As consumers move more of their lives and activities to the mobile space, advertisers and marketers are seeing huge growth numbers. Riding the wave is Nexage, a mobile ad firm and real-time bidding exchange that has had a 50 percent growth in ad impressions over a three-month period. READ MORE
Viewers are leaving cable and satellite in droves. Hundreds of thousands of viewers are doing what our household has done and dumping their monthly cable or satellite service, likely in favor of streaming video. READ MORE
Personal publishing website Scribd has launched a digital newsstand, called Float, that allows users to access a variety of online news sites at the same place without having to sign up for each one individually. READ MORE
Whenever you surf the Web, websites use small bits of code called “cookies” to track your activity. Depending on your point of view, this practice is either an invasion of privacy or a beneficial practice that helps keep online content free, and makes browsing in general more interesting because you may see an ad for something you actually want. Newly proposed Do Not Track legislation is intended to make Internet surfing more private. READ MORE
Back in the dinosaur days of the Web, it used to be that you could write an article, get a few of your friends to link to it, and voila — you could “own” a topic. You could become the authoritative source for that subject, at least for awhile. In reality, maybe it was neverthat simple. But even so, back in the day when we had less content, it was a whole lot easier for your content to stand out on the Web. Somewhere along the line, things changed. It crept up on us. I’m not exactly sure when I noticed it — maybe a year ago, maybe longer? But now we seem to have a glut of content. And with that glut of content, it is becoming harder to new create content that attracts the links, get visitors, and gets in the search engine rankings using the same old approaches. Content has become easier to create Blogs, podcasts, photos, and online video are now within the grasp of millions. It’s gotten a whole lot easier for individuals and small businesses to create content. Michael Arrington of TechCrunch speaks about the explosion of content: “Back in 2000 it was fairly hard to do things like write a blog, publish photos (don’t even think about videos back then), or share bookmarks. Today, all that stuff is easy….” To top it off, media outlets increasingly put their material on the Web and make it available for free. So you may not only be competing against other bloggers, but against newspapers, the Associated Press, cable TV networks, magazines, and other media. Add it all up and that’s a lot of content! As content becomes commoditized Scott Karp of Publishing 2.0 also writes about the glut of content in The Declining Value of Redundant News Content on the Web. He uses the example of Microsoft’s withdrawal of its bid to acquire Yahoo, noting that Google at one point was tracking over 2000 stories on the topic. He says it is a zero sum game for attention. There is finite demand for content on a particular topic. For every time one version of content gets read, it means another version is not getting read. The end result, he contends, is that the more content there is, the less value that individual content has — it becomes commoditized. He is talking about news and media outlets. But you could say the same concept applies to a small business with a blog or podcast. Just look around at some of the blog content you see. For example, top 10 lists abound. Do a search in Google for “top 10” and you get over 261 million results. There’s the top 10 spammers, the top 10 strategic technologies for 2008, the top 10 cyber security menaces…. Time magazine even put together a compilation of 50 of the top 10 lists. Just how many top 10 articles do we need? Better question: just how many top 10 articles will people read? Don’t get discouraged — get creative If you are a blogger or a small business owner trying to stand out on the Web inexpensively using original content, right about now you may be feeling discouraged. Don’t be. My point is not to make you get all depressed and chuck it all. Rather, I simply suggest you allocate a portion of your writing time to strategizing to create content that is original enough to stand out today. Before you put pen to paper (er, fingers to keyboard), think about how to be original, so that you can meet the higher bar today. The bar has gotten higher for quality Web content, but it’s not impossibly high. As Rex Hammock writes, that there’s always demand for quality and originality: “If you help me get to the information and insight I need to live a fuller life or conduct business in a more flexible and productive way, your blogging … does not burden me. Useless, redundant, meaningless, re-shuffled drivel is the burden. It can be delivered via print or on a weblog or a mobile device. Crap is a burden no matter what the medium used to deliver it.” These days you may have to give your blog posts a little more thought in order to be creative and come up with something new and different that stands out — and that is not “useless, redundant, meaningless, re-shuffled drivel” to use Rex’s words. How to stand out The way to stand out with your content today is to be original. Be different. Easier said than done, right? Not really. I offer three ways to do that: Focus on topic niches, rather than general topics. Before you write that “top 10 list of marketing ideas” do a search in Google and see if there are already articles on that topic. If so, consider how to make your article different. One good way is to go narrow and deep – because a lot of the broad and general topics have been done to death. Narrow the topic. Make it “top 10 marketing ideas for under $5” or “top 10 marketing ideas for home-based landscaping businesses.” Write about your own experiences. The one thing that I guarantee has not been written about ad nauseum are YOUR experiences. Instead of writing on broad topics, write from the perspective of what you have experienced, done, learned, etc. Only you can write that. Want an example? Here is an article I wrote about a true story that happened to me — it got tons and tons of readers and links: Hacked: It Could Never Happen to My Site (Famous Last Words). Add value to the news, don’t repeat it. Even when writing about current news articles, add value to the basic story, don’t simply regurgitate it. Going back to Scott Karp and his article referenced above, he suggests three ways to add value to a news story, instead of just repeating it and adding to the noise: Link to the best coverage Publish source material Ask readers what they think
