Digital Discourse / Events

VIA Recap: Syndicating Your Content and Working with B2B Aggregation Platforms

May 17, 2012 By

Angus Robertson

On May 9 & 10, the SIIA Content Division hosted Content VIA Platforms – a conference dedicated to educating media, publishing and information professionals about the technology and business issues related to distributing content via mobile, social and other platforms. Guest blogger, Angus Robertson, gives his write up on the session Syndicating Your Content and Working with B2B Aggregation Platforms.

 This panel at the SIIA Content VIA Platforms, moderated by NewsLook CEO Fred Silverman, provided a good representation of the spectrum of attitudes towards syndicating content. In the traditionalist’s corner was Eric Johnston, Publisher and President of the Modesto Bee and the Merced Sun-Star, owned by McClatchy Newspapers. Johnston was quick to draw the distinction that “We are journalists, not content creators or providers. We do our best to protect our copyright.” Johnston also took comfort in the advent of the iPad, which he said allows a return to the “serendipity” of newspapers. This led to a discussion among the panelists of the “lean back” movement that, for example, has people spending 2 continuous hours with the iPad version of The Economist in a quasi-print format.

Johnston says his papers syndicate broad interest stories, but keep hyperlocal news within their own system, believing that local news is not of much interest outside the community. (But what about those who have left the community who may still be interested in home town news?) Despite the challenges facing the industry, Johnston thinks it is an exciting time to be in the newspaper business: “We have strong digital assets and we’ll be prepared for future delivery.”

Anthony Capon, Vice President for Content at Dow Jones oversees Factiva, which has  more than 36,000 content providers. Capon noted that anyone can aggregate and webcrawl: “We make it legal and present people with something they haven’t seen before.” Curation becomes more important as the playing field levels, with data mining and visualization emerging as key differentiators: “People want to discover things they don’t know, rather than just searching,” he said. While it is more complicated and expensive to syndicate through multiple platforms, “We have to be on all platforms our users use or we don’t get paid.”

Jeffrey Massa, President and CEO of syndicator YellowBrix, wants to make sure the content gets to the customer and that each of the 3,000 publishers gets credit. Massa noted a trend recently for publishers, especially newspapers, to try to pull back content that they previously syndicated through aggregators.  Agreeing with Capon, Massa noted that syndicators have to add more value: “deduping content is not enough.’  Over time he expects to be syndicating less licensed content and more unlicensed content.  YellowBrix is putting its money where its mouth is through its new iSyndicate product. Rather than the traditional usage-based model, iSyndicate buys in bulk: for example, 10 million page views for a set fee. Clients are charged a flat monthly fee regardless of the amount of usage.

NewsCred CEO Shafqat Islam, emphasized the importance of paying attention to packaging and making sure the display of content is optimized for different platforms, including billboards.  He said NewsCred aims for an “immersive content experiences” using a combination of algorithms and an editorial team. NewsCred was able to sign up the Financial Times, which is known for keeping fairly tight control of its content, by “showing how we can take them beyond where they are. It has to be more than just revenue in some cases.”  As an example of how curation of syndicated content can serve niche markets, NewsCred also has worked with the Daily News to create an online section aimed at the South Asian community in New York.

Many publishers still expect higher fees for content appearing on display screens, such as Bloomberg and Thomson Reuters terminals, but NewsCred charges clients the same amount, regardless of the platform they receive it on. Noting that “Advertisers want to control the relationship with the customer,” Islam said brands such as Pepsi are the fastest growing customer segment of NewsCred’s business.

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Post written by Angus Robertson, Principal Robertson Advisors llc.

For 10 years Robertson Advisors has been providing content creators and distributors with strategic and tactical consulting services. Angus can be reached at angusrob@mac.com.

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VIA Recap: Audience Engagement 3.0

May 15, 2012 By
 On May 9 & 10, the SIIA Content Division hosted Content VIA Platforms – a conference dedicated to educating media, publishing and information professionals about the technology and business issues related to distributing content via mobile, social and other platforms. Guest blogger, Angus Robertson, gives his write up on the session Audience Engagement 3.0
 

Burt Herman, Co-founder, Storify

Go away helicopter before I take out my giant swatter :-/

Shoiab Athar posted this tweet on May 1, 2011, unaware at the time that he was witnessing the assault that led to the killing of Osama Bin Laden in Pakistan.

