Information R/evolution

Why Print Journos Should Willingly Learn Web Skills

“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.”
— Gen. Eric Shinseki

“The future belongs to people who see possibilities before they become obvious.”
— Ted Levitt

Why Consumers Aren’t Giving Up Control

“Everyone’s composing their own flow. And once you start becoming the composer of your own flow, you can’t go back.”

- Lars Bastholm, Executive Creative Director at AKQA New York.

What is Adobe Flash Lite?

Adobe Flash Lite 3 is a lightweight version of the Adobe Flash Player developed by Adobe Systems for mobile phones and other non-phone, portable electronic devices.

First and foremost, Adobe Flash Lite allows users to browse the plethora of web content powered by Adobe Flash software. Such content and applications had previously only been accessible on personal computers.

Flash Lite 3 plays back FLV, currently the most popular video format on the Internet. Devices enabled with Flash Lite 3 can also access a multitude of dynamic applications — such as interactive games, mobile magazines, daily comics, screen savers, infotainment, and personal productivity software. Flash Lite 3 is based on the Flash platform, which is supported by a community of two million designers and developers.

Flash Lite has been widely available to mobile users in Japan and Europe since 2005. Verizon Wireless became the first operator in the USA to adopt the technology in October 2006. More than 450 million mobile devices powered by Flash Lite have been shipped as of February 2008, according to the Adobe Systems website.

Other recent developments:

In March 2008, Microsoft licensed Adobe Flash Lite software to enable web browsing of Flash Player compatible content within the Internet Explorer Mobile browser in future versions of Microsoft Windows Mobile smartphones.

In April 2008, Sony Ericsson announced its new Project Capuchin technology – bridging the Java ME and Adobe Flash Lite programming environments. Project Capuchin’s application programming interface (API) makes it possible to use Flash Lite as the front end and Java ME as the back end of applications, meaning that Flash tools can be used for user interface design while still having access to all the phone services available to Java ME.

In October 2008, LG Electronics turned to Adobe Flash Lite and Adobe Flash CS3 Professional software to power it’s first complete advanced touch interface to a mobile phone, called PRADA – a competitor to Apple iPhone. “Adobe Flash Lite was the best solution for the team to achieve its goals on the project: to generate user attention with dynamic effects, programmed animations, smooth transitions, and speedy performance on a full three-inch display,” according to developer Hosang Cheon, chief research engineer at LG.

The Adobe Creative Suite 3 Web Premium products provided a seamless environment for developers to create the Adobe Flash Lite platform for the PRADA, Cheon said. For example, Adobe Photoshop CS3 was used for graphics, layout, and Graphical User Interface design, and Adobe Illustrator CS3 for vector images.

Compact file sizes, fast debugging, and the overall flexibility of working in ActionScript were other advantages of Flash Lite noted by developers.

However, there are issues with the technology. Flash Lite user interfaces are attractive and can be designed to be highly engaging, but performance on certain devices is less than good. Complaints range from battery drain and slowness to annoying Flash advertising. Poorly designed Flash interfaces are just as unpleasant on a small screen as they are on a desktop computer.

Penetration of Flash Lite is also not as great in the United States. Adobe has not been able to convince Apple to include a version of Flash Lite for the iPhone. So although iPhone users can browse the web, the iPhone will not render any Flash content.

Flash Lite’s future will be brighter if iPhone adopts some version of the technology and if it will continue to pair up with other existing mobile platform technologies, such as Java ME. On its own, Flash Lite doesn’t’t seem as robust as iPhone or Android.

Flash Lite does run on numerous other platforms, including Windows Mobile, Symbian S60, and Qualcomm BREW, in addition to embedded operating systems on a variety of original equipment manufacturer platforms.

Here is a tally of Flash Lite enabled devices and their major markets:

- Nokia (Global) = 94 devices
- Sony Ericsson (Global) = 75 devices
- Verizon Wireless (US) = 19 devices
- NTT DoCoMo (Japan) = 150 devices
- KDDI (Japan) = 111 devices
- Softbank (Japan) = 60 devices

SOURCES

Adobe Flash Lite 3 official site. http://www.adobe.com/products/flashlite/

Wikipedia entry: Adobe Flash Lite. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_Flash_Lite  

Evans, Jonny. “Adobe Improves Flash for Cell Phones” Macworld: February 12, 2008. Retrieved on 10/24/2008 from http://www.pcworld.com/article/142361/adobe_improves_flash_for_cell_phones.html

