Evan Rudowski: Web Transplant

Why I'm Not Buzzed About Google Buzz

So here's the problem I have with Google Buzz.

It's not the privacy issues; these don't seem to affect me although I understand how troubling they could be to someone who has relied on Google in a different way. I use Gmail as my catch-all for mailing list subscriptions and as an archive of my other email accounts; my primary activity happens elsewhere.

The problem for me is that I just don't have enough time to maintain and curate my presence on all these social graphs and networks. I've got Facebook for personal relationships, LinkedIn for business relationships, and Twitter to broadcast to people who choose to follow me. That kinda works.

Now along comes Google Buzz, and it seems I've got to be there because, well, it's Google and everything flows through Google. If you make your living on the internet, as I do, and your reputation is derived from your "presence" on the internet, then you can't ignore a big new social graph or you risk a loss of visibility.

Ideally, of course, you are also getting something from your interactions with people on the various social networks. On Facebook, I get to hear from friends and learn what they're doing. On LinkedIn, I learn about the endeavors of business colleagues.

On Twitter, I mostly get to broadcast outward, but at the same time I can learn and glean new information thanks to its open API and the many searching and filtering tools available -- so Twitter effectively is my newsfeed and my replacement RSS feed. There's a lot of clutter on Twitter, but at least each message is short and I can get past it quickly.

On Google Buzz I'm now a participant, or observer, in many conversations -- most involving people I don't know in any way whatsoever. These are looong conversations. I just don't have the time.

Yes, I know, we get out of it what we put in. But I've only got so much to give. Too many social networks, not enough time. 

So hey Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter -- let me know when you've got it all sorted out. Thanks guys.

Guardian Media Group CEO: Niche Content Could Sell

via paidcontent.org

Guardian Media Group CEO Carolyn McCall says paid content may work, according to the FT, as reported by paidcontent.org.

McCall echoes Guardian editor Alan Rusbridger's recent proclamations that a broad paywall can never work at the Guardian -- but adds that they have considered charging for certain high-value, niche content.

This is encouraging to hear, as there's been so much focus on the concept of a paywall that one could only wonder whether any consideration was being given to areas where a paid model might work.

No one who understands newspapers well would argue that a solid paywall around all of a newspaper's content would make sense -- which is why it's frustrating and perplexing to see so much energy still expended arguing against the concept. We don't know of any newspapers actually doing this anyway.

But there's plenty of evidence that people will pay for content that is unique, high quality, timely, actionable and valuable to a given niche or special interest. Certainly a newspaper like the Guardian, with its solid editorial staff, is capable of creating such content.

The worry is that with financial losses so great at the Guardian and elsewhere, staff cutbacks may gradually render newspapers less and less capable of creating the kinds of content that people will pay for. Their challenge is to innovate before slashing and burning.

Of course, if great journalists do get cut, we can count on many of them using their own redundancies as an impetus to finally go out and start the kinds of online content endeavors that will leverage their talents effectively and make money in the process. They'll be able to do this without all of the costly overhead carried by a typical newspaper.

So newspapers need to get on with it. They can argue against paywalls all they want, but they ought to start figuring out where paid content can work for them so that they can add this to their arsenal of tools to deploy to reverse losses and generate profits.