Speaking at the SIIA Content VIA Platforms conference in San Francisco, Storify Co-Founder Burt Herman used this as a compelling example of how storytelling is becoming social. Of course his business is predicated on building stories out of social media, but he made a good case, arguing that the web is inherently social media. Examples include how social media can add context and meaning to photos and how pulling together tweets from Apple employees after the death of Steve Jobs provide a touching “story” that would likely not be available through traditional reporting.

Herman also argued that content “curation is incredibly suited to touch,” and showed how easy it is to use Storify to “swipe” social media and other web content into a “story” that can be easily shared as an embedded object:  “YouTube videos are embeddable anywhere on the web, so why not stories?”

As somebody who, like Herman, was once a wire service reporter, I was taken with the way in which constantly updating a Storify “story” with new information is similar to a constantly updated AP story. Storify is also stretching the definition of what a story is. Herman gave the example of the White House using Storify with a headline #DontDoubleMyRate to bring attention to its position on the issue of student loan rates.

Storify is a venture-backed free service that envisages including social ads in its stories as a way of generating revenue.

This post was written by Angus Robertson, Robertson Advisors LLC.

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VIA Recap: Facebook and Google+: Is the Reach Worth the Risk?

May 15, 2012 By

Rachael Monroe

On May 9 & 10, the SIIA Content Division hosted Content VIA Platforms – a conference dedicated to educating media, publishing and information professionals about the technology and business issues related to distributing content via mobile, social and other platforms. Guest blogger, Rich Kreisman, gives his write up on the session Facebook and Google+:  Is the Reach Worth the Risk? 

 

This session, moderated by Rachael Monroe, Vice President, Client Services, BBN Networks, brought two experts on social media, Jim Brady, Editor-in-Chief, Digital First Media, and Christopher Carfi, Vice President – Social Business Strategy, Ant’s Eye View, before the VIA attendees to share war stories of the learning years in social media  (since Facebook’s launch in 2004)– and the future, which both Brady and Carfi see as bright for publishers who innovate and experiment with social media.  Publishers are still finding their own formula to leverage social media platforms – for traffic, customer acquisition or to create new hybrid products combining their own content and user insights, both Brady and Carfi acknowledge.

Jim Brady

Carfi, whose consulting firm advises large companies like Cisco and Starbucks on social business strategies, says most companies (including publishers) view social media platforms as a broadcasting megaphone. “Social media is not just another ‘channel’.” Companies who look at it as a one-way communication tool are not succeeding, he says.  “Rather, my clients who really learn how to listen and engage in the conversations are getting the most benefits.”  Listening involves active monitor of all social media channels and engaging in two-way conversations with users – even if the news is  negative. Talking about his experiences at WashingtonPost.com and at Digital First Media (a venture of Journal Register Publishing and MediaNews Group), Brady notes, “Social media has to be in the DNA of everyone in the organization to make it work…and, in most newspaper newsrooms, it is not.”  To coach editors and writers through their initial forays into social media, Digital First Media offers training and support sessions.  

Christopher Carfi

But unless writers see a direct benefit for their reporting, they are unlikely to take the risk associated with the two-way conversations of social media.  “I always tell people to be patient,” Brady says. “It takes a while to build the conversation up.”   Brady finds when social media does take root in a newsroom, it becomes an important arrow in a publisher’s quiver and can deliver unique insights to readers.  Both men definitely seem to believe the reach of the large social media players is worth the risk.  However, they advise the audience that an 18-24 month learning curve should be expected for the average publisher. Experimentation and learning are key, says Carfi, as well as finding the champions of social media throughout the organization to prove its value to others.

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 Post written by Rich Kreisman, Principal Partner, Kreisman Information Consulting

Rich Kreisman is Principal Partner of Kreisman Information Consulting, LLC, a San Francisco-based consultancy advising publishers, content creators, websites and mobile providers on content licensing, syndication and distribution partnerships to meet their strategic business needs.  Rich can be reached at rkreisman@kreismaninfoconsult.com


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VIA Recap: The Gang of Four: Why Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook Dominate the Market

May 15, 2012 By
On May 9 & 10, the SIIA Content Division hosted Content VIA Platforms – a conference dedicated to educating media, publishing and information professionals about the technology and business issues related to distributing content via mobile, social and other platforms. Guest blogger, Rich Kreisman, gives his write up on the Keynote by Kara Swisher, Co-Producer, D: All Things Digital; Co-Executive Editor, AllThingsD.com.
 
