'Til Debt Do Us Part

Not to be a doom and gloomer with the recent posts, but......

Editor & Publisher story about how newspaper debt is strangling the industry and the cost cutting might not help in the long run.

Twitter's got a competitor - PLURK

It's a bit more interactive and visual, but the biggest catch is the karma points. Based on your use and other's feedback on your use you gain or lose karma points. An interesting way to try and keep it real and away from the spammers, I guess. We'll see if it works. I'll probably stick with Twitter for a bit longer though.

Newspaper cuts on a map

Here's a nifty Google map with known staff reductions at US newspapers. Kind of ugly and sick to look at, but basically where there's a higher population there's a higher reduction of staff. The number of those cut the last 13 months is staggering.

Found via cyberjournalist.net

Are you kidding me? $3.50?

Sad to learn some very pertinent information about the company that owns the paper I work for from a blogger in the company rather than our own management. It's pathetic that management doesn't have the stomach to pull everyone into a quick meeting and explain what is going to happen when the company is split into to separate companies. Thankfully there are bloggers out there digging up the information and sharing it, if only a few are finding it.

Romenesko's Impact on Journalism

The Poynter blogger has definitely changed the landscape. But in some respects I wonder how much damage he's done as well. I mean, I get all kinds of information about the progressing downfall of the industry on his blog that has helped me form the notion that like the Titanic, the orchestra is going to continue to play as the ship sinks into the abyss.

Lazy Bastards

A fantastic post about how we read online and what studies have shown about reading habits. Near the end is a caveat about how reading a print product will never go away because it is a different style of reading.

Google's moral compass

Chief Executive Eric Schmidt said the company has a duty to make advertising work in order to help companies continue to make high quality content. Glad that they realize the fact they don't supply any of the content that they make all the money off of. There are discussions on projects about not being "evil." Shocker.

I sure hope they figure it out soon. Wall Street isn't all that patient last time I checked, unless it's Google they are talking about.

Newspapers will outlive Microsoft

A funny column by a Seatlle PI writer hammering a Microsoft exec for a prediction that all content will be read and fed electronically as print media dies.

The question that still needs to be answered

A question was asked at a newspaper conference of what we mean when searching for ways of "saving the newspaper." So what do we mean when we feel the need to "save" the newspaper? What should be saved and what doesn't need to be saved?

Performance based pay cuts but still BIG salaries

Here's a nifty comparison of CEO pay and shareholder values and the respective pay increases or decreases for 2006-2007. I'm curious to hear what next year's numbers will be. The comments are typical on the post but the one about Scripps point-man Lowe is staggering.

When you take into account inflation most staff journalists have taken a pay cut as well with the measly two percent annual increases. Here's an interesting column about that one.

Want a newspaper job?

Looks like you better be willing to speak another language and move to another country. But there are lots of papers with increasing circulations out there. Just not in the US or Europe.

Newspaper financial woes explained simply

Here's one of the best explanations of the financial issues facing newspapers these days. Only catch is that newspapers are not investing for the flip side of the coin. Say they make it through the dark scary tunnel? They'll come out the other side and run into another critical issue of not having a quality product or even a staff to try to salvage a product.

Scary numbers and charts

Umm, don't know what to say other than - damn. I highly doubt that Wall Street will hold out for the transition of revenue sources. That's one more thing that has yet to be brought up. What's going to happen when investors want to cash in all their chips when the writing on the wall becomes more apparent.

I'm back from the motherland

Had a good time in Scotland. Took a few photos.

It's been bad for graduates before

Regina McCombs' speech to the University of Minnesota Journalism and Mass Communication graduation this month. It's been bad before, it will get bad again in the future. It's all about maximizing opportunities.

Might be a little quiet for 2 weeks

I'll be O.O.C. until June 8.

See you on the flip side.

A photo a day

An interesting blog about a found series of photos. Never know how your images will effect or impact people.

Keep shooting!

An interesting idea to keep newspapers important

Here's a unique idea that will get those on the polarized sides of politics and cynicism fired up. But until there's a legitimate finding otherwise, subsidies could be very rational. The airlines have been getting bailed out nearly every decade since they began to open it up to any and all in an effort to be public transportation. Information and an informed society seems a bit more important than that trip to Hawai'i. Otherwise we'll be seeing more of these reports just before the bottom absolutely falls out.

It's all about the content, really

The Detroit Free Press put together a page of all their Emmy winning online pieces. If you want to know what people will sit through or click and view, start here for your first lesson. It's all about content, quality, functionality, interactivity and a plan to make all that other stuff happen.

Another collision of sorts

So there's been an interesting story going on in Boulder. Seems a rent-a-guard and a restaurant co-owner had a Taser shootout over a parking issue this past weekend. It's been getting all kinds of traffic because of the weirdness and stupidity that abounds. As a result an editorial cartoon was created in response. There it is, another blending of mediums. Don't know if it's as funny as peeing with a focus, but it's pretty dang funny.