Arbitron tells CARP to go Scratch
This is HUGE. The fact that the Nielson ratings of radio has come out against CARP's recommendation is going to make this one a real fight ...

NEW YORK, March 25, 2002 -Arbitron Inc. provided congressional leaders with detailed reasons why they should oppose the digital rights fees recommended by the Copyright Arbitration Royalty Panel (CARP) and, instead, institute a five-year moratorium on such fees for streaming media.

"We foresee that the impact of these fees will dramatically reduce the consumer's choice of streaming content, limit the diversity of streaming 'voices' on the Internet, stifle competition among content providers and impede the growth of a popular new medium," wrote Bill Rose, vice president and general manager, Arbitron Webcast Services, in letters to members of Congress.

More here.

He's Alive!
BTW, Eric Norlin is on a blog roll today....

Free to Fee?
This is a question of been pondering for a while. I think Andy Bourland hits the head in his renewed column on ClickZ.

Moving from "free" to "fee" is risky. If you offer content that's simply "nice to have" rather than "vital to have," chances are your audience won't pay you a dime. If you have a bunch of competitors offering similar content for free, you're not likely to succeed in charging for what your readers can get elsewhere for nothing. If your audience is ill-defined or if the solutions you offer are only a modest improvement over the status quo, they won't open their wallets, either.

Those offering superior to none content will thrive in this model. Those offering information that's a commodity will fail. Regardless I think just as it was foolish to rely on just ad revenue to keep a site up and running, it would be foolish to rely only on paid subscriptions.

I've got an idea buzzing in my head (see last few entries) about introducing blogging as a source of income. Stay tuned ....

Fast Company on Blogging

Blogging is starting to tip. First MSNBC, now Fast Company gives us their take on blogging ...

Blog Journalism: "Say good-bye to the old-school pundits on the op-ed page of the New York Times. It's time to blog."

Peer groups organize themselves in hundreds of different ways. But what they all have in common is a shared sense of mission: what the military calls "unit cohesion." That cohesion -- a kind of network effect -- is what makes the peer group, or team, much stronger than the simple sum of its parts .....

They call themselves "Webloggers" -- or "bloggers," for short -- and they're providing the most energetic, lively, and passionate analysis, commentary, and opinion around....

When they're not focused on themselves, mainstream journalists spend most of their time sucking up to sources and writing with a keen eye toward source protection. Bloggers spend most of their time engaged in constant communication with their readers. In so doing, they create a network of sources who are always on the lookout for interesting articles, columns, stories, and items.

Blogs Demassifying: (although I think this author misses many beats, it translates well for those still living in a mass-broadcast world) " Weblogs aren't just glorified pages of links and rambling personal sites; they are an antidote to mass media."

"A Weblog is based entirely on trust," she says. "People come because they like to read what you write. If you suddenly began promoting Nokia cell phones on the side, news of it would come out quickly because this is a close-knit community. And that would be a tremendous breach of trust. It would be a scandal in the Weblog community because it goes against our entire ethic."

Fast Company contributor's blogs here. And their list of favorite blogs here.

This popularization of blogging is a little scary. I need to complete my ideas on using blogging for business before some dinosaur makes a mess of it all.

Bloggers in a Dot Bomb World
Henry Jenkins has written two (similar) pieces (here and here) on the increasing popularity and importance of blogging.

What I really like about Jenkins' pieces is how he melds blogging and mainstream media: Mainstream media will help shape our nation's common values, principles and core issues and the web (via blogging) will reframe those messages for specific segments and communities ....": turn on the TV and it feels like the same programs are on all the channels; turn to the Web and it’s impossible to distinguish the good stuff from the noise. Bloggers respond to both extremes, expanding the range of perspectives and, if they’re clever, creating order from the informational chaos."

I think Jenkins' articles go beyond some of the beliefs in the blogging community that the broadcast/mainstream media will die out and be replaced with a world of loosley joined pieces (for a kids explanation, which is also great for some grownups check here). While we live in a world where we can connect to someone thousands of miles away, we are still connected to our neighbors and our physical communities. The irony is that broadcast will maintain the consistency in values among neighbors while the web will diversify our culture and empower us to follow our passions and gain alternate perspectives on the physical world, like politics, sports, business ideas, and other issues and topics.

Blogging For Businesses .....
How does business use blogging? I've got some solid ideas. And they begin with David Weinberger's idea that customers (should) "own" a business' web site. And it continues with Chris Locke's idea in Gonzo Marketing that companies should underwrite websites that express common interests of the company's customers and employees.