Kara Swisher’s keynote reminded me why humor is an outstanding trait to maintain in a complicated and turbulent business landscape. Speaking to a roomful of top publishers, Swisher – with a wave of a hand – says, “You’re endangered – or really just irrelevant,” as she put up a slide of two dinosaurs chomping on each other, inspired by her 7-year-old son’s interest in All Things D – all things dinosaur, that is.
Swisher, who is the co-executive editor of the other AllThingsD (www.AllThingsD.com) and a noted Silicon Valley observer, delivers her dry one-liners like a techno-Fran Lebowitz.  But Swisher’s message was clear:  Publishers in the room need to pay careful attention to each move by the Gang of Four (GOF) – Google, Apple, Amazon and Facebook.   While acknowledging Microsoft, Swisher believes the software giant is too late to today’s platform game and purposely leaves them off her GOF list.

Swisher discussed the 4 key trends she sees among the GOF – along with new players vying to nab market share through platforms:

  1.  SoMoLo - social mobile local are keywords for all of the large players, looking to combine their users’ passion for social media on mobile devices, often to identify local information.  “But no one is succeeding in local yet, “ says Swisher. 
  2. Ubiquitous  - “Really more like promiscuous,” quips Swisher.   All GOF companies seek to be interwoven in all aspects of their users’ lives, she believes.   Poking fun at Google’s augmented reality glasses (dubbed Project Glass at Google), Swisher says she understands why Google is experimenting with them:  “Their business is search – they want to be with you at all times.” Of Apple, which carefully controls all elements of its hardware and software, Swisher hilariously likens the company to “an elegant fascist universe… like living in Monaco or Switzerland.  It’s lovely, but it isn’t going to change for your benefit.” 
  3. Geolocated  - “You are never alone,” says Swisher, thanks to the geolocation abilities of mobile devices, allowing companies to highly target their data offerings to users.   Swisher speculates we are in the early stages of companies’ leverage of geolocation in their products.  Again, no clear winners yet.
  4. Data Flood – We are all drowning in the flood of information generated by the Web and social media.  Companies who address this issue – through better search, content curation and other data management tools – are going to be winners for the new consumer, Swisher asserts.   Many startups are trying to address data flood and some of them will be gobbled up by the GOF.

Swisher says the “always on” aspect of technology platforms – and consumers’ seemingly unquenchable thirst for more access to more data through new platforms — has led to a phenomenon she calls  “continuous partial attention”.  Users are interacting with information all the time, but in smaller chunks.  “This is probably most important trend for content providers to watch,” says Swisher.

Publishers either need to be “analytic, funny or obnoxious” to gain user attention in this intense, distracted environment.  “You must have some sort of take that adds value for the GOF” to be part of their future as a business partner, Swisher says —  or risk joining the universe of Protoceratops, Velociraptors and their long-lost friends.

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Post written by Rich Kreisman,Principal Partner, Kreisman Information Consulting

 Rich Kreisman is Principal Partner of Kreisman Information Consulting, LLC, a San Francisco-based consultancy  advising publishers, content creators, websites and mobile providers on content licensing, syndication and distribution partnerships to meet their strategic business needs.  Rich can be reached at rkreisman@kreismaninfoconsult.com

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Gearing up for DataContent: Data Insight from Russ Perkins

May 14, 2012 By

We are excited about our partnership with the InfoCommerce Group to produce DataContent 2012, coming up October 9-11 in Philadephia. The conference will focus on discovering the next big thing in publishing: The intersection of Data, Community and Markets at DataContent 2012.

If you don’t know him, Russ Perkins the founder of InfoCommerce Group is one of the more thoughtful individuals in our industry on all things data. As we lead up to the conference, we will be highlighting posts from his blog which focus on the issues and topics we will be discussing at DataContent 2012. Enjoy!

To Find Gold, Dig Deep
The travails of the traditional yellow pages industry are serious, with no end in sight. There are some interesting lessons and insights that can be drawn from the remarkable and relatively rapid meltdown of this seemingly bulletproof and impossibly profitable segment of the data publishing industry. Read more

To Market, To Market
I have long been interested in the fine line that often divides marketplaces and buying guides, a topic that I am sure keeps all of us up at night at least every so often. A string of recent new website announcements has me back thinking about this again. Read more

If the Pipe Fits
Clay Shirky, the well-known professor at the renowned Interactive Telecommunications Program at NYU, in a recent interview gave this summation of the publishing industry: Publishing is not evolving. Publishing is going away. Because the word “publishing” means a cadre of professionals who are taking on the incredible difficulty and complexity and expense of making something public. That’s not a job anymore. That’s a button Read more

Tracking Error
A new report released by the Federal Trade Commission this week makes a strong case for increased online consumer privacy protection. This report builds on the “Consumer Data Privacy Bill of Rights” issued by the White House last month. The White House document is largely aspirational, setting general goals such as “Consumers have a right to secure the responsible handling of personal data.” The FTC report is far more specific, and includes an endorsement of a “do not track” option for consumers, along with a recommendation that “data brokers” be required to allow consumers to inspect the data that have been collected about them. Read more

Made to Measure
It’s been well-known for many years that Google periodically alters its search algorithms. These changes are made for two reasons: to improve the quality of search results, and to push back against those sites that it believes are gaming the system. To Google, gaming the system means that a website operator has divined in part how the Google search algorithm prioritizes results, and uses that knowledge to improve its own search results rankings. Read more

Dead Letter Office
I got a call from the new postmaster at our local post office the other day. Her staff had apparently discovered a sizable stack of year-old nixies from our conference promotions, and wanted to know if I would still be interested in them, for the requisite fee of course. After ruefully noting that the Postal Service is, “really hurting for money,” she pretty much offered to drop them off right away if we would just have a check waiting. Read more

Jennifer HansenJennifer Hansen is Program Manager for the SIIA Content Division.

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Content VIA Platforms Conference to Feature Execs from Altimeter Group & Storify, All Things D’s Kara Swisher

April 26, 2012 By

SIIA today announced keynote speakers for Content VIA Platforms-an all-new event that will address the multiplatform publishing challenges and opportunities facing publishing, media and information companies. Content VIA Platforms will be held May 9-10 at San Francisco’s Palace Hotel.

Publishing content across multiple emerging platforms is one of the biggest challenges facing information and news providers this year. At Content VIA Platforms, industry leaders will provide strategies for companies to maximize their audiences and revenues by utilizing a variety of different platforms, monetization strategies, devices and app distribution models, and more.

Content VIA Platforms will feature a number of mobile, publishing and technology thought leaders and key executives from the information industry. Keynote speakers include:

• Burt Herman, Co-founder, Storify
• Charlene Li, Founder, Altimeter Group
• Chris Silva, Mobile Industry Analyst, Altimeter Group
• Kara Swisher, Co-Producer & Co-Executive Editor, All Things Digital, The Wall Street Journal

Kathy Greenler Sexton is Vice President and General Manager for the SIIA Content Division.

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Kentucky’s Implementation of Common Core State Standards Demonstrates Key Role of Technology

April 19, 2012 By

Kentucky was the first state to adopt the Common Core State Standards and has become a pioneer in implementation. Cindy Parker, a representative from the Kentucky Board of Education spoke recently at a National Adolescent Literacy Council event about the challenges and solutions to implementing the Common Core Standards. Kentucky began to implement CCSS for the 2010-2011 school year with very little funding support from state legislature. Educational technology has helped Kentucky by providing new and innovative methods for professional development, curriculum dissemination and teacher support.

A robust teacher training online platform was created to update teachers on the best practices for implementing the new standards. Lack of funding for traditional development methods created unique challenges that were overcome by implementing more flexible and easily accessed digital tools to support Kentucky’s educators.
Examples include:

  • iTunesU is used for podcasts and webinars for professional development of teachers. A monthly webinar with the state’s Education Commissioner and the district Superintendents has been established to create better communication.
  • Race to the Top funding was used to create “Literacy Central,” a website designed to aid teachers in professional learning. Videos, lesson plans, and forums are contained on the website and act as guideposts for teachers.
  • The Continuous Instructional Improvement Technology System (CIITS) was created in partnership with Pearson Schoolnet. This was designed as a one stop online platform for teachers to access CCSS literacy plans.  Modules within the site provide analysis of CCSS requirements and how to incorporate those into day to day classroom activities. Professional growth plans and consolidated professional development resources are also included.

The implementation of the CCSS in Kentucky led to not only classroom technology upgrades and changes, but also important changes in professional development. As new content and new guidelines were introduced, Kentucky reacted by creating technologically savvy teacher training. The important role of technology and digital learning, both for curriculum as well as for professional development, is clear.

SIIA’s recent CCSS webinar and Ed Tech Government Forum session are available to SIIA members seeking additional information about how they can support education’s needs with CCSS aligned content, technologies and resources. Further reading can also be found in Ed Week’s recent article.

 

Lindsay HarmanLindsay Harman is Market and Policy Analyst for the SIIA Education Division.

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