Dave Zatz, Author at Zatz Not Funny!

AOL, Google, The News, & I

In the last couple of days, two respected Engadget editors have resigned (details here & here). Amongst their publicly disclosed grievances, both cited the AOL Way – which appears to favor assembly line content. Quantity over quality, current, and search engine optimized. While Engadget hasn’t yet been subjected to the AOL Way, these defections make many wonder if the writing’s on the wall. Instead of continuing to evolve as a largely independent (and loved) entity, will Engadget be consumed Borg-like into newly appointed Huffington’s AOL media empire?

Along with this discussion is a renewed debate over ‘blogs as journalism’ and eHow Google might deemphasize the likes of low quality content farms. From a blogger with stints at Mashable and Engadget:

Almost everyone uses Google to find out more about news that’s happening right now, whether it’s tech industry stuff, celebrity breakups, or political revolutions. Unfortunately, the rules Google uses to determine which websites gain strong rankings — and thus frequent traffic, high impressions and strong ad revenues — betray journalists and the people who need them at every turn. Google’s algorithms and the blog linking customs built around them favor those who write first, not those who write accurately. I have no qualms about producing entertainment and other products to meet demand. But journalism must not function this way if it is to remain useful.

And it certainly seems like many pander to Google. For example, TechCrunch (another AOL property) was once a blog purely dedicated to Web 2.0. They were extremely successful and I was a regular. But I suspect it’s been even better for business to expand their reach by covering Apple’s every move.

Yet, building a business around Google’s indexing and oversized influence shouldn’t necessarily be burdened with negative connotation

Not Quite Sold On Local Group Buying Sites

I’ve been an online group buy participant as long as the World Wide Web has been a viable tool of commerce. Heck, I picked up one of the very first DVD players at a steep discount on uBid back in 1998 and did time on Paul Allen’s Mercata before they folded in early 2001. As far as I can tell, solely focused group buying branded sites never really went mainstream. Woot’s probably come closest with a large draw amongst of geeky and their $110 million exit (thank you, Amazon). Mercata once proclaimed “The more people who buy, the lower the price.” And even if most sites featuring that particular hook haven’t found long term success, the trend is in full effect as large retailers such Best Buy and Amazon demonstrate on a fairly regular basis.

As ZNF readers know, local, but still online, group buying has taken off in the last year via Groupon and LivingSocial. Yet, for me, it’s been a mixed bag. Instead of actually buying physical merchandise, these sites essentially sell coupons or vouchers to local businesses. In my experience, most haven’t been conveniently located or particularly compelling. But we’re always on the lookout for a deal, and have purchased three dining-related Groupons in recent months.

First off, the lack of instant gratification has been an issue… because, beyond cyberspace, I’m not the most organized. Specifically, I purchased a $50 food and beverage voucher for $25 (to Vinifera Wine Bar & Bistro) and forgot to put it to use before it expired. The other two Groupons were to Chicken Out, a local chain similar to Boston Market. The first dealio was redeemed with no problem, just beating the expiration date. But the second experience was kinda bizarre. Much like Groupon’s Super Bowl commercials (above).

Why Do Companies Pre-Announce Products?

Jeremy Toeman suggests one cannot beat Apple’s iPad by building an iPad clone. And, generally speaking, that’s probably a fair observation. Yet you can still grab market share and generate revenue, especially if manage to undercut the competition on price. Unfortunately, the once pricey Apple is now affordable thanks to a shift in revenue model … Read more

Apple’s Subscription Requirements Won’t Stand

Apple’s rejection of the Sony e-Reader app and announcement of App Store subscriptions, in conjunction with The Daily launch launch, seems to have agitated a large number of folks. I’d assumed the implications and resultant response was overblown. But it turns out that I was the one who misread the situation. From Apple CEO Steve Jobs yesterday:

Our philosophy is simple—when Apple brings a new subscriber to the app, Apple earns a 30 percent share; when the publisher brings an existing or new subscriber to the app, the publisher keeps 100 percent and Apple earns nothing. All we require is that, if a publisher is making a subscription offer outside of the app, the same (or better) offer be made inside the app

I can’t imagine many businesses will suddenly want to pass 30% of their subscription-based income on to Apple in exchange for a place in the App Store. In fact, those running on tight margins, like Pandora or Slacker, now find themselves confronted with a difficult decision — raise rates or abandon iOS.

But something’s got to give. Apple’s iPhone success is largely based on a vibrant ecosystem of third party apps and services. It’s symbiotic… and copacetic. At least it was. And not everyone will take this lying down. As Rhapsody stated in an email release I received:

Netflix Channels Television, Hulu Runs Classic Films

netflix-psych

I’m so confused… Netflix, known for streaming commercial-free movie content has launched a whole bunch of new television shows (and modernized TV site organization, as shown above). While Hulu Plus, a product of the television studios themselves, lands the Criterion Collection of classic films. The lines are obviously blurring.

Although monthly subscription fees are similar, the two services still take somewhat different approaches in presentation. Namely, Hulu insists on running commercial advertising on its paid tier. But wait, might even that be up for renegotiation? From the Hulu blog:

Criterion Hulu Plus subscribers will be able to watch the Criterion Collection free of interruption. (Any ads will play up front.)

Also interesting, as highlighted on Hacking Netflix, is Criterion’s rational for choosing Hulu over Netflix:

TiVo “Lifetime” Service Lasts 10 Years? (UK)

TiVo’s winding down support operations for their original UK DVR offering across the pond, with Series1 service slated to cease on June 1st, 2011. Active users should have recently seen an incoming message from TiVo on their PVR detailing the potentially bad news. Although service will remain free… until it’s gone. Unfortunately, without service those folks … Read more

Verizon FiOS DVR iPhone App Updated

Verizon pushed out a significant FiOS TV DVR Manager iPhone app update this morning, bringing us up to version 1.5. Most notable upon first launch is that the previous horrid graphics have been replaced with a polished UI that mirrors what’s found in their latest DVR update (IMG 1.9, slowly rolling out). Remote scheduling and … Read more

Archiving iPhone Voicemail Messages

For all the polish of Apple’s iPhone, there’s still a number of missing technological enhancements. For example, one would think that archiving voicemail in some manner would be a no brainer — saving a message to iTunes or emailing it beyond the confines of one’s handset. In preparation for an AT&T exodus and Verizon iPhone … Read more