Chartier, David. “Adobe begs Apple to allow Flash on iPhone, again.” Ars Technica – Infinite Loop:  September 30, 2008. Retrieved on 10/24/2008 from http://arstechnica.com/journals/apple.ars/2008/09/30/adobe-begs-apple-to-allow-flash-on-iphone-again

Krazit, Tom. “Intel blasts iPhone; Apple honeymoon over.” Cnet News: October 22, 2008. Retrieved on 10/24/2008 from http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10072779-37.html

Seibold, Chris. “Flash On the iPhone.” iPhone Matters blog: October 1, 2008. Retrieved on 10/24/2008 from http://www.iphonematters.com/article/flash_on_the_iphone_534/

Mobile News: Characteristics, Content

Mobile news is versatile, immediate and portable, and if formatted and designed properly, can be just compelling as a news web site or a printed newspaper.

The audience for mobile news is mainly a new audience. It is not the same people who prefer traditional print news. Individuals who subscribe to print products are shrinking in number as information consumption habits shift to digital delivery.

Mobile news/information appeals mainly to young people, who have never known a world without computers, cell phones, SMS and digital audio. Mobile news/information also appeals to technologically savvy working professionals, commuters and parents who spend a lot of time away from home and on the go and who have integrated mobile phone communication into their daily lives.

Based on this audience, here is a list of content that would specifically appeal to a mobile, Connecticut-centric demographic:

• Local weather reports
• Traffic updates
• School closings
• Sports scores
• Stock prices
• Breaking news alerts (crime, politics)
• Movie times
• Local event listings database with SMS alerts
• Local restaurant database including restaurant reviews
• Searchable local classifieds with SMS alerts (real estate/jobs/cars/auctions)
• Most popular stories / photo galleries
• Opportunity to submit/share mobile user-generated content, such as local photos/videos/comments.

SOURCES

Peacock, Melissa. “Online Newspaper Audience Grows; Looks Toward Mobile.” CMS Wire: Jul 29. 2008. Retrieved on 10/17/2008 from http://www.cmswire.com/cms/web-publishing/online-newspaper-audience-grows-looks-toward-mobile-002950.php

 

“Newspaper Web Sites Attract Records Audiences.” Newspaper Association of America: April 14, 2008. Retrieved on 10/17/2008 from http://www.naa.org/PressCenter/SearchPressReleases/2008/NEWSPAPER-WEB-SITES-ATTRACT-RECORD-AUDIENCES-IN-FIRST-QUARTER.aspx

Podcasting Gaining Ground

Podcasting is gaining ground as a viable information delivery channel for news organizations.  Back in 2004, when podcasting first hit the personal technology scene, most traditional news organizations foundered with the new technology. Some either put too much effort into producing and distributing podcasts with less than profitable results, while others chose to ignore the technology as merely a trend for a niche audience.

But technology, skills and audience preferences have evolved quickly in the past four years. Portable audio and video are now penetrating American consumer culture. Online audio and video have become part of the mainstream due in part to the incredible influence of YouTube and iTunes.

A survey conducted by eMarketer in January 2007 put the “active” U.S. podcast audience at 6.5 million and projected growth to 10 million the end of 2008. Other research by Bridge Ratings LLC projects that 63 million people will be plugging into podcasts by 2010.  That’s a huge potential audience – many of them young people – whose everyday hardware regimen includes mobile phones and earbuds for listening to portable audio.

Every news organization now has a good second chance to jump on the podcasting bandwagon.

So what is a podcast exactly? It is a free, prerecorded audio or video program that can be automatically downloaded to a user’s computer through a voluntary subscription feed. Once the podcast file is on the user’s computer, the user can transfer it to a portable, digital media device and listen/watch the content on his or her own schedule, while on the go or doing other things.

Both the technology of podcasting and the consumer-chosen content advances the popular phenomenon of “personal media.”  People nowadays are creating their own media space by ripping bits from disparate  products and reintegrating the parts in new ways.

By making news information personalized and convenient, the rapid penetration of portable audio devices represents an opportunity for news organizations to re-engage news consumers in a manner consistent with modern lifestyles and behaviors.

“[Podcasts are] a way to reach listeners you weren’t going to get anyway,” like people in their offices or on the subway, observed Steve Dolge, managing editor of wtopnews.com in Washington, D.C. “We need to go where the people are instead of trying to force them where we are.” 

