Comments on C-Change Media Inc.: The Biggest Mistake Media Companies Make Online

John, Excellent post. While you appear to be foc...

2009-12-04T13:46:29.791-08:00

John,

Excellent post. While you appear to be focusing on traditonal print media, you could easily replace all your references to print with 'broadcast' and their stubborn desire to hang on to analog to the detriment of digital. I've seen first-hand the lack of 'web-first' cultures and what that does to the digital side.

Please do, though, notice the "community"...

2009-12-04T10:50:20.209-08:00

Please do, though, notice the "community" strain that connects several of these comments.

The "existing standards" to which I refer (the Rome where this all is happening) involve the very concept of community on the web. If it has escaped anybody's notice, please be aware that community is paramount on the web.

Thus I see @jterrito, @littlebrownpen, @xybrewer, me, @CPry, @alexlcohen and @GeriRosman as all basically saying the same thing. I don't know @MikeDuda, so I can only say that to my reading, this community approach is "the reality and opportunity" to which he refers.

Clearly I disagree with @cjhardwick and @jeffschmitt say. And, again, note that it is a minority view at least on this page. I agree that publishing for 'free' is "a problem". I just don't think it's "the problem".

And I totally get how the whole Google thing makes people's brains short-circuit. What Goog does is deeply, deeply counterintuitive to traditional media. But also highly profitable.

I reject out-of-hand the assertion that Google is profiting from others' content. Rather, I say that Google profits from connecting users to content. It is a service that most web publishers appreciate greatly. Google, unlike any other search engine ever, goes to great pains to deliver the least-skewed results possible. Google is constantly on the hunt for people who game their system. That's why they succeed.

There is a direct connection between Google's user-centric, community-oriented approach and their financial success. And Jarvis is right - do what Google would do.

(For the record, y'all should know that this blog is built on the Blogger platform, provided for free by Google.)

I don't envy the pain the papes are going through, and all media for that matter. But it's hard to be sympathetic when we - the existing web community - have been offering this same advice for, Jeezum, a decade now. At some point, these new-coming media companies have to admit that we, also, are grown ups.

I leave you with a single link - also to test how your blog handles html tags - that everybody who takes this issue seriously must follow: Cluetrain. Read it, love it, live it.

Thanks for the provocative post, and best luck with your new venture.

Mark Zuckerberg is onto something - and Loic Le Me...

2009-12-04T08:18:12.111-08:00

Mark Zuckerberg is onto something - and Loic Le Meur also gets it. I wrote about it here ("On the Web is Freedom 2, Publishing 0"):

http://sn.im/link-advertising-free

:) nmw

Debra, thank you for a very thoughtful and substan...

2009-12-04T08:00:59.165-08:00

Debra, thank you for a very thoughtful and substantive perspective. I agree that traditional media companies have brand awareness and customer loyalty on their side. But brand value and customer loyalty for media has been rapidly eroding since the peak year in 2000. There was a time when almost all media brands had so much value that they could have been leveraged to great advantage in the digital space. In many cases, brand equity has diminished to the point where it will not be able to make enough of a difference. So we agree that it is indeed a shame that so few brands are using or have used their "good foundation to build" great businesses.

John, The biggest mistake is not recognizing that...

2009-12-04T07:11:15.376-08:00

John,

The biggest mistake is not recognizing that digital media fills the void in traditional media. It is impossible for direct marketers, newspapers, magazines, newsrooms, and all other one-way communicators to have real relationships with the people they serve. This has always given retailers an advantage over direct markers and gives newcomers an advantage over traditional media.

While ignoring (or abhorring) digital media is a mistake, eliminating (or excluding) traditional is equally dangerous. The way we communicate is evolving. Some people want print media while others want digital. Some want to listen, while others want to exchange thoughts. Companies that want a sustainable business model will include all in their strategy.

Traditional media companies have a distinct advantage over digital newcomers. They have brand awareness, historical data, established infrastructure, and customer loyalty. Digital media provides the tools to change one-way messaging into two-way communication. It's a shame that so few are using their good foundation to build a great business.