MY ONLINE FOOTPRINTS

LinkedIn - Todd And

Facebook - Todd And

Technorati - Todd And

Google Shared Items

Twitter - Todd And

Delicious - Todd And

iTunes iMix - Todd And

SlideShare - Todd And

ADMIN

And Links - 11 | 30 | 06

November 29, 2006 | 1 Comment

How Not To Handle A Media Interview (FOX Sports)
Click through, then click on the Michael Strahan interview video to hear really, really bad talking points. Here it is again at MSNBC.

Popular Brands May Brand the Brain (Health Scout)
“Besides demonstrating that strong branding does matter, neurologically speaking, the fMRI results ‘suggest that a benchmark test for strong vs. weaker brands is possible,’ Born said. That could open the way to further research into what makes great brands great.”

How to Blog Like a Pro (Bad Language)
A comprehensive list that every blogger should bookmark - write often, keep a scratchpad, have time to write, show your face, contribute to the conversation, linking and loving, plug into the blogosphere, write for the screen, use pictures, etc.

Online video ‘eroding TV viewing’ (BBC)
“Some 43% of Britons who watch video from the internet or on a mobile device at least once a week said they watched less normal TV as a result.”

Lip Gloss Kissing Test (YouTube)
Advertisers take note. Absolutely hilarious (if you haven’t already seen it).

Tunnel in Russia (YouTube)
According to a description located at another copy of the video (babelfish), “Over the tunnel a river and the water are penetrate in some places. If the temperature falls under 0 degrees, it freezes in the tunnel and that is the result. The video is the recording of only one daily. Respect to the bus driver!” (Sounds like Borat!)

Under the Mistletoe (YouTube)
A very early Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! See below…

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy...

Posted by toddand | Filed Under Links

The Free Degree

November 28, 2006 | 3 Comments

Wendy Boswell at Lifehacker best summarized the fact that a free education is easier than ever thanks to the internet. She compiled a terrific list of free online college courses, including many from Ivy League institutions.

I went ahead and filtered the class pool to pinpoint the best courses for a pseuedo college degree in communications and technology (perfect for those in PR - not to mention bloggers and podcasters). The free degree includes lectures and lessons from Berkeley, MIT and Princeton. Enjoy.

Communications
English Composition – Writing for an Audience (Annenberg Media)
News Writing (Annenberg Media)
Writing and Experience: Culture Shock! Writing, Editing and Publishing in Cyberspace (MIT)
Communicating in Cyberspace (MIT)
The Creative Spark (MIT)
The Emergence of Advertising in America (Library of Congress)

Technology
History of Information (Berkeley)
History of Media and Technology (MIT)
Open Source Development and Distribution of Digital Information: Technical, Economic, Social, and Legal Perspectives (Berkeley)
Information Systems: Search Engines: Technology, Society and Business (Berkeley)
HTML Basics (University of Washington)

Electives
Social Psychology (Berkeley)
Consumer Culture (MIT)
Economics U$A (Annenberg Media)
Inside the Global Economy (Annenberg Media)
Introduction to Statistics (Carnegie Mellon)

Special Lecture Series:
Beyond Freakonomics: New Musings on the Economics of Everyday Life (Princeton)
The Future of the Web (Princeton)
Hard Questions About Tomorrow’s World (Princeton)
Broadbanding America: What, Why, and How (Princeton)
The Creative Commons (Princeton)
Graduate School of Journalism Presents: Distinguished guests discuss their role in global affairs and the media (Berkeley)

Other Links:
The Personal MBA (Josh Kaufman)
About U
Fool’s School

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy...

Posted by toddand | Filed Under Advertising, Educational, Management, Marketing, Media, Public Relations, Technology

And Links - 11 | 28 | 06

November 27, 2006 | Leave a Comment

What’s The Best Embedded Video Player? (Life Goggles)
A great source for comparing online videos. Hmmm, tough call.

Odds of Dying (nod Rocketboom)
Sooooo… you’re saying there’s a chance!

Hobbit Goes On Without Jackson (BBC)
It’s still going to make millions!

Guide to Cyber Monday Sales (Consumerist)
“Cyber Monday is the beginning of the online holiday shopping season, but do these retailers plan on thanking us for dispensing of our hard earned money?”