There are a number of news organizations who have recognized the growth potential in podcasts and are using the medium effectively as another means to dissipate information.  For example, in February 2006, the British newspaper The Telegraph hired its first “podcast editor.”  That same year, all-news radio stations such as WTOP in Washington, D.C., and WBBM in Chicago created special “news to go” podcasts for commuters to listen to in transit or at work. The headline on the WBBM podcast web site marketed the effort with the tagline: “We report. You download.”

What’s the podcasting risk for news organizations? The risk is wasting money and time on the production of “boring” podcasts that garner little audience. Journalism organizations looking to expand into podcasting should partner with professional broadcasters so the quality, production value and interestingness of the content maintains high standards.

Anyone with decent computer skills can produce a podcast. User-generated podcasts present competition for the mainstream media. So if anyone can produce a podcast, traditional news organizations have no excuse for not attempting to do it, too.

The content should influence the technology. News organizations shouldn’t force a reason to create a podcast, but rather, decide through journalistic judgment whether a podcast or vodcast could be the most effective way to get a particular piece of information out to the world. Podcasting cannot yet replicate the live, up-to-the-minute quality of broadcast news. But as portable players go wireless, “news on demand”— both audio and video — should become reality.

Amy Gahran, an e-media news expert at the Poynter Institute, suggests this carte du jour for better news podcasts:

• Keep news podcasts snappy, lively and less than 5 minutes. 
• Get right to the point. Intrigue the audience as well as inform.
• Provide links to stories mentioned in the podcast. Post daily show notes and make them easy to find – for mobile users, too. 
• Measure the results. Can additional traffic to the site be credited it to the podcast? Track which stories are most engaging to your podcast audience, which will help you refine your show to suit them. 
• Lastly, podcasts done right can help to turn “news grazers” into regular readers or listeners. 

SOURCES

Outing, Steve. “New Newspaper Job: Podcast Editor.” Poynter Online, E-Media Tidbits. Feb. 6, 2006. Retrieved on 10/8/2008 from http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=73502

Huntsberger, Michael & Stavistky, Alan. “The New ‘Podagogy’: Incorporating Podcasting into Journalism Education.”  Journalism & Mass Communication Educator. Columbia: Winter 2007. Vol. 61, Issue. 4; pg. 397-411

Palser, Barb. “Second-mover advantage: when launching online products, listening to the audience is more important than speed” American Journalism Review: April-May 2008. Vol. 30; Issue 2; p. 46

Zorn, Eric. “Pull up a chair, then plug in to some podcasts.” Chicago Tribune: Sep 6, 2007. pg.1

Potter, Deborah. “Podcasting the Future.” American Journalism Review: February/March 2006.

Yelvington, Steve. “Podcasting and the Rise of Personal Media.” Poynter Online – E-Media Tidbits: Oct. 27, 2004. Retrieved on 10/8/2008 from http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=73502

Gahran, Amy. “Getting Smart About News Podcasts.” Poynter Online – E-Media Tidbits: Jan 23, 2008. Retrieved on 10/8/2008 from http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=31&aid=136334

iPhone envy

Handheld devices have become useful tools for mobile computing. With the expansion of wireless Internet availability, people increasingly want to be able to browse the web from their handhelds. But on most cell phones, the small screens are unable to convey the richness of web content.

That is, until the iPhone.

The iPhone is a cell phone with many of the capabilities of a digital media player as well as a Web-enabled handheld computer. It boasts a remarkable visual user interface driven by touch and virtual keyboard technology.

Busy consumers gravitate toward products that help them get things done (utility). They will repeatedly use products that help them affirm their personal relationships and individual identities (purpose).They will develop loyalty to products that are functional, intuitive and easy-to-use (performance).  And they will buy products that don’t cost too much (economy).

People also are generally drawn to gadgets that look cool (aesthetics).

When it was released by Apple in 2007, the iPhone promised to fulfill all five of these categories. It seemed to have it all rolled into one sleek, black handheld with richly luminous graphics. The iPhone managed to capture consumers’ attention by tapping into their design sensibilities, curiosity and aesthetic consciousness.

As a handheld, the iPhone is ergonomic. It offers clear typography and interaction cues for navigation. It has successfully attracted a cache of complementary software, such as Google mapping interfaces and the New York Times, making it all the more valuable to consumers. And more companies are rolling out specialized iPhone applications as the gadget becomes a “platform” for information delivery

But as consumers by the millions literally bought into the iPhone hype, deficiencies with the iPhone revealed themselves.