Even after choosing a published style guide as a primary reference, you’ll need to customize it for your organization. Your editorial process will affect the type guide you need. We’ll point you to some resources to help simplify creating your guide. After leafing through the Chicago Manual of Style or the Associated Press Stylebook, you’re probably thinking that creating a style manual is a lot of work. But the task becomes manageable if you start by considering the scope of your style manual and who will use it, that is, experienced copy editors or everyone responsible for contributing content. Determine Scope What would you like your style guide to achieve? Are you just trying to clean up the copy to make sure capitalization and punctuation are consistent throughout the site? Or do you want the guide to include overall Web site style such as page format and rules for bulleted lists or heads? Do you want to include Web writing guidelines, for example, how to write hypertext links? Consider how you will handle editing. Will all text go to a central copy editing group? If you employ experienced copy editors, familiar with style manuals, your task is simplified. Designate a published style guide as your primary reference, for example, Chicago or AP. Then put together an addendum that covers your style deviations and addresses what isn’t included in the style guide, such as information specific to your organization or Web site. Define Purpose If you have many people and departments contributing content, perhaps all writers will be responsible for checking their content for style. In this situation, you’ll want a different style guide, something quick and easy to use. These writers probably haven’t thought much about style and are not schooled in the finer points of punctuation and capitalization. They’re not inclined to consult a thick style guide at every comma. For these writers, you’ll need to construct a style manual that covers the basics: general guidelines on punctuation, grammar and usage. Think Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, a concise overview of writing and style principles (100 pages), not the all-inclusive Chicago Manual of Style (900 pages). Most useful is an online searchable guide that all content contributors can access quickly and easily. Customize your spell check to flag inconsistencies, such as internet if your style calls for Internet. Appoint a Style Czar Regardless of how you handle the editorial process, grant one person the final word on style. The style czar should solicit input from writers, editors, designers and technicians to ensure that all style decisions are consistent with site and page design. But ultimately, one person should take responsibility for style. Someone must issue an edict about whether Web site is one word and whether it is capitalized. And since Web style is changing — with new words, conventions and technologies appearing every day — the style czar should also have responsibility for updating the guide. Review Your Style The best way to begin building your style guide is by reviewing the writing at your Web site. What style conventions are you following already? Print some pages from your Web site and circle style conventions. What words or terms do you capitalize, abbreviate or hyphenate? How do you punctuate items like phone and fax numbers? Do you almost always use e-mail, not email? Do writers consistently follow style conventions? (Probably not.) Begin constructing your organization’s style guide or addendum by creating a list of the style conventions that exist already at your site. Label it Existing Style and have another sheet labeled Style Decisions for the issues you need to resolve. Before making your style decisions, study the sites of similar organizations or industries. Review sites you like. What are the style consistencies among them? Choose Tools to Help You’re now ready to begin constructing your guide. Where can you go for help? Lana Castle has called upon her vast experience as an editor to put some method into what might seem like madness. Her book, Style Meister, The Quick-Reference Custom Style Guide, provides advice and worksheets to get the job done, including: Suggestions on constructing word lists. Castle says to use a two-column format, one column for your preferred word, such as disk, the second for words to avoid, such as disc or diskette. Charts listing style options from which you can pick and choose. A model guide for specifying overall document style (font size, rules for lists and heads). Although designed for print, it can be easily adapted for Web sites. Edit-Work.com is devoted to Web editing. Put together by seasoned writers and editors Renee Hopkins and Tom Kinsey, it’s a source of invaluable guidance and tools, including: An online style glossary: Edit-Work.com’s glossary is compiled from a variety of sources, including Chicago and AP style guides, the Gregg Reference Manual and the Microsoft Manual of Style. A site style guide: Edit-Work.com has posted the style guide it used to develop the site. The guide includes rules for page formatting and specifications for links, fonts and heads. It’s a great model for compiling your own guide. Web Editors Discussion List: Got a style question? Ask the experts — or the equally confused. Will online editors ever agree about whether Web site is one word? Sure. Will editors ever be able to convince writers to follow the company style guide? Maybe. Is setting a style ever worth the trouble? Of course! Copyright © 1995-2001 Pinnacle WebWorkz Inc. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form.
