Hoi Polloi

Undersea cable shows how wired (and vulnerable) we are

The Boxing day earthquake, exactly two years after the tsunami disrupted life in a different way for some. By way of Communications. In our wireless world, it goes to show how the wires still matter.

In this USA Today story, a shoe supplier was cut off from its buyers.

So what happened to the theory about the internet being unfazed catastrophes, and enabling communications through alternative routes yada yada?

Time's YouTube cover, a story about 'prosumers'

Time's editor, Richard Stengel's observation about journalist' fascination and fear of citizen's playing the role of publisher, is obviously applicable to many other professions. Participatory, bottom-up media and user generated content does shake the tree at the roots, but YouTube notwithstanding, this isn't exactly something new. Alvin Toffler (borrowing from McLuhan) gave a name to the phenomenon about quarter century go --he called us 'pro-sumers.' People who would consume as well as produce.

The 'mirror' on the computer screen of the Jan 06 cover of Time is appropriate to an extent --the it's-all-about-me idea. But it doesn't capture the other aspects about social media --the participatory aspect, the ability to create niches-- covered in the story. Or the fact that YouTube isn't about the watching, but the filming.

NBC's Brian Williams raises that question often unspoken -the problem of me-ness, and the consequence on society when we miss the bigger picture. No, he's not making the case for the old media (he's a blogger AND an anchor who believes in the social media as a 'window' to the editorial process, not a mirror held up to the anchorman) but wondering if we are shortchanging ourselves in the process.

Times Square, the marketing platform

Today's article in the NYT, defines a phenomenon of marketing that will probably be emulated everywhere on different scales. It's about cameras in Times Square, being the ultimating 'publishing' platform. Make that the Marketing platform, when you consider the user-initiated, user-generated effect cameras and camera-phones are having.

I recently participated in he Samsung Blu-ray campaign, sending a text message to a billboard a few hundred feet away. In a few seconds, my phone received a response, and a code with which I could send a message to be displayed on the digital sign.

But it is more than placed-based marketing. These user-involved campaigns then get transmitted to other online venues such as YouTube, or shared by people on the P2P (which now also means phone-to-phone) network.

Someday we won't have to visit Times Square of Picadilly circus to experience in and participate in what goes on there, whether it is a stupid trick by David Blane for Target, or vote on important issues, or post a picture via Reuter's.

TV Ratings and YouTube

This news has to make TV execs perk up. CBS experimented with posting more than 300 clips from its  Late Show (Letterman) and the Early Show on YouTube, and got over 29 million views in about a month. More importantly, that has translated into about 200,000 new viewers tuning in to the TV programs on Letterman --you know the old 'appointment TV.'

One more proof-point that new media doesn't need to replace old media --just supplement and enhance it.