“Despite all the hoopla about the elegant operating system and stunning screen, odds are that even a cheap cellphone has better voice quality; your old fashioned BlackBerry is more dependable than my e-mail system; and an inexpensive digital camera takes better quality pictures,” wrote George Gombossy, consumer columnist for the Hartford Courant. “In short, the iPhone is a beautiful tiny computer, but in some ways it’s like a combination hammer-screwdriver-wrench — it does it all but none well.”

Early adopters of the product found that the iPhone’s anytime/anywhere accessibility diminished due to network slowness. Apple partnered with AT&T to deliver service to consumers, but AT&T’s 3G network isn’t as robust in many areas. Apple has yet to allow consumers to use the iPhone on any service network they choose. The AT&T iPhone contract is both restrictive and expensive.

The novel touch screen of the iPhone doesn’t work so well for those with large, heavy or less than dexterous fingers. And the iPhone is still missing some features that users expect as “standard” – such as the ability to record video.

An uneven deficit in one or more of the five categories – performance, utility, purpose, economy or aesthetics – tends to foster negative user experiences. For example, the iPhone’s look makes up for some of functional expectations, but if its performance is really bad, people won’t bother trying use it, no matter what it looks like.

But if designers and developers at Apple are smart, they will take heed of the negative experiences and complaints, and work to make sure the next generation of the iPhone is better.

And no one likes restrictions or high prices. The business folks at Apple should realize that the iPhone could dominate the market if it makes a point to be less proprietary and more open source. The easier it is for people to connect the iPhone to products they are already loyal to, the more likely people will want it as a part of their daily lives.

SOURCES

Gajendar, Uday. “Experiential Aesthetics: A Framework for Beautiful Experience.”  Interactions: Magazine of the Association of Computer Machinery.  Vol 15.  September / October, 2008. pp 6-10.  Retrieved on 10/2/2008 from http://interactions.acm.org/content/?p=1140 

Gombossy, George. “iPhone 3G Is Nothing To Write, Or Call, Home About.” Hartford Courant. Sept 28, 2008. Retrieved on 9/29/2008 from http://www.courant.com/hc-watchdog-0928,0,1541295.column

McQuail, Denis. McQuail’s Mass Communication Theory, 5th edition, 2005. Why people Use Media.

Cusumano, Michael.  “Technology Strategy and Management: The Puzzle of Apple.” Communications of the ACM. Sept 2008. Vol 51. No. 9. pp. 22-24.

The Redesign Process

My job as an online editor at a traditional newspaper company involves a lot of convincing…that is, convincing print journalists to rework their content so it is not just “on the web” but “of the web.”  Same can be said of designing content for mobile media. Content should be tweaked to take advantage of the unique constraints and abilities of the platform that delivers their information. 

So, for example, a 1,000 word story that works well in print, would not be the same if it was produced for  TV, would need to be altered to be broadcast on the radio and could be different online in a desktop browser. What if the same story is accessed by someone on a mobile phone? The traditional print version wouldn’t be ideal, nor any of the other iterations on TV, radio or online. It is best if the content is fine-tuned to fit the mobile browsers capabilities.  

Questions to answer first: Who is the audience for this product and what are their expectations? What content is relevant to the mobile user to fulfill their expectations? How can this information be beneficial to someone on the go? How can it be easily viewed and consumed on a small screen?  

With so much information available at people’s fingertips these days, publishing content in any medium seems to be pointless unless an audience actually can access it with the least amount of stress, and find it useful.

Yes, I Text.

Yes, I text. My friends. My family. I text privately when talking is inappropriate. I text when I don’t feel like having a long conversation. I once dated this guy who preferred to communicate a lot by text.  The relationship didn’t last very long because, in part, the communication remained really shallow. How much can you really say in 160 taps? How much is misunderstood?

I use some abbreviations when texting , but I prefer to type out the full words and use punctuation. Can’t help it. I’m a journalist. I want the recipient of my text to know what I’m talking about. When my mother texts me from the Philippines, I sometimes have no idea what she is saying because of her bizarre textspeak. Then I have to send her another message asking for a clearer explanation.     

You can certainly use text to communicate in the “backchannel” – like passing a note in class. But it shouldn’t ever be used as someone’s primary or sole form of communication. There is value in hearing another human being’s voice and seeing the expression on their face.

A Poetic Way To Interpret Failed First Dates

“…one-time intersections of two people looking for something other than what they found.”

– from the wonderful short story “The 5:22″ by George Harrar

Good reason to blog

“Write what should not be forgotten.” — Isabel Allende

Trees and stones

“Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters.”
—St. Bernard