Good news yesterday for those in support of our nation's printers: reports have come out that a deal is within sight between the union and the New York Times Co. on cost cutting measures that will keep the Boston Globe from folding (for the time being). Measures included wage and benefit cuts for a work force of 600 who already have been on a wage freeze for over 5 years (no raises, etc), which it is hoped add to a cool 23 mill in savings.
The news broke in the NYT of course, but the article definitely has a sense of foreboding, stating, "this tentative deal appears to forestall the imminent death of a civic institution that, even after years of cutbacks, remains the dominant news organization in New England".
The Globe is safe for now, but the future is uncertain. Were I am member of the staff, I might be searching for alternate employment.
This all begs the question: is this paper worth going through all this trouble to save? I've been going over this question in my mind; clearly print media is faltering, but are we ready for a digital world? How long before we issue the order: do not resuscitate??
Original Article here
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The subject hits figuratively close to home
Well, word has just hit the digital streets that everyone's favorite satirical newspaper, The Onion, is shutting down its San Francisco and L.A. publication offices. This one saddens me more than any other closing news recently, as I am an avid Onion (or more specifically, the AV Club supplement) reader (Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times, etc, not so much). Of course, I read the Onion and its accompanying content online, it not being available in my fine midwestern metropolis. I am part of the problem, is what I'm saying.
This news doesn't come entirely as a shock to me, maybe because I associate the Onion with a younger readership who is already inclined to more frequently and willingly use the internet for their news (or un-news, as the case may be).
With all of that said, I tip my hat to this fine satirical institution, though in my opinion your time is far from over. I had the opportunity to have dinner with a few of the writers/editors from the main New York office of The Onion last spring, and found them to be witty, intelligent, and innovative guys. We chatted briefly about print's decline and they of course were dismayed: but I think they have the unique and exciting opportunity at having a medium that translates very well to the internet, and these closings, at least in my eyes, hardly seem a death sentence for what seems like an already youthful and flexible media outlet. I'm sure California will miss their print edition, but to those of us who never had it, online content seems like a natural move.
Original article here
This news doesn't come entirely as a shock to me, maybe because I associate the Onion with a younger readership who is already inclined to more frequently and willingly use the internet for their news (or un-news, as the case may be).
With all of that said, I tip my hat to this fine satirical institution, though in my opinion your time is far from over. I had the opportunity to have dinner with a few of the writers/editors from the main New York office of The Onion last spring, and found them to be witty, intelligent, and innovative guys. We chatted briefly about print's decline and they of course were dismayed: but I think they have the unique and exciting opportunity at having a medium that translates very well to the internet, and these closings, at least in my eyes, hardly seem a death sentence for what seems like an already youthful and flexible media outlet. I'm sure California will miss their print edition, but to those of us who never had it, online content seems like a natural move.
Original article here
Monday, May 4, 2009
Facebook for the elderly
Last night, my Grandma Jean joined facebook. This isn't ENTIRELY relevant to anything I've talked about so far, I just wanted to extend major props to an octogenarian who is trying to at least partially keep up with the trends: particularly trends that have become so very pervasive in the lives of us young'uns. When I'm a Grandma, you better believe I will be hooking myself up to the jetpacks or whatever the new technology may be alongside my grandkids. But then, I've always known that my grandma's a pretty hip lady.
I can't stress enough the importance of keeping up with the pace of technology. Things are moving faster than ever before, the world is changing at a rate that has absolutely never been seen.
Way to go Grandma!
I can't stress enough the importance of keeping up with the pace of technology. Things are moving faster than ever before, the world is changing at a rate that has absolutely never been seen.
Way to go Grandma!
The Boston Globe sinks
You may or may not know that the Boston Globe has been in hot water for a while now- the New York Times Company has owned it since the nineties, and recently there have been negotiations in the works to try and keep the paper afloat. It looks like the labor unions are having issues with the Times Co., at which apparently there's been a "28% decline in advertising in the Times Co' publishing segment". That is an absolutely massive percentage- I'd be curious to know what the advertising on the online segment looks like. In this economy, has advertising decreased, or do advances in technology keep it on the up and up?