Even after choosing a published style guide as a primary reference, you’ll need to customize it for your organization. Your editorial process will affect the type guide you need. We’ll point you to some resources to help simplify creating your guide. After leafing through the Chicago Manual of Style or the Associated Press Stylebook, you’re probably thinking that creating a style manual is a lot of work. But the task becomes manageable if you start by considering the scope of your style manual and who will use it, that is, experienced copy editors or everyone responsible for contributing content. Determine Scope What would you like your style guide to achieve? Are you just trying to clean up the copy to make sure capitalization and punctuation are consistent throughout the site? Or do you want the guide to include overall Web site style such as page format and rules for bulleted lists or heads? Do you want to include Web writing guidelines, for example, how to write hypertext links? Consider how you will handle editing. Will all text go to a central copy editing group? If you employ experienced copy editors, familiar with style manuals, your task is simplified. Designate a published style guide as your primary reference, for example, Chicago or AP. Then put together an addendum that covers your style deviations and addresses what isn’t included in the style guide, such as information specific to your organization or Web site. Define Purpose If you have many people and departments contributing content, perhaps all writers will be responsible for checking their content for style. In this situation, you’ll want a different style guide, something quick and easy to use. These writers probably haven’t thought much about style and are not schooled in the finer points of punctuation and capitalization. They’re not inclined to consult a thick style guide at every comma. For these writers, you’ll need to construct a style manual that covers the basics: general guidelines on punctuation, grammar and usage. Think Strunk and White’s Elements of Style, a concise overview of writing and style principles (100 pages), not the all-inclusive Chicago Manual of Style (900 pages). Most useful is an online searchable guide that all content contributors can access quickly and easily. Customize your spell check to flag inconsistencies, such as internet if your style calls for Internet. Appoint a Style Czar Regardless of how you handle the editorial process, grant one person the final word on style. The style czar should solicit input from writers, editors, designers and technicians to ensure that all style decisions are consistent with site and page design. But ultimately, one person should take responsibility for style. Someone must issue an edict about whether Web site is one word and whether it is capitalized. And since Web style is changing — with new words, conventions and technologies appearing every day — the style czar should also have responsibility for updating the guide. Review Your Style The best way to begin building your style guide is by reviewing the writing at your Web site. What style conventions are you following already? Print some pages from your Web site and circle style conventions. What words or terms do you capitalize, abbreviate or hyphenate? How do you punctuate items like phone and fax numbers? Do you almost always use e-mail, not email? Do writers consistently follow style conventions? (Probably not.) Begin constructing your organization’s style guide or addendum by creating a list of the style conventions that exist already at your site. Label it Existing Style and have another sheet labeled Style Decisions for the issues you need to resolve. Before making your style decisions, study the sites of similar organizations or industries. Review sites you like. What are the style consistencies among them? Choose Tools to Help You’re now ready to begin constructing your guide. Where can you go for help? Lana Castle has called upon her vast experience as an editor to put some method into what might seem like madness. Her book, Style Meister, The Quick-Reference Custom Style Guide, provides advice and worksheets to get the job done, including: Suggestions on constructing word lists. Castle says to use a two-column format, one column for your preferred word, such as disk, the second for words to avoid, such as disc or diskette. Charts listing style options from which you can pick and choose. A model guide for specifying overall document style (font size, rules for lists and heads). Although designed for print, it can be easily adapted for Web sites. Edit-Work.com is devoted to Web editing. Put together by seasoned writers and editors Renee Hopkins and Tom Kinsey, it’s a source of invaluable guidance and tools, including: An online style glossary: Edit-Work.com’s glossary is compiled from a variety of sources, including Chicago and AP style guides, the Gregg Reference Manual and the Microsoft Manual of Style. A site style guide: Edit-Work.com has posted the style guide it used to develop the site. The guide includes rules for page formatting and specifications for links, fonts and heads. It’s a great model for compiling your own guide. Web Editors Discussion List: Got a style question? Ask the experts — or the equally confused. Will online editors ever agree about whether Web site is one word? Sure. Will editors ever be able to convince writers to follow the company style guide? Maybe. Is setting a style ever worth the trouble? Of course! Copyright © 1995-2001 Pinnacle WebWorkz Inc. All rights reserved. Do not duplicate or redistribute in any form.
Desktop real estate – the amount of monitor screen space you have – comes at a premium these days. As people use more applications, the standard 15- or 17-inch monitor is falling short. Unless you are prepared to shrink your font size so low that you’ll need binoculars to read it, there’s only one answer: get another monitor. In fact, analysts at Stanford Research, who study the electronic display industry, are now targeting 19-inch monitors as the fastest growing segment. Many customers, however, are trading up without giving away their older 15-inch models. The option of putting two monitors on one computer works well for the busy person who has a lot of activities going on at once. Windows 98 offers a two-monitor feature that lets you simply add a second monitor card, then attach two monitors to the PC. That approach has some limitations, however. It uses a lot of the PC’s processing power, so it noticeably slows down the computer. And some applications, like DVD or certain graphics programs, don’t split well over two monitors. Here’s another answer. Check out the new Matrox Millennium G400 card. For about the same price as a good graphics adapter card, you can buy this DualHead display and TV output card. With it you can hook up your computer to a pair of monitors, LCD projectors, TV sets, or flat-panel monitors. Since Matrox puts its own graphic accelerator magic into the card, you can run two monitors without slowing down the PC. The graphics card is adaptable to many tasks. One person can be watching a DVD movie, while the other is composing an e-mail message. Or, your kids may ask to borrow it and prove to you that they can watch a movie and do homework at the same time. In fact, the graphics card is so flexible you can even configure it to run a DVD display split between both screens. The graphics adapter is a boon for busy researchers. You can put a Web browser on one screen and your report on the other. It’s much easier to correctly cite the work when you can bring it up in front of you. Or for making presentations, you can click through the electronic slides on one screen and make notes on the other. If you do any work with touching up pictures, the zoom feature of the G400 lets you put the picture on one screen and a zoomed-in version on the other. Each pixel-by-pixel change can be simultaneously seen at close up and at regular size. Of course, I can see other ways to use the G400. For those people looking at financial markets in this nanosecond world, it’s great to get the full view of real time quotes, news, and your portfolio information simultaneously. And, after hours, you can get a new experience with products like Microsoft’s Flight Simulator 2000 or Combat Flight Simulator. Put the pilot’s view on one screen and the controls on the second monitor. If you haven’t seen the view from two monitors, it’s a whole new world. With 13 books and more than 600 magazine and journal articles to her credit, Ms. Currid also writes regular magazine columns appearing in InformationWeek, Comdex Show Daily, LAN Times, and the Houston Chronicle. She has also contributed her opinions on computer industry trends to PC Week, InfoWorld, Network Computing, Windows Magazine, and other industry periodicals, as well as business media including the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Reuters, Associated Press, Investors Business Daily, Forbes, Fortune, ABC, NBC, CNBC, and PBS. Ms. Currid lectures internationally, serves as a keynote speaker, and conducts seminars on how to get the best from information technology. Copyright © 1999 by Cheryl Currid and used with permission.