Except my idea doesn't keep the underwritten web site separate from the company's web site. Instead, a community of bloggers (of both employees and customers), is hosted and promoted on the company's web site. Those who hold passions revolving around a company's product or service can discuss that passion within a community of bloggers on the company's web site.

The blogs will still be "owned" by the blog's creators while maintaining autonomy, similar to how one hosts their blog on Blog Spot. However the host will reflect a more niche community. For example, my blog on Guitar World Magazine's web site could be http://scottmusic.guitarworldblog.com. If I offer similar, but non-competing service, or content, and have gained the popularity to do so effectively (like Chris Locke has done in his community), Guitar World will underwrite my web site, promote it, etc. In return I link back to Guitar World's web site, and I send them leads.

Bloggers in a Dot Bomb World
Henry Jenkins has written two (similar) pieces, on MSNBC and MIT Technology Review (here and here) on the increasing popularity and importance of blogging.

What I really like about Jenkins' pieces is how he melds blogging and mainstream media: Mainstream media will help shape our nation's common values, principles and core issues and the web (via blogging) will reframe those messages for specific segments and communities ....": turn on the TV and it feels like the same programs are on all the channels; turn to the Web and it’s impossible to distinguish the good stuff from the noise. Bloggers respond to both extremes, expanding the range of perspectives and, if they’re clever, creating order from the informational chaos."

I think Jenkins' articles go beyond some of the beliefs in the blogging community that the broadcast/mainstream media will die out and be replaced with a world of loosley joined pieces (for a kids explanation, which is also great for some grownups check here). While we live in a world where we can connect to someone thousands of miles away, we are still connected to our neighbors and our physical communities. The irony is that broadcast will maintain the consistency in values among neighbors while the web will diversify our culture and empower us to follow our passions and gain alternate perspectives on the physical world, like politics, sports, business ideas, and other issues and topics.

Blogging For Businesses .....
How does business use blogging? I've got some solid ideas. And they begin with David Weinberger's idea that customers (should) "own" a business' web site. And it continues with Chris Locke's idea in Gonzo Marketing that companies should underwrite websites that express common interests of the company's customers and employees.

Except my idea doesn't keep the underwritten web site separate from the company's web site. Instead, a community of bloggers (of both employees and customers), is hosted and promoted on the company's web site. Those who hold passions revolving around a company's product or service can discuss that passion within a community of bloggers on the company's web site.

The blogs will still be "owned" by the blog's creators while maintaining autonomy, similar to how one hosts their blog on Blog Spot. However the host will reflect a more niche community. For example, my blog on Guitar World Magazine's web site could be http://scottmusic.guitarworldblog.com. If I offer similar, but non-competing service, or content, and have gained the popularity to do so effectively (like Chris Locke has done in his community), Guitar World will underwrite my web site, promote it, etc. In return I link back to Guitar World's web site, and I send them leads.

The Tipping Blog
Very cool and interesting follow up piece from John Hiler at Corante ... Malcom Gladwell's Tipping Point is used to explain the potently viral element of the internet. Which explains why Rob Poel saw that everyone else had already blogged John's earlier article on why google loves blogs.

An interesting exerpt:

Understanding how Link Mavens and Connectors work transformed my thoughts of how ideas spread. You can literally see the process take place online in a way that is virtually impossible in real life.

It's generally a five-step process:

1. An Expert (one might call her a Content Maven) Writes or Creates something interesting and puts it online (creating the critical component of any online ideavirus: the link)
2. A Link Maven comes across the link, and blogs it to their site
3. A Connector finds the link and blogs it to their site (or the aforementioned Link Maven has Connector-like traffic levels)
4. The link starts to Tip within the weblog community
5. The link Tips beyond the weblog community, as the rest of us find out about it

Advertisers think about banner-ad campaigns as a way to carpetbomb their audience with ads. But in a world where ideas and links can Tip so dramatically, perhaps it makes sense for them to revise their thinking.

ESPN Goes to Washington
This is why the baseball, Jagr and the Wiz will never rule this town. Why Steve Spurrier is the Rageboy of sports. The past DC'er's cling to, without relent. And the real men with a say in this town.

Amateur Journalism Ruled Equal
This is a great win for Free Speech and Blog Journalism. From Doc. Anyone know where I can get a copy of the ruling?

Back in the Bloghouse
Worth a read, or two or three. No comments, just letting it soak in.

I Changed My Name
"Hyper-Conversations" was ... well .... kinda lame, and not entirely me. Plus this ties in with a web site which I'll have completed more sooner than later (www.web-sense.com) which will market ... myself.