Hooked on a Feeling (YouTube)
This is arguably the best YouTube video ever (below).

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy...

Posted by toddand | Filed Under Links

The Economic Impact of Blogging

November 26, 2006 | 1 Comment

As part of my MBA economics coursework, I had to write a paper addressing an economic issue and its related solution. I wrote my paper on the economic issues of traditional media and the social media solution (thanks to blogging, and more recently, podcasting, plus all other content-sharing sites). The paper isn’t due until early December, but I just wrapped it up over the holiday and wanted to share it with my blog readers (with the prof’s permission of course). So, below is my paper. Be advised: I am NOT an economics expert - this is just my attempt at discussing the economic issues and solutions surrounding traditional and social media. Enjoy.

Download the PDF version (216KB, 7pages) that includes extra sections on the history of traditional and social media, as well as a briefing on the suffering of traditional media.

The Economics of Traditional Media Market Failure
And Technology’s Social Media Solution

The traditional news media market - including radio, television and newspapers - has long suffered from market failure. The most critical sources of traditional news media market failure included imperfect information and imperfect competition. The introduction of the internet and the recent widespread growth of social media – namely blogs, podcasts and content-sharing sites – have helped to correct the traditional media market failure by providing exponentially more news and information to people - whenever, wherever.

The Issues

Prior to the internet and social media, there were traditional media market failures of imperfect information and imperfect competition.

Market Failure of Imperfect Information

The conclusion that markets work efficiently rest heavily on the assumption that consumers and producers have full knowledge… The absence of full information can lead to transactions that are ultimately disadvantageous, according to “Principles of Economics” by Karl Case of Wellesley College and Ray Fair of Yale University.

Naturally, limited sources of news and information equal the absence of complete information. Plus, traditional media control how, when, where and what news the public consumes. With limited space and time, a privileged few - editors, producers and reporters – dictate what news and information is released.

Prior to the internet, the power of information was usually heavily skewed. Sellers of complex products and services – such as car salespeople, real estate agents, insurance providers, stock brokers, physicians, lawyers and mortgage brokers – had more information than the consumer, which made it difficult to determine true prices.

Also prior to the internet, it was more difficult to gather balanced consumer goods information and make educated purchasing decisions when it came to durable goods like dishwashers, microwaves and personal electronics.

Market Failure of Imperfect Competition

Although a monopoly and oligopoly have little or no other competition, the firm(s) still must produce something that people want. In all imperfectly competitive industries, output is lower – the product is underproduced – and price is higher than it would be under perfect competition, according to Case and Fair.

Traditional media maintained monopolies and oligopolies in many marketplaces where only one or a few newspapers, television channels and radio stations were available. Control of reader’s eyes and ears coupled with limited time and space usually meant only the most sensational of stories made headlines – as selected by a handful of news decision-makers. With imperfect competition and inefficient allocation of resources, traditional media chose price, content and distribution (frequency, location, method, etc.).

The Solution

Market Correction of Information

The internet alone resulted in a dramatic increase in the supply of news and information (see figure 1 – news and information supply curve shifts right). Supply of news has grown exponentially with the recent widespread growth and popularity of social media – such as blogs, podcasts, and content-sharing sites – that can be accessed by internet users whenever, wherever. Large-scale internet usage combined with significant broadband penetration also caused consumers to crave more news and information, around the clock (see figure 2 – news and information demand curve shifts right).

With ample supply of inexpensive or free news content available online, the demand for traditional news media weakened (see figure 3 – traditional media demand curve shifts left) and, as such, the demand for traditional news media advertising decreased (see figure 4 – traditional media advertising demand curve shifts left). To stabilize circulation and advertising, traditional news media were forced to transition to new business models that attempted to provide more inexpensive (or free), easily accessible content.

Market Correction of Competition

The internet generated countless free, easily accessible and searchable news sources for a global audience. Today, with social media grabbing the attention-share of larger and larger audiences, traditional news media have published more free and inexpensive content online.

Newspapers are posting new content and content from print editions online, and often for no fee. Television stations have excerpts and full-length video programs available online. Radio stations stream live broadcasts. Traditional journalists across all mediums also maintain blogs with their traditional parent media companies featuring podcasts and other social media features for readers, listeners and viewers. Arguably, as with any increase in education, the greater education that results from the abundance of social media’s news and information leads to more altruistic citizens and, possibly, produces a workforce that can create more wealth (see figure 5 –wealth supply curve shifts right).

