“The audience isn’t the audience anymore”

Posted on August 17, 2009 by Steve Mays

Thanks to Michael Kruse, a staff writer for the St. Petersburg Times for one of the best stories yet on the challenges facing “media exclusivity” in sports. In the interest of full disclosure, the company I work for (Learfield) pays serious money for just the sort of exclusivity described in in this piece, which focuses on a recent change in the media policy of the SEC, one college sports premier conference.

“… earlier this month (the SEC) sent to its 12 schools an eye-opening new media policy. It places increasingly stringent limits on reporters and how much audio, video and “real-time” blogging they can do at games, practices and news conferences. But even more interesting is that the policy also includes rules for fans in the stands. No updating Twitter feeds. No taking photos with phones and posting them on Facebook or Flickr. No taking videos and putting them on YouTube.

A conference spokesman said this policy was meant to try to keep as many eyeballs as possible on ESPN and CBS — which are paying the SEC $3 billion for the broadcast rights to the conference’s games over the next 15 years — and also on the SEC Digital Network — the conference’s own entity that’s scheduled to debut on SECSports.com later this month.”

The reporters covering sporting events have always (well, at least since blogs and such came along) been under certain restrictions regarding blogs and how much audio/video they could put online. The new policy by the SEC is “the most stringent language yet in college sports.”

“Ticketed fans can’t “produce or disseminate (or aid in producing or disseminating) any material or information about the Event, including, but not limited to, any account, description, picture, video, audio, reproduction or other information concerning the Event. …”

Sounds like I couldn’t call my brother and describe a thrilling touchdown run. God forbid, I took a photo or video clip and emailed it to him. The Times story included some really good quotes, like this one from Mike Masnick, editor of the blog techdirt:

“If it reaches the point where it’s not just 15 people doing this, it’s 1,000 people, it gets more and more difficult to stop,” he said. “At which point you either stop letting fans into games or you figure out a way to deal with the fact that fans are going to do this.”

…and this one from new media expert Clay Shirky:

“The idea that people can’t capture their own lived experience is a losing proposition.”

I encourage anyone involved with collegiate sports (and related media) to read the full story. Here’s my take-away:

“The audience isn’t the audience anymore. The SEC’s greatest supporters are now also the SEC’s biggest competitors.”

Gnomedex 9.0

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Steve Mays

In a few days I make my annual pilgrimage to Seattle for Gnomedex (“a technology conference of inspiration and influence”). This is the only conference I attend and it’s important enough that I pay my expenses when necessary. I consider it a valuable investment (and tax deduction).

It’s a very small conference. Maybe 300 people? Brief bios of this year’s speakers give you some idea of the eclectic nature of Gnomedex. Here’s how one hoary attendee described the event:

“Every year I come back from Gnomedex with a sense of perspective. A better understanding of where I am on the technology continuum (for lack of a better term)… Attending Gnomedex is like cresting a hill and –for just a few minutes– I can see some of the smart kids way off on the horizon, running toward the future. I won’t catch them, but it’s nice to get a glimpse every now and then.” [More on the Gnomedex philosophy]

This is an easy conference to keep up with. This is the conference where I first heard about blogging, Twitter, social media and so much more that has become part of our lives. These are the geeks who come up with these little time munchers. I have no idea what I’ll learn this year but I’m all tingly with anticipation.

Jeff Jarvis on “the Nielsen Revolt”

Posted on August 16, 2009 by Steve Mays

“The presumption of old media was that everyone in the audience saw every advertisement and that’s why ads were bought on the basis of the size of the audience. Size mattered. But today, what advertisers really want is verification that their ads reached the audience they were sold – not just in size but in relevance.”

HuffPo link = big traffic mojo

Posted on August 14, 2009 by Steve Mays

We’re seeing major (for us) spike in traffic to one of our blogs from link on Huffington Post site. Radio Iowa News Director O. K. Henderson has been doing a super job of covering “town hall” meetings in Iowa. And breaking news, as she frequently does.

Who’s watching the news?

Posted on August 10, 2009 by Steve Mays

I’m not really sure, but they must be a bunch of old fuckers, based on the sponsors of tonight’s NBC (first group) and ABC (second group) network newscasts.

Ford Taurus
Omnaris Nasal Spray
Olay Body Wash
Total Cereal
Toviaz – for over-active bladders
Imodium – for diarrhea
Dr. Scholls – for tired old feet
Advair – asthma and emphysema
Spiriva – asthma and emphysema
Lanacane – itch cream
Olay Pro X – wrinkle cream
Miralax – laxative
Zyrtec – allergy medicine
Ford Taurus

Crestor – cholesterol
Ford Taurus
Toviaz – over-active bladder
Friskies Cat Food
ThermaCare – heat wraps
One-A-Day 50+ for men
Omnaris – nasal spray
Levitra – erectile dysfunction
Dove Moisturizer
Plavix – poor leg circulation

Is that the most depressing list you have ever seen? Could there be one living soul under the age of 60 watching these newscasts? Is network news in trouble? May-be.

Creativity

Posted on August 9, 2009 by Steve Mays

Leo Babauta has a very good list of tips on how to cultivate your creativity. Here are a few of my favorites from his list:

Shut out the outside world.
Reflect on your life and work daily.
Just get it out, no matter how crappy that first draft.
Teach and you’ll learn.
Drink ridiculous amounts of coffee.
Write all ideas down immediately.
Turn your work into play.
Get lots of rest. Overwork kills creativity.
Don’t force it. Relax, play, it will start to flow.
Do it when you’re excited.
Don’t be afraid to be stupid and silly.
Small ideas are good. Don’t need to change the world — just change one thing.
When something is killing your creativity, kill it.
Most of all, have fun doing it.

If I might add one idea to this excellent list (be sure to check out the full list from link above), you have to be in an environment that will allow (better yet, encourage) creativity. I’ve been so blessed for most of my working life. I guess this means working for the right company or working for yourself.

My momma used to say, “Stupid is as stupid does”

Posted on August 7, 2009 by Steve Mays

Bill Maher (along with Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert) has the knack –and the balls– for saying things I believe but can’t quite put into words. Like, “this is a stupid country.”

“I’m the bad guy for saying it’s a stupid country, yet polls show that a majority of Americans cannot name a single branch of government, or explain what the Bill of Rights is. 24% could not name the country America fought in the Revolutionary War. More than two-thirds of Americans don’t know what’s in Roe v. Wade. Two-thirds don’t know what the Food and Drug Administration does. Some of this stuff you should be able to pick up simply by being alive. You know, like the way the Slumdog kid knew about cricket.

Not here. Nearly half of Americans don’t know that states have two senators and more than half can’t name their congressman. And among Republican governors, only 30% got their wife’s name right on the first try.

Until we admit there are things we don’t know, we can’t even start asking the questions to find out. Until we admit that America can make a mistake, we can’t stop the next one.”

Whew. I feel SO much better.

Doonesbury takes us inside C Street