Caffeinated Info

GooHoo - Should Google Buy Yahoo?

Twitter was all a-twitter this morning with the rumor that Google (GOOG) was among the potential suitors for Yahoo! (YHOO). Of course, we've all learned to take Yahoo acquisition rumors with a grain of salt. There are few internet or media players who haven't been rumored as Yahoo acquirers in the past three years and this is hardly the first time that Google's name has come up.

via www.contentmatters.info

Great overview by Barry Graubart. I think GooHoo is a Mars vs. Venus scenario - very different cultures. That said, with the Ad business maturing at Google, they could use some of the talent, content and yes, technology as a BASE in which to build a more mature media business.

What Have You Learned Since 9/11?

On the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the Boston College Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life invited all members of the extended BC community—past and present students, staff, and faculty—to reflect on a simple but profound question: "What have you learned since 9/11?"  

Below is my answer (a longer version than allowed), you can find my official submission here.  

 

I had the honor and the challenge of working downtown on Broad Street in NYC starting about 4 weeks after 9/11. The stench permeated the air.  To go to my favorite coffee establishment, I had to cross a security line complete with bomb sniffing dogs and guns at the ready. The men and women I worked with each had unique and equally horrifying stories of “the day”.  The subway system was full of missing person posters on every available wall. My train to and from New York to Boston each week was full of Boston-area Fire Fighters going to funerals … so many funerals.

It was a reflective time. A time where everyone was kind, giving and generous – focusing on core values of life versus the business of our daily, hectic lives. That time really showed me the strength of the human spirit with everyone, somehow, moving forward and rebuilding a broken city, broken lives and broken spirits.  Just that alone was a powerful testament to what we humans are capable of.

I traveled down to NYC and back to Boston very week for over a year. Over that time I got to know people who regularly traveled on the train like I did—some quite well and some only by sight.  There was a man who always got off at the same station I did and we always nodded hello.  For some reason, about a year after 9/11 we started talking as the train was nearing the station.   He worked in Tower 1 on the 82^nd floor and miraculously made it out alive.  Wow.  As he told me his story, I was speechless.  Here I had seen this man week in and week out and I had no clue who he was or what he had gone through.  My lesson?  Never assume anything about anyone. People all around us have miracles in their lives they can testify to— you just need to take the time to ask.

 

What had you learned since 9/11?

Reality TV: A Poor Model for Executive Transitions

Need to fire an executive? Change a management team?  Gone are the days when executives passed quietly into the background or leave to “pursue other interests”.   Today in our world of instant communications, social media and larger than life ego’s—this week we have seen the future of management transitions.  And that future has taken a page from reality TV, complete with histrionics, unprofessionalism and total entertainment for those watching on the sidelines.

Between TechCrunch fighting for its editorial independence and Yahoo firing Carol Bartz – its been quite the week.  All the details are being breathlessly reported on while others are  grandstanding. Its all so Reality TV-esq ... with every personality having their point-of-view aired.

I can see why the TechCrunch team is doing what they are doing – it’s their only card to get editorial control under AOL or somehow buy back the company.  Carol Bartz?  I don’t see what she has to gain by acting the way she is.  There is nothing to gain by becoming the reality TV star of Internet media.

Is this the future model for executive exits? 

15 Years Ago, remembering AltaVista

15 years ago tomorrow, May 1, 1995, I walked into the doors of Digital Equipment Corporation. I was a marketing/business person working in the Advanced Technology Group – my mission was to help bring amazing technology to market that the brilliant minds in the ATG's Digital Labs were thinking up.

About the same time I walked into those doors, a researcher named Mike Burrows created indexing technology to index his vast email archives … so he could win office debates! It didn't take much for his colleagues at the Labs, specifically a great guy named Paul Flaherty, to figure out if they pointed that technology to the young Web, it would solve the problem on finding information on all the millions of pages that were popping up. Then, Louis Monier ran with the concept and developed the front end of what ultimately became … AltaVista.

It's an amazing story and it was an amazing journey for me. I was part of the founding AltaVista team that launched the business and grew it into (at the time) the #1 internet brand, top trafficked site and a $50M media and $70M software business before Digital was sold to Compaq.  Then AltaVista was sold, sold and sold again … gradually fading from its glory in the process.

I loved being part of the AltaVista journey and my  ... how have things changed in 15 years. That conversation is for a different day.  For now, here are a few things from my archives to share. I have a ton of stuff somewhere – this is good incentive to dig it out and post another update. For now … ENJOY!

The Original Logo – Circa 1995

Cleaned up logo (without the tree's) – Circa 1996

Remember the "Book"? We sold about 50K copies and in many languages.

