David H. Deans

Who Defines Journalistic Narcissism?

Frankly, local TV newscasts are the most puzzling to me, and I live in a state capital. Is a traffic accident, a small apartment fire, or yet another act of domestic violence the "most newsworthy" insight for that particular day? Nothing else happened that topped these events, really?

McKinsey's Cloud Computing Report Is Not So Clear

@raytayzmd I agree that this assessment reads like the kind of "analysis advertorial" that Aberdeen Group will produce for the right price.

Frankly, even though I'm sure that McKinsey & Company has suffered a loss of consulting work due to the economy, I'm puzzled why they would risk damaging their brand a associated reputation. Very short-sighted.

A Sad Day for Newspapers

On a positive not (beyond the "sad day" for newspapers rhetoric), the forward looking perspective will be that this is a perfect opportunity for new micro media companies to reinvigorate the news gathering and dissemination business.

I celebrate the notion that independent thought is alive and well in America, and everywhere else where people have access to the open Internet. You can choose what you read, you choose what you want to ponder or believe.

It's a wonderful day, not a sad day. Open your eyes, and your mind, to the upside possibilities of meaningful free speech in action, all sides of the issue finally being included in the debate, and the knowledge that there is hope -- as long as we can agree to disagree, with mutual respect and tolerance for all.

NYT Broadband Story: Self-Fulfilling Prophecies Make Bad Journalism

Frankly, this $9 billion likely won't have a significant impact, but it's a start. Granted, the critics that refer to abuses of the eRate or Universal Service funding programs have valid concerns. Regardless, that's not reason enough to pull back from a commitment to address this key infrastructure handicap -- that being, the U.S. has fallen so far behind the leading broadband nations in the world, major U.S. urban areas are already at a disadvantage. This is truly a complex economic development issue that requires more than "sound bite" public policy. America needs a substantive plan of action, that's supported by all stakeholders who put the future of the country before their own myopic vested interests.

10 Reasons Why Genachowski's a Great Choice to Head FCC

Fred, I share your enthusiasm for this appointment. However, there's so much to do (and undo) from the Kevin Martin legacy. Mr. Genachowski will have a full plate of significant policy issues from day one on the job.

Post-CES Hoopla: Home Connectivity Remains Disjointed

"The company that figures out the ultimate universal dashboard software that eases pain and price of being a digital consumer wins the whole shooting match."

To the contrary, it would appear that more open and collaborative industry standards for device interfaces are what's needed in the consumer electronics arena -- to avoid the situation where consumers are beholden to any one CE manufacturer. People that buy these devices clearly don't want any single industry player dominating the digital consumer domain.

Broadband: Why Government Investment Is Justified Now

Tom, I hope this message finds you well. Happy New Year.

I have to agree with Tricky's comments, who said "I would suggest that the supporters of this idea come up with more compelling examples of huge impact results from such an initiative -- such potential results were fairly obvious for the interstate highway system."

There's very apparent reasons why the "bigger bandwidth" mantra has not gained traction. That said, who is the leading spokesperson for this cause, and have they finally organized the various public and private stakeholders into a coalition?

My point: what has actually changed since I wrote the following related column back in 2001? BTW, while I agree with Vint about it being a delicate balancing act, I'd also add that sceptics expect more than finesse -- they want substantive arguments which address issues that non-techies appreciate.
www.internetnews.com/b...

The End of Brand Advertising

The data doesn't seem to support the notion that we're better than we were 50 years ago. Traditional advertising and PR firms continue to lead and guide their naive clients -- they tell them that throwing cash down the same old money pit is a wise investment.

Moreover, young communications majors that recently graduated from most universities have been taught by professors who are from the bygone leap-of-faith era of Madison Avenue. What they are taught about 21st Century digital marketing practices is often biased by that legacy thinking (real measurement is a fad, focus on your creativity, don't worry about business impact, etc).

When those new graduates enter the job market they're often greeted by legacy schooled advertising and PR agency executives that are typically clueless about how to engage consumers -- and shift from the old-style monologue to an more interactive dialog.

The notion of a hybrid analog/digital model will likely make sense to those who can't move beyond their own denial. They will keep using their tried and unproven approach to marketing products and services, regardless of the facts.

Some people are terrified of change to their status quo -- many in the advertising industry are fearful of the change that you describe. The end of an era is always painful for those who refuse to let go of the past, and start over.

10 Ideas for Newspaper Survival

That's odd. The exact same column was posted the day before. Deja Vu?
seekingalpha.com/artic...

10 Suggestions for Media Survival

Regarding #2, I would suggest that the BlogBurst Network is a good place to look for collaborative editorial talent, and a forward-looking 21st Century Reportage business model in action. [Disclosure: I'm a member of the network]

Jeff, all these other suggestions merit serious consideration, but there's one very significant item that's not on your or Mr. Roussel's list -- legacy big media companies must be prepared to address their dysfunctional corporate culture.

In the airline industry, PanAm and TWA proved the point that a long legacy of successful operations can actually be a detriment when it comes time to embrace sweeping changes in the industry.

Which of the major traditional newspapers have candidly tackled their legacy corporate culture, exposed the issues that will bankrupt the business, and then demand that all stakeholders either embrace the new plan or leave?

My point: it's likely that subversion from within is killing the print media industry -- not a lack of innovative ideas, minimal external partnering or superior competitor strategy.

Networking Cos to Benefit from Obama's Plan

We've been waiting nearly a decade for the U.S. government to come to this conclusion. FYI, when I wrote the following column in 2001, ironically political leaders in the Asia-Pacific and Scandinavian regions showed the greatest interest in developing broadband infrastructure investment strategies -- for national, regional and local competitive advantage within the Global Networked Economy.

Broadband Policy Lessons Learned: The U.S. Highway System
www.internetnews.com/b...

The Death of Profitable Journalism

Perhaps the challenge going forward will be finding enough people willing to read yet another column about the future of "professional" journalism. That said, it seems from the comments, Jeff, that the interest in this topic is already fully exhausted.

YouTube: Google's Recession-Proof Cottage Industry

Julia, perhaps the Prosumer online video production sector is the segment to watch more closely in 2009 -- not just the actual content they produce, but the tools and services that are used by those individuals to create and distribute their content.

Armed with creative talent, an idea for a niche market segment, and the knowledge of how to engage their target audience -- Prosumers benefit from the continued fragmentation of the mass-media marketplace.

Cloud Computing Will Transform Business

@PastTense may I suggest the Business Technology Roundtable, which covers the business impact of managed and hosted services
business-technology-ro.../

Nine Media Predictions for 2009

Julia, I have to agree with Jim Dorey's comment -- we're going to see a groundswell of new low-budget Indie productions -- which the majors with try to emulate (both creativity and business model).

Also, your point about "videos of sleeping cats and skateboarding bulldogs" simply isn't the real focal point for the current fragmentation of the online video marketplace. Prosumer and lower-cost professional production models will further fragment the traditional market, and the results will be sweeping. IMHO, the rapidly evolving long-form prosumer video segment is the one to watch.