The Argument of Social Media Causing New Economic Failures

Some argue that social media is not an economic solution but instead has created new economic issues surrounding validity and reliability. The question of journalistic mistrust existed long before the internet; however, social media and the abundance of information available today make it easier for people to decipher the truth and assign red flags to inaccuracies.

For example, since the advent of the internet and the flood of bloggers, dozens of new journalism scandals have been uncovered. Of online encyclopedia Wikipedia’s 44 journalist scandals listed in its “Journalism Scandals” article, 34 scandals (77 percent) occurred after 2001.

Additionally, the online reference tool Wikipedia itself has faced questions about its accuracy. In 2005, Nature magazine conducted a head-to-head comparison between Wikipedia and Britannica. Experts compared 42 science-related articles and found that Wikipedia averaged four errors per article while Britannica averaged three. Nature magazine concluded that major errors in Wikipedia are the exception rather than the rule and that the difference in accuracy between Britannica and Wikipedia was not “particularly great.” Some also argue that Wikipedia’s articles were nearly three times longer than Britannica’s, meaning, at the time of the study, Wikipedia had an error rate far less than Britannica.

Regardless, the fact remains that 60 million blogs and 50,000 podcasts have created a much healthier system of journalistic checks and balances.

Conclusion

Today, traditional media market failure is being addressed with technology and social media – most noticeably blogs and podcasts. Consumers enjoy a wealth of free, user-friendly news and information that can be verified for accuracy more quickly and easily. Traditional media are working to reinvent themselves and develop new business models to grow in the internet era. Journalism.org’s “The State of The News Media 2006,” pointed to one senior media executive who said the situation amounts to a race against time. The report asks, “Can newspapers keep pace with changing media consumption patterns and some formidable competitors?”

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy...

Posted by toddand | Filed Under Blogging, Educational, Management, Marketing, Media, Public Relations, Technology

Under Construction - Please Pardon The Dust

November 25, 2006 | Leave a Comment

I’m in the process of launching a fresh new look for the site. A minimalist at heart, I’m using the plaintxtBlog theme by Scott. It’s a simple and elegant three-column approach. You may be familiar with this theme as Matthew Stibbe, a fantastic blogger and fellow minimalist, also uses it. Stay tuned as I’ll continue personalizing it.

You’ll also notice that my domain is no longer toddand.wordpress.com - now just toddand.com.

The feedburner feed (http://feeds.feedburner.com/toddand) should still work fine. However, if you’re not using my feedburner feed, please update anything else you think necessary - aggregators, favorites, calendars, dentist appointments and wardrobe.

And please add to your Technorati faves - Technorati Profile

I transferred all my previous posts over to the new theme and server; however, I will need to copy and paste the comments to each post individually. I’m still debating whether or not I want to do such a thing! So, in the meantime, if you’re looking for previous posts and their respective comments, please visit toddand.wordpress.com.

And if anyone has any blog theme/domain change advise, please don’t hesitate to send it along. This is my first evolution and I’m not sure I have all my bases covered. Thanks!

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy...

Posted by toddand | Filed Under News

A Brief History of Traditional and Social Media

November 23, 2006 | 1 Comment

Media is a method of communication or a form of publication commonly used to distribute news and information. Cave paintings, homing pigeons and books were some of the earliest forms of communication, or media. The first newspapers vary in purpose and nature – news sheets, newspapers, daily newspapers, etc. Starting in 59 BC, Julius Caesar had a daily sheet called Acta Diurna (Daily Events) posted around Rome. In the mid 1400s, Johannes Gutenberg first used a printing press and in the 1500s and 1600s more sporadic newspapers were launched across Europe. The first American newspaper, Publick Occurences, appeared in Boston in 1690. Daily newspapers in both Europe and America gained momentum throughout the 1700s and 1800s as printing and postal technologies improved.

