It’s the story that matters. A great New York Times article again reinforces the same idea: that just being “on” social media does next to NOTHING for sales conversions. A lot of people who failed at multi-level marketing and chinchilla farming turned to pumping social media for small business – and sold a lot of […]
Sinclair (KOMO) and Banjo
March 30, 2015 by
So I’m reading a lengthy write through about a new geo-location app called “Banjo” and thinking to myself, “Wow, the implications for the news business are huge. I wonder if anybody sees this?” Well, sure enough, Sinclair Broadcast Group (SBGI), parent company of KOMO, is playing around with it… apparently as part of a larger […]
Are Paywalls Killing Facebook?
April 11, 2014 by
There is a BIG problem with newspaper paywalls when it comes to social media. Let’s say you are a subscriber to your local newspaper, and you read a GREAT article you want to share with the world. Go ahead, link it through Facebook and Twitter – tell all your friends. Well, here’s the problem. Your […]
Breaking the Cable Monopoly & Facebook Buys Drones!
March 4, 2014 by
Facebook is doing a deal to buy high-altitude drone manufacturer Titan Aerospace according to a source for CNBC. At first blush, it’s a plan to bring Internet connectivity to the unconnected portions of the third world, but that’s not where the revenue is. The revenue will come by overbuilding and overflying first world nations where […]
Really Facebook? Autoplay?
December 17, 2013 by
So you know that setting your online videos to “autoplay” is bad manners right? Seriously, nobody who works in the video brandbuilding space would ever subject the eyeballs they’re trying to woo to something as obnoxious as autoplay. Unless you’re Facebook I guess. Autoplaying videos are supposed to start this week on The Book – promising to piss […]
Counting Tweets – Answering the “So What” Question
October 8, 2013 by
Commercial media can’t get paid unless somebody is responsible for counting eyeballs. So today’s announcement that Nielson is going to measure Twitter chatter surrounding television shows is an important step toward monetizing our favorite micro-blogging site. The New York Times report on this topic doesn’t indicate there are any buyers out there for the numbers, […]
The Boy and Pandora
March 20, 2013 by
I traditionally refer to my first son as, “the boy” sometimes. He’s not a boy any more, but like many of the other names he has – it will probably stick for a long time. So the boy posted about Pandora the other day, and I commented. Was I slightly sarcastic. Who. Moi? The point […]
Facebook as a legal document?
March 15, 2013 by
Having spent nearly a quarter century as on-the-street reporter, I admit I have spent more than my fair share of time being exposed to the down side of humanity. One of the sad little facts I have learned is that the graveyards are filled with people, mostly women, with restraining orders. Another case occurred yesterday […]
Sorry Facebook – didn’t mean to
April 10, 2012 by
The joke around my house with the kids is that no matter how great a “crime” is committed, the answer is always a cheerful, “Sorry.. didn’t mean to.” It gets a little absurd when, for instance, we’re dealing with a totaled car – but it does have the effect of keeping otherwise dark events a […]
The price of free
March 1, 2012 by
For years, you got Youtube, Facebook, Google and other online services for free. But did you ever wonder why? Well, as it turns out, you’ve been helping to build a database that probably requires several Petabytes of disc space to store and manage. The data contains everything your computer and online activity has ever learned […]
Don’t look at me!
December 8, 2010 by
So let me get this straight – everybody in the world has a Facebook page where they share enough information to get them convicted on just about any charge, but don’t want retailers and marketers to “track them” on the web? Well okay, then kiss the entire Raison d’être for the Internet goodbye. Without the […]
Never far from Hitler
September 17, 2010 by
One of the most disappointing things about the Internet is that while it certainly has increased engagement amongst “normal” people it has also given a lot of cranks, eight balls and mental midgets a platform. Take the Media Monkey as an example. Anyway, there’s a saying out there that says something like no posting is […]
Running my yap about an app
August 2, 2010 by
ABC News’ App for iPad features a fisheye globe that the user can touch and spin to select a news story. The “TV anywhere” model has always been the Holy Grail of the content creation community. It holds the promise of giving end users control of the content they consume when they want, and where […]
Our dying professions
March 30, 2010 by
A lot of troll bloggers like to jump on the print version of the PI’s grave thinking that its collapse is some kind of a political triumph. They would be wrong. Mostly, it’s about economics – and the commoditization of a lot of “products” that used to require professional creation. Today, “good enough” is good […]
Observation on last night’s breaking news
December 22, 2009 by
I realize this happens on a regular basis now, but last nightís tragic shooting of two Pierce County Sheriffís deputies again illustrates the power of social media – to an extent. Here’s how the news broke in the Layson house: My son received a text from a friend who has family connections with members of […]
Swine flu mania
May 1, 2009 by
Communications professionals are in full crisis mode over the swine flu. Long hours, endless meetings, balking supervisors, obnoxious attention seekers and a feeling that every word you write or speak might be your last is all part of the fun in a crisis communications environment. School districts, health departments, law enforcement, transportation providers, municipalities and […]