Some of the artwork from the AltaVista Internet Software website (Circa 1996)

 

 

The other products that were part of AltaVista Internet Software … other than SEARCH (we ultimately had 3 version of search - enterprise ...desktop and of course the search engine at www.AltaVista.com):

  

  
 
 
For those who don't remember, we took enterprise software and began making consumer/SMB facing internet showcases of each of the technologies. 

This one is AltaVista Forum. Using AltaVista Forum (Collaboration software), this was a 1000 story office tower where each floor was a full version of the software available for free. This is an image from before launch. We got to 50% occupancy rate within a few months of launch. J There was another one AltaVista Business Card Directory (ABCD) – if I find those I'll post them here as well.

Some of the Enterprise Software Images … here is AltaVista Forum:

The software box;

Startup screen

Honoring the WASP Within Us All

There are people who have blazed trails for us who not only have we have never met, but until some event occurs we never really understand who they who they were or why they were even important in our lives.  I had that type of moment today as I read and listened to the reports of the WASPS– Women Airforce Service Pilots – the first women to fly American’s military aircraft in the early 40’s.   These women flew airplanes, and sometimes gave their lives, during WWII as part of the Airforce and in service of our country, forever changing the role of women in aviation.    Yesterday they received the Congressional Metal of Honor finally getting the recognition they never got when they served our country.

Back in the day, the 1940’s – when so much was asked on American citizens – these women paid to learn how to fly out of their own pockets and then once certified, enrolled in the WASP program to fly, test and transport airplanes. The WASPs flew over 60 million miles for the Air Force.  Some of these women even flew planes that were targets for male Airforce pilots to practice shooting on … with live ammunition!  After the war ended, men took over their jobs and the ladies went home.  The WASPS were never recognized for their service.  These ladies never received military honors for their dead, veteran benefits for their health, or even a pension in recognition of their service.  They just went home. And for many years they accepted it because “that was the way it was”.  They went on with their lives. Their WASP experience and memories were relegated to stories at gatherings and scrap books.

But then something happened, a trigger.  An announcement by the US Air Force in the 1970’s that the first women were going to enter the Air Force and fly.  The WASPs were clearly the first.  The ladies of WASP united, rallied and over the years created more and more awareness and education for who and what they did.  Yesterday, finally after 65 years, the ladies received the Congressional Medal of Honor for their service and the long overdue official recognition they deserved. No longer would history be missing an important chapter of WWII and America!

How many of us – be it in business or our personal lives – do something, discover something important or come up with an amazing idea but move on never to share that idea, deed or discovery to inspire or create positive change?  Perhaps we didn’t realize it was profound or inspirational.  Perhaps, we felt management, peers or family wouldn’t want to hear or accept it.  Perhaps, we just assumed it wasn’t relevant to what you were doing at the time.  We never pushed because ‘that is the way it is/was” and why bother?  If the WASPs never bothered to speak up and fight for their place in history, we would never know of their great story and be inspired their contribution to aviation, women and the history of this country.

Think about it, if we always go with the status quo who will be that person making a difference? Our war stories will remain just that – for parties and gatherings and never be applied to something that matters.  The ladies of WASP finally found their voice and they have clearly made a difference to all those around them. I didn’t see a dry eye in the house at the award ceremony as these women were saluted. There was not a dry eye in my house either.  Ladies, thank you.

Is non-profit support the only future for investigative journalism?

I am a news junkie. I follow the news. I track how different outlets, and delivery mediums, report news. When big events occur, I’ll check out how the Washington Post vs the LA Times vs. Chicago Tribune vs. the NYTimes, for example, differ in their coverage.  Or perhaps, for some entertainment (for a news junkie), compare the NYTimes vs. the NY DailyNews. It’s always informative. I just love seeing how news is reported from different points-of-view and examine how that influences how a subject is covered. 

I am riveted to discussions about how the business of news is changing and in turn, how that is changing the news we read. 

At the heart of all discussions is a core concern: The business of news is faced with red ink, cost reductions, staff reductions, pool reporting … the list goes on and on. If there are no (or very few) reporters and all news outlets are pooled somehow to save costs – who will do the investigative reporting?

Investigative journalism, after all, is the heart of some of the greatest accomplishments of the 4th Estate. Moving forward bloggers will definitely play a part, as will many others, but the question is still open: Who can we depend on in the future to do hard, expensive, investigative reporting?

Last night, I saw live, the future of investigative reporting in my living room. Apparently, it was the first national collaboration involving members of the Investigative News Network.

During a major New England storm, my husband and I were