The New York Times has taken to a new level homepage takeover ads, a rather common technique of placing a paid message on top of the website. The NYT recently ran an Intel ad that incorporated the newspaper itself. The experiment is an attempt to make online ads more engaging. And while the effect of these ads is not yet fully known, "brands are clearly excited about the notion of blending marketing messages with respected editorial content." You can read the Forbes article here…….Continue Reading New ad blurs newspaper brand with advertisments
Category: News
Brokaw’s legacy: The Greatest Generation
Tom Brokaw anchored NBC's "Nightly News" for 21 years. He traveled the world, covered 9/11, interviewed heads of state and followed Ronald Reagan's political career from beginning to end. His legacy, he said Wednesday, will probably involve none of that. Brokaw told an audience at the Los Angeles Public Library that his "single greatest contribution" will probably be his bestselling book, "The Greatest Generation." He talked about how on the flight to Los Angeles, two flight attendants gave him handwritten notes telling him how much the book had meant to him, how it had made them see their fathers in……Continue Reading Brokaw’s legacy: The Greatest Generation
The United States of Optimism
BusinessWeek ran an op-ed by Senior Fellow Richard Reeves about Americans' persistent optimism. Reeves wrote that his journalism students are uninterested in the-sky-is-falling dirges. He added: "My students, frankly, are not much interested in history … . Instead, to gauge their prospects, they look ahead. Today they realize, among other things, that they are empowered by their knowledge of technological changes that scare their elders. And they are right to feel hopeful about this."……Continue Reading The United States of Optimism
Sponsored BloodCopy becomes a part of Gawker blogs
Gawker Media has added another vertical to its lists of blogs, the likes of which include the media gossip Gawker and gadget-friendly Gizmodo. The newest addition, however, is unique among the offerings because it is a sponspored blog. BloodCopy, the new blog, is an HBO project, completely funded and written by the cable channel to promote its vampire series, True Blood. Gawker's site will feature crossposts from BloodCopy just like the rest of its verticals. Gawker's vice president of sales and marketing, Chris Batty, has stated that the site hopes that such sponsored ads become the major funding for their……Continue Reading Sponsored BloodCopy becomes a part of Gawker blogs
David Kaplan reflects on NYT social media
David Kaplan of PaidContent shares his advice for newly hired Jennifer Preston, the New York Times’ social media editor. Kaplan notes that many of the ways that newspapers are currently using social media, especially Twitter, are working. Thus, he cautions Preston against trying to "fix what isn’t broken" or establish too tight a clamp on what editors and journalists can express in these forums. After all, he contends, people aren’t interested in interacting with a faceless institution, but with other human beings. And that’s what all that twittering presently offers. Read the PaidContent.org post. — May 27, 2009…….Continue Reading David Kaplan reflects on NYT social media
The role of NYT’s social media editor remains vague
The New York Times has hired its first ever social media editor. Officially, Jennifer Preston will work to expand "the use of social media networks and publishing platforms to improve NYT journalism and deliver it to readers." Recently, though, Times journalists have leaked unauthorized information via their Twitterfeeds, leaving some to wonder whether Preston's main job isn't to monitor and regulate the use of Twitter and other social media. Perhaps a list of rules regarding social media will be forthcoming. You can read the post from the Editors' Weblog here…….Continue Reading The role of NYT’s social media editor remains vague
EU launches translated news site
The European Union is launching a new website aimed at a forum for discussion that transcends language barriers. The new site, funded by 3 million euros from the European Commission and run by 10 journalists, will translate content from among 250 titles that cover news in and around Europe. The site will begin publishing in 10 languages, but expects to cover all 23 of the EU's official languages in the next five years. In response to those who questioned the motives of the venture, EU communications commissioner Margot Wallstrom stated, "It has nothing to do with whether we like what……Continue Reading EU launches translated news site
QR codes create interactive advertising
In Japan and parts of Europe, advertisers have long used QR codes to create an interactive experience from their printed ads. These QR codes are like barcodes–they appear in print and can link cell phones to specific Web sites. The technology could help advertisers determine what appeals to which consumers, and may even help newspapers make more money off of their printed product. You can read the PBS MediaShift post…….Continue Reading QR codes create interactive advertising
NPR head argues that newspapers should stay free
Vivian Schiller, CEO and President of NPR, argues in an interview that newspapers' best bet is to continue to offer their content for free. She says that there are only a few kinds of content that people have proved willing to pay for online–real-time financial news, some fantasy sports and pornography. As the former head of NYTimes.com, Schiller discusses her advocacy to end TimesSelect. While the service gained the newspaper $10 million annually, it seemed unlikely to grow, and therefore would not prove a useful tool to sustain the newsroom…….Continue Reading NPR head argues that newspapers should stay free
Could charging for online subscriptions save print?
The editors of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette and the Post Register in Idaho both attribute their extraordinary print subscription numbers to the fact that they only offer free web content to their subscribers. All others have to pay to access their articles online. Their success may be why 28% of newspapers say they are considering instituting online fees, according to a recent AP survey. As Journalism Online CEO Steven Brill put it, "Online fees will give people one less reason to stop subscribing to the [printed] newspaper." You can read the article from the Huffington Post here…….Continue Reading Could charging for online subscriptions save print?