Publish on Ipad – The way of the future?

• The newest ‘next big thing’ for publishing is the Ipad and other similar technology. With the iPad, as with the Kindle and various other devices, there is a glimpse of the future where everyone can access vast libraries of information and entertainment via a hand-held, tactile, computerised reader.
  
  Many publishing media hoe to benefit from these new technologies. Newspapers are the prime example. If the use of such devices become ubiquitous newspapers can be delivered direct to the readership, updated continuously, and provide written, visual and multimedia content to the reader. The vision is of a new type of newspaper, specifically designed for, and published on, e-reader technology. It is a new form of media whose intricacies are waiting to be explored.
  
  But will this save failing media industries - such as newspapers, books or magazines? Although publishers will save on printing and transport costs there are other costs that will be associated with publishing in the new media
  
• Commissions will still need to be paid to vendors, though the vendor will be Apple (or Amazon, etc) rather than bookstores or newsagents
• The content providers will still expect to be paid
• People are reluctant to pay for online content, resulting in a smaller buying public meaning sales income will fall
• The lack of a physical product, such as a book or magazine, will mean that people expect to pay less for the same content
• Without a physical product, readership - as opposed to the buying public – will be dramatically reduced
• With a smaller buying public and reduced readership less advertising - and advertising income - can be expected
• With a smaller buying public and reduced readership less classified advertising can be expected, with a resultant loss of income
  
  Will the savings new technologies can deliver in terms of decreased production or transport costs outweigh the costs of participating in the new media? Not yet, the technology is too new, and not enough people have access to it. But, think of that future where everyone has a computerised reader - and it’s very possible that we will see a revitalisation of these failing publishing media as they embrace new forms.
  
  
  References:
  Beecher, E 2010 The Ipad won’t save newspapers Crikey.com viewed on 15 April 2010
  Image thanks to Francesco Marino at freedigitalphotos.net

Publishing Spin

Recently Crikey.com, began a series of stories about an investigation by the University of Technology Sydney, in conjunction with the Australian Centre for Independent Journalism (ACIJ), that examines the role that public relations (PR) plays in getting media stories published. The study examined the links between newspaper stories and PR, finding that over half the stories examined were triggered by PR activities, showing that “journalism in Australia today is heavily influenced by commercial interests selling a product”.

Is this the way the professional publication of news is heading – where news is not investigated, but simply rewritten using the press release as a template.

According to the study, a majority stories in newspapers across the country are based almost entirely on press releases and information supplied by PR representatives. When Investigators sought comments from journalists and editors the more candid responded unapologetically, citing the pressure to produce a high volume of stories within tight timeframes. There are now less journalists to produce ever greater amounts of content to fill a 24 hour news cycle, while the number of PR practitioners is rising – each generating more and more ready to print news press releases. These days it is nearly impossible for the average reader to trust that they are reading a researched and accurate journalistic article, rather than an advertisement or public relations piece.

An ironic twist to this story is that the article itself is mainly based on a press release from the parties that conducted the study, and as such, is a further example of a news story being driven by PR activity.

Defining Blogs

What is a blog? This is a blog. You knew that. It’s probably not the first you have seen. There are many ways to define blogs, wikipedia has a really good outline of what blogs can be. Basically, it’s a type of website with regular entries, which allows an individual to get their ideas, opinions or work out into the world using technology that allows cheap access to audiences. It is, in short, self publishing, and with more than 112,000,000 blogs around its self publishing gone mad.

Modern technology has drastically reduced the production and distribution costs for a self published piece. It doesn’t have to be printed, you don’t have to ship it anywhere to have people read it, it can all be created and posted to the internet from your lounge room. With a blog its so cheap to share your opinions, your art, the sordid or not so sordid details of your personal life or your passions with the world.

Because you can do just about anything on your blog there are blogs that cover just about every topic, but there are two main ways to define different types of blogs, by their subject or by the media that they focus on.

Defining blogs by their main subject theme shows as many blogs as there are genres, political blogs, personal blogs, blogs about hobbies or projects, blogs discussing art or movies, or even blogs about some just plain bizarre subjects.

Defining blogs by the media that they use or focus on shows the breadth of art and media that can be published on blogs: there can be photoblogs, video blogs, link blogs - even typecasting blogs for people who still feel comfortable with a typewriter. There are sketchblogs, oil painting blogs and music blogs - the list is nearly endless.

Blogs use technology to make self publishing easy. They are the platform of choice for the amateur with something to say. Blogs are individual expressions and are as varied and unique as their authors.