.com has opened the first retail store within Facebook, according to the Associated Press (don’t worry AP, I won’t quote you).

This is what the Facebook shopping experience looks…