David H. Deans

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.