In any case, here's a link to the article- very interesting stuff
At Deadline, No Deal Yet On Boston Globe
More and more major newspapers are failing... I really am sad to see them go.
In any case, here's a link to the article- very interesting stuff
At Deadline, No Deal Yet On Boston Globe
More and more major newspapers are failing... I really am sad to see them go.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
Updated settings
I've changed the look a bit, and made it possible to comment without having a blogger profile. Hurrah! Comment away!
Impressive!
If you're at all interested in the topics I've been blogging about, here's an excellent blog on some similar subjects (when I started this thing, btw, I knew I was not the first to address this subject by a long shot). The author is also far more qualified than I to be writing on such things. Much of it focuses more on social media, which I haven't really scratched the surface of- but I may go there in the future.
Media in the New Millennium:
http://www.metzgerblog.com/
(This guy also has quite an impressive following!)
Media in the New Millennium:
http://www.metzgerblog.com/
(This guy also has quite an impressive following!)
Friday, May 1, 2009
Thoughts on our bookshelves
Rob brings up an interesting point (see comments on 4/30/09). He reminds us that perhaps digital documents don't have the staying power that print does. That is an excellent point: as he said "That Bible printed by Gutenburg is just as easy to use as it was in his day".
Perhaps this is one of those points where I merely took for granted certain expectations I have for technology soon to come. Rob is most certainly correct about the universality of books through time- but then, think of all the books that have been lost since Gutenberg's time, due to fire, water, war, toddlers, etc. True, we've also lost digital files, but I am inclined to think that thanks to the internet, data is in a million different places at once, and is very difficult to merely lose (save early save often, as I always say!). Technology has come a long way since 30 years ago, and though what we use today will certainly someday become antiquated, I doubt we'll reach that point without updating our files to whatever comes next.
The biggest problem with books is that they are physical presences: they take up space, cost money, and require very specific care and climate. And yes- computers and digital media certainly cost money to set up- but once you're there, think of all the "books" you could save on your harddrive, that take up merely digital space, rather than the space those moldy old books in your parents' basement are taking up. Or any bookshelf, really. We have to let go, eventually, of the love we feel for our shelves and our dusty volumes that we read maybe %3 regularly. And I am a huge fan of repeat readings, even!
Why do we love books? I include myself here: what is it we are hanging on to? Why do so many of us measure so much prestige in the number and titles of the books on our shelves? Are we so insecure about our own intelligence that we need them there, to remind not only our guests, but ourselves, that we are indeed educated? We love holding books, turning the pages, smelling the smell of old or new paper (I can't be the only one?). But if every book were gone tomorrow, we'd quite quickly become used to digital reading and would throw a fit whenever the next massive technological advance came around (hmmmm..... virtual litreality? Who knows.).
Perhaps this is one of those points where I merely took for granted certain expectations I have for technology soon to come. Rob is most certainly correct about the universality of books through time- but then, think of all the books that have been lost since Gutenberg's time, due to fire, water, war, toddlers, etc. True, we've also lost digital files, but I am inclined to think that thanks to the internet, data is in a million different places at once, and is very difficult to merely lose (save early save often, as I always say!). Technology has come a long way since 30 years ago, and though what we use today will certainly someday become antiquated, I doubt we'll reach that point without updating our files to whatever comes next.
The biggest problem with books is that they are physical presences: they take up space, cost money, and require very specific care and climate. And yes- computers and digital media certainly cost money to set up- but once you're there, think of all the "books" you could save on your harddrive, that take up merely digital space, rather than the space those moldy old books in your parents' basement are taking up. Or any bookshelf, really. We have to let go, eventually, of the love we feel for our shelves and our dusty volumes that we read maybe %3 regularly. And I am a huge fan of repeat readings, even!
Why do we love books? I include myself here: what is it we are hanging on to? Why do so many of us measure so much prestige in the number and titles of the books on our shelves? Are we so insecure about our own intelligence that we need them there, to remind not only our guests, but ourselves, that we are indeed educated? We love holding books, turning the pages, smelling the smell of old or new paper (I can't be the only one?). But if every book were gone tomorrow, we'd quite quickly become used to digital reading and would throw a fit whenever the next massive technological advance came around (hmmmm..... virtual litreality? Who knows.).
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