Aug 27, 2009
Just found a great article courtesy of Ben Ayers in the New Statesman from way back in 1999 on the subject of the [then] future of newspapers. The early reference to Fax and Data-lines sets the stage for a beautifully dated article that acts as a reminder of the long-tail nature of the internet but more interesting is what the benefit of hindsight bestows on the piece.
It is strikingly evident that just as much confusion surrounded the future of newspapers then as it does now. The Sun‘s first stab at online was “currantbun.com“ which tried its hand at being an internet service provider (still with some live user pages)… But more interesting are some of the views from prominent industry leaders of the time.
An alleged quote from Paul Dacre, the powerful editor-in-chief of the Mail titles, claims he told his 1998 staff summer party:
“A lot of people say that the Internet is the future for newspapers. Well, I say bullshit.com.”
10 years on the internet is a long, long time – youtube has only been around since 2005 – and I wonder how today’s articles shouting the benefits of social media and the mobile web will read in 5 or 10 years. I’d bet a tenner that those terms will be as dated as information superhighway or cyberspace are today.
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May 26, 2009
I’ve worked directly with the internet for over 14 years and, as a result, I am what you might call a “power user”. It’s normal for me browse several windows at the same time, construct complex searches and automatically know which keyboard commands will skip me through pages, so it’s easy to forget that most people use the internet very, very differently.
My wife is a typical example of normal web-user behaviour; someone who goes to Google and searches for a brand name (Hotmail/MySpace/Nike/Amazon etc) and clicks the resulting link. I’d even say that most people start their journey at a search engine and rarely, if ever, type a URL or domain name into the browser. Google/Yahoo/MSN etc have become the primary gateway to the web for most users.
Hitwise recently published search analysis that, unsurprisingly, showed media and retailers dominating the list of most searched for brands in the UK with Facebook in pole position. The most popular searches will, obviously, create the most visited sites so Google is now your new URL. Brand becomes king and a findable site (SEO & SEM) has become fundamental if you want to drive traffic to your site.
Mar 5, 2009
It’s no accident we use the word “play” in areas that actually require talent, discipline and practice.
In music, we say “play” but if you want to get truly creative with it you must learn the rules, practice hard and become familiar with how sound affects people’s moods.
Sport and games from chess to video games require practice and understanding of the rules and nuances to truly “play” and enjoy. To become a proffessional footballer and “play” at that standard takes spcialist physical and mental training.
Why should design be different?
Feb 25, 2009
I’m proud to be a generalist. Being a generalist means that I know about a lot of technologies, about design, marketing, channels and various other aspects of digital communications. I know what can be achieved through which platforms, even if I don’t know exactly how and that wisdom let’s me know which concepts & decisions are worth fighting for.
If you want to get the best out of any medium you need to know how it works, all the way through. You need to have taken it apart and put it back together again. If you’re supposed to be working in digital, giving good gant is not enough, you need to get your hands dirty from time to time and feel the power of the API pulsing though your fingers.
