"Digital Gutenberg" Evaluates Analyzes Google"s Advance on Traditional Media

Harrod’s Creek, KY (PRWEB) May 26, 2009

A new in-depth search industry monograph that examines how Google’s highly sophisticated technical resources could position it to become a formidable player in 21st Century media is now available.

“Google: The Digital Gutenberg” offers critical analysis and information to anyone connected with traditional media enterprises and to anyone charged with calculating threats and potential for media companies in book and magazine publishing, directory and guide compilation, television and video. It is authored by Stephen E. Arnold, http://www.arnoldit.com, an expert in search, content processing and text analytics.

The challenge Google represents to current media in particular and to traditional media such as newspapers in general is an old story. Arnold offers this comparison: “When Gutenberg ‘invented’ printing, scribes were put out of work. New jobs were created, but the dislocation for those skilled with hand copying was severe.”

Arnold explains in the monograph that Google is a type of large-scale disruptor. “It’s the poster child of larger changes made possible by technology, infrastructure and user demands,” he said.

Google continues to push products and services into different business sectors, and media is an obvious target. These waves can be disruptive and often the cause of surprising reactions; “Google: The Digital Gutenberg” explains the current industry climate surrounding Google and will help the traditional media industry understand how the technological landscape is changing as led by Google’s charge.

Google is best known as a Web search vendor and an online advertising system. But Google as a publisher is a relatively new concept. The company already offers a number of revenue-generating opportunities such as the AdSense program to publishers and business at-large.

But Google is now moving to also offer video content organization, actual advertising sales and Google search within sites, among other functions. The monograph closes with a discussion of the Google App Engine, which offers users the ability to build and host web applications on Google’s infrastructure. Essentially, the partner who uses Google as a back office can negotiate revenue splits with Google, making it an effective shot in the arm for failing traditional media revenues.

The study reviews Google’s content automation methods, dataspace functions and the company’s increasing impact on education, scholarly publishing, and commercial online business as Google positions itself as a major player in the media industry.

“If my research data are correct, Google could be more active as a content generator than it has chosen to be. Google, for this reason, has ‘potential energy’; that is, without much additional investment, the company could produce more content objects.”

“Google, as I said in my 2005 monograph ‘The Google Legacy’, is a company skilled at applying technology in clever ways,” Arnold said. “Google is an applied engineering firm. Google is more like Thomas Edison, an inspired tinkerer, a person who combines ideas until one clicks. That’s the reason for Google’s beta tests and stream of test products and services.”

Arnold ends by summarizing “Google: The Digital Gutenberg” by urging readers to develop products and services for the Google platform. For those who choose to ignore Google, they risk being left behind as Internet technology forges the new media of the future.

The monograph, available now, is published by Infonortics, http://www.infonortics.eu/publications/index.html. Orders may be placed online at https://www.infonortics.com//https/goog-ord.html or by mail using the order form at http://www.infonortics.eu/publications/google/google-order-3.pdf. A table of contents is posted at http://www.infonortics.com/publications/google/google-gutenberg.html.

About Stephen E. Arnold:

Stephen E. Arnold monitors search, content processing, text mining and related topics from his office in Kentucky. He works with colleagues worldwide on a wide range of online and content-related projects. The company’s Web site is http://arnoldit.com, and the Beyond Search blog is at http://arnoldit.com/wordpress/.

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"Digital Gutenberg" Evaluates Analyzes Google"s Advance on Traditional Media

Sean Platt Transforms the Face of Traditional Blogging Through Weekly Podcasts and Writer Hangouts

Cincinnati, OH (PRWEB) September 12, 2012

Sean Platt, King of the Serial, coauthor of Yesterdays Gone, and the Digital Writer, announces that the old way of blogging for profit is dying, if not dead already, and has transitioned his latest online endeavor, still just six months old, to a newer model he sees as the future of blogging.

Sean Platt has recently published a blog post closing the large list he spent a half-year building. There are too millions of blogs online, Platt said. And too many more to count started every day. Couple that with the decreasing attention span of the average reader, the rise of social media replacing RSS feeds, and the visual explosion offered by micro-blogging services such as Tumblr and Pinterest, an old fashioned WordPress blog is downright quaint.

In a surprising business move, Sean Platt did what most entrepreneurs would never dream of: He deleted his email list. And has since vowed that his blogs will not fall victim to fickle readers who dont care enough about their community to help it grow.

The Digital Writer was launched with a unique business model, earlier this April, offering subscribers a free eBook each week, in addition to a members area with free printable worksheets, plus easy questions and answers. But after six months of slower than anticipated growth, against higher than expected costs, Platt pulled the plug, and turned the Digital Writer into a private blog.

Platt added: The subscription model makes sense. I dont care about the size of my list, I care about its quality. Id rather work with a much smaller, but more engaged group of writers. I want to help writers the same way I was helped, and I dont mind giving my time for free, but I do expect writers who are willing to work hard and give to their community. Those are the writers who are most likely to develop a lucrative writing or publishing career.

The quality of actionable advice, intelligent leadership, and well articulated insight readers of the Digital Writer have became accustomed to hasnt changed in the least, only Platts demand for action. He deleted one list and started another, hoping he would gather a smaller group of more dedicated writers.

Im thrilled by the results! Platt said. Its a smaller group, but the enthusiasm has been off the charts.

The Digital Writer has an extensive catalogue of writing books like Writing Online that have lead many readers to increase their writing quality and ability, to improve their freelance clientele, work habits, and social media marketing skills. Through his signature production model, the Digital Writer collaborated with Danny Iny to produce a title that many have used to create content for their own blogs.

As a host of the Self-Publishing Podcast, Sean, David Wright, and Johnny B. Truant lead former blog readers to a more entertaining form of the art: podcasting. Podcasts are the new black for bloggers able to clearly articulate their thoughts, and its a forum which allow writers to step out from behind the keyboard and into the spotlight.

For writers interested in self-publishing, this podcast is a means of edutainment. Through their antics, the Digital Writer and his co-hosts explicitly carry viewers through the self-publishing process to help writers reach their goals weekly.

Platt has transformed his readers into viewers, creating the same level of quality with his content, but broadcasting on a far more engaging level. Plus, as Platt says, he likes it when my fingers give my voice a break.

Optimizing on the success of the Self-Publishing Podcast, the hosts have given birth to a new irreverent sibling. The Better Off Undead horror podcast is another outlet where zombies come to life weekly.

Sean Platts model seems to be working. His second podcast, with Johnny B. Truant and David Wright, was downloaded over 1,000 times by the second episode.

Platt has experimented with many models since leaving the ghostwriting world to write fiction full-time, and has built over two-dozen blogs. As the co-author of the serialized fiction Amazon smash Yesterdays Gone, just finishing up its third and most critically acclaimed, Platt wanted to spend most of his time writing fiction, without abandoning the writers who are looking for help in the quickly shifting industry. A subscription only blog was the smart way to do that.

Platt’s in-demand hangouts and podcasts are held weekly. Writers interested in quality writing advice can listen or call in this Thursday (Sept 13, 2012) at 641-715-3900 ext.406770 to the Self-Publishing Podcast.

Sean Platt is keeping his private blog open for the first 1,000 writers. The signup form can be found on the Digital Writer homepage.

Sean Platt Transforms the Face of Traditional Blogging Through Weekly Podcasts and Writer Hangouts