Later, in the early 1900s, radio technology was perfected with motion picture technology following closely behind. By 1930, the popularity of radio was spreading while some people were catching the first television broadcasts. Throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s, television progressed and ultimately worked its way into family rooms and kitchens across the United States. In 1951, the first computer was sold commercially and 43 years later, in 1994, the American government released control of the internet… and the World Wide Web was born. In 1997, the first digital audio player was created, making way for the popular iPod, which arrived on shelves in 2001.

In 1997, the term “weblog” was coined to describe online journals - later shortened to “blog.” By the 2004 Bush vs. Kerry election, the closest reelection campaign in American history, blogs had become mainstream and a popular political tool. In 2003, “podcasts” were conceived when mp3 audio files were combined with RSS, or Really Simple Syndication. RSS, which was created in the late 1990s and expanded in the early 2000s, allows users to subscribe to their favorite blogs, podcasts or other content-sharing websites (collectively referred to as social media) and automatically receive new content on their computer or portable media device (mp3 player, cell phone, PDA, etc.) as it becomes available.

Today, 60 million blogs are tracked by Technorati, a search engine that indexes blogs, and it’s estimated by many websites that there are well over 50,000 unique audio and video podcasts available online.

If you liked this post, you may also enjoy...

Posted by toddand | Filed Under Educational, Media

Social Media Press Release = Better Coverage

November 19, 2006 | 1 Comment

I believe there is a positive linear correlation between the amount of PR elements offered to reporters and the quantity/quality of media coverage generated. The social media press release, as templated by Todd Defren, supports that theory.

The “all things being equal” here is news. If there is real news value, PR pros will almost always see an increase in the quantity and quality of media coverage when more “elements” are offered to reporters. PR elements include a well-written press release, source interviews, pre-written quotes, images, audio, video, third-party expert interviews, etc. - all of which are easily accessible in a social media press release.

I recently outlined this theory along with a social media PR 101 for one of my MBA classes in integrated marketing communications. A few weeks ago, our class discussed the structure of press releases and, afterwards, I emailed my professor – a veteran ad agency creative director – a link to Todd Defren’s social media release template. My professor asked if I’d guest lecture on the topic at the following class, which was this past week, so I thought I’d share my presentation with the blogosphere.

The presentation was short, sweet and simple. I overviewed what people commonly refer to as “old media,” or the traditional means of communication – radio, television, newspaper, magazines. Then, I discussed new media as the technology-enabled means of communication. Next, I introduced the concept of the sharing communication labeled “social media,” which, surprisingly, none of them had heard before. From there, I touched on social media services and the new social media press release.

I explained the theory behind the new social media press release - as news consumption trends evolve from old to new/social media, so will the 100-year-old press release. I added that most, if not all, newswire services – old and new – offer social/multimedia press release options and that Todd Defren unveiled the social media press release template back in May 2006.

After walking through the template, I highlighted what seems to be the two most popular points in favor of the template:

1) Bloggers and podcasters are now legitimate PR targets and, with cheap technology tools, can create/mix their own multimedia news stories
2) “Old media” journalists are now fully adapted to using internet for research

I also covered two important benefits to using the social media press release:

1) Facilitates journalists’ online research by using the latest social media tools to provide background, context, and on-going updates
2) Coupled with significant broadband penetration, allows for the tying together of various multimedia elements from/into one place enabling journalists (particularly bloggers and podcasters) to view/re-mix media elements

At that point, I graphed the positive linear correlation between the amount of PR elements offered to reporters and the quantity/quality of media coverage generated.

After showing a few real-life examples from PR Newswire and PRWeb, I outlined Todd Defren’s five principles of the social media press release:

1) Democratize “Access”
2) Ensure “Accuracy”
3) Embrace “Context”
4) Build “Community”
5) Be “Findable”

Lastly, I left the class with five related questions that linger in PR circles:

- When should you use the social media press release?
- Are new and old media journalists both willing to adapt to the social media press release and how quickly?
- How long can we still use the traditional release template?
- What are the acceptable media pitching techniques for bloggers, podcasters, etc.?
- What about traditional media relations vs. social media relations and the use of traditional media relations tactics (i.e., news embargoes, exclusives, etc.)?

Todd Defren also recently gave some “basic answers to some basic questions re: social media news releases.“

For those of you interested in the full PowerPoint presentation, you can download it here.

Here are some additional social media press release articles and resources: