There's no official Online Publishing Update e-mail newsletter today and Monday because of the holiday weekend, but in going through my Bloglines, I found a bunch of things I would have included in the OPU today if we had one.
So, here's your bonus Digital Edge version of the Online Publishing Update -- a few worthy reads with links. You can use some of this reading as an excuse to sneak away from the barbeque with the in-laws for a few minutes.
If you read only one thing this weekend, though, please read this blog entry from The Washington Post’s Marc Fisher about why the radio station joint-venture between The Washington Post and Bonneville International didn’t work out. Washington Post Radio will go off the air in September after 18 months.
Earthlink Cancels Free Wi-Fi Project in San Francisco
Earthlink has pulled out of a project to build a city-wide wireless Internet network in San Francisco, CNet’s News.com reported. The move came a day after Earthlink announced massive layoffs and agreed to pay a penalty in Houston for failing to meet a wireless project deadline there.
Source: CNet
Related: What Does the Earthlink Shake-Up Mean for the Future of City Wi-Fi? (CNet): “So what is the answer to bridging the digital divide? Clearly wi-fi isn't enough, and it doesn't seem feasible to provide a laptop computer to every American who can't afford one. Community centers that can provide 24-hour internet access and limited support seems like one possible solution and establishing public internet terminals at bus stops is another approach that can be implemented as well,” Josh Wolf wrote.
News Clips Popular Among Streaming Video Viewers
News clips are gaining popularity among online video viewers, according to a study from Advertising.com. “In the first half of 2007, 62% of consumers viewed news clips online, followed by movie trailers at 38%. Music videos came in third at 36%, decreasing from 47% in the second half of 2006,” MediaPost reported. The study also found the majority of viewers prefer advertising to subscription fees for online video. See more about the study from Advertising.com.
Sources: MediaPost, Advertising.com
Related: Many Dissatisfied with Quality of Online Video (Editor & Publisher)
“Though the amount of available video content on the Internet is enormous, the experience of viewing it has left many users less than satisfied,” Editor & Publisher reported. According to [a Prophis eResearch study], only 22% were completely satisfied with picture and sound quality of online video, while nearly one in five expressed dissatisfaction.”
Criminal Photo Appears in Comments Section of Newspaper Web Site
“A photo of a lynched black man was posted on The (Dubuque, Iowa) Telegraph Herald Web site in the comments section where online readers usually share their thoughts about specific articles,” the newspaper reported. The poster put code into the comments section that grabbed the photo from another Web site, and though the Web servers caught and blocked most the images, at least 10 appeared on the site. The color photo was posted 73 times in 7 minutes.
Source: The Telegraph Herald via Poynter.org/Romenesko
Opinion: Why the GPhone Will Fail
“If Google decides to break out of its shell and release a new cell phone that some are calling the ‘iPhone Killer,’ it will be a huge mistake,” CNet blogger Don Reisinger wrote. Reasons include stiff competition, the uphill battle Google faces for the 700 mHz airwaves spectrum and it’s lack of experience in the hardware and cellular markets.
Source: CNet
Additional Headlines
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NAA sends out an e-mail edition of the Online Publishing Update (OPU) three times each week (well, most weeks). It's a round-up of news, trends, research and commentary of interest to those who work in digital media and newspapers.