Their announcement may not have quite the same affect as a News Corp press release, but the decision by the regional publisher to set up 'paywalls' on local newspaper sites should be noted as an equally important landmark.
With advertising revenues falling fast it is perhaps the local newspapers who are literally fighting for their lives. And although at first glance the idea seemed somewhat optimistic, after careful consideration, perhaps they have more scope to trial such a project then the nationals.
I can't remember the last time I saw a local paper on the shelf with a headline such as 'Local gardener grows human sized carrot' and actually picked it up for purchase. But the ace up the sleeve of the locals is that they offer unique news. Unlike national news, which will be reported to death by anyone who is anyone, regional newspapers report stories that others would simply not touch. And that makes them useful.
Therefore, they already have a service of interest and one that people may well be willing to pay for.
Merrill Lynch have estimated in the next five years that the cloud computing market could be worth $95billion...forgive me while I fall backwards off my chair and scream hystercially into the air with joy.
Of course, these are the guys who didn't see any sort of money trouble heading our way a few years back so whilst I wouldn't bet my house on their prediction, I also certainly wouldn't rule it out.
A great article in Business week goes into detail about how 'a major shift in the way companies obtain software and computing capacity is under way as more companies tap into Web-based applications' and it's hard to disagree.
It makes so much sense to use tools and applications online and the one stumbling block that remains is really fear of the unknown. As Business Week suggests, it's the crossover from old to new that is holding an already spiraling process back, like a dog owner desperately clinging onto the lead of an excitable puppy.
Any large business, or small for that matter, needs to make sure transitions are smooth but once the initial scepticism is past $95billion could seem somewhat pessimistic. The sky for is literally the limit for cloud computing (and yes, that was an absolutely cracking pun).
Apologies if it feels like I'm using today's post as a giant billboard but just wanted to draw attention to the LEWEB 2009 event which is fast approaching. So in true 'this isn't a billboard' style, here's a few links regarding the event and booking your place: LEWEB 2009 Info Booking your place
The tech conference held 1800 participants from 40 countries last year and this year is all set to top that again. Artesian will be there so would be great to connect with anyone else attending the event. Don't forget we're on Twitter and Facebook so tweet and ...book (will that catch on?) away.
Stumbled upon this today, which I think shows there is a strong desire to change the way we search and sort information online.
At Artesian we're constantly examining new ways to make online content as useful as possible and innovative ideas in the field are springing up all the time.
It's a really exciting time to be involved as it really feels like after years of getting to grips with the Internet, people are now finding ways to use it efficiently, rather than just get lost in detail.
I saw an interesting blog post from Danny Sullivan today summarising that there are three reasons why people use search engines. These were:
1) to hunt down breaking news (ie to confirm a rumour they've heard) 2) to research a particular subject (a theme or a company) 3) A loose hunt for information (the example given is 'best summer books')
This sums the search process up pretty well but what it doesn't mention is how often the search engine can provide disappointing results. For example, hunting down relevant breaking news insinuates that you already know that news and you're simply looking to confirm it.
Searching for specific areas of detail on a company or theme can be exceptionally difficult. Example, how do you best find out about management changes (which could include terminology like sackings, appointments, retirements mixed with directors, CEOs, bosses etc) at a company like Mint? You will be swamped with noise.
The only way to ensure you're hitting breaking news is to set pre-defined filters on topics you know you're interested in, example: management changes at Mint and have a semantic system in place that enriches both the search term and the company name to make sure you're not drowned by noise or miss a trick.
This then makes research easy. If you've got a system in place just searching for your specific filters, organising archived material just comes with the territory. You can't get that service from a search engine. So why start the hunt for information there? More to the point, why hunt at all when what you're searching for can just come straight to your doorstep?
The terms 'can of worms' and 'how to shut' will be written in bold marker pen somewhere in a Google board room this morning after Microsoft began negotiations with News corp over paying to index content.
This is very dangerous territory for the search engine as it sets a precedent to all sites that they're in fact aiding the search rather than the search aiding them. If the press can charge for indexing then why can't everyone else?
The ever continuing Cold war between Microsoft and Google has not seen such a direct hit to this point. This isn't Microsoft trying to gain ground on Google. This is Microsoft attempting to infect the very ground Google stands on.
The battle has suddenly become a little bit bigger than 'who wins Rupert Murdock's love'. The battle is now very much being taken to Google, like soldiers trying to break down the castle's defence.
Having just yesterday blogged about the need for a business focused social networking tool I awake this morning to the breaking news that:
'Salesforce.com announced a new product today called Chatter, which it describes as Facebook and Twitter for enterprises.'
...Now, although chief executive Marc Benioff doesn't want people to see 'Chatter' as a social network, the idea is almost to the word what I was debating yesterday. I can see only three explanations for this:
1) I read minds 2) The need was so obvious that everyone was thinking it 3) I'm Marc Benioff
I'm going to side with number two, despite my greater wishes dreaming it was number one.
Seems like exciting stuff though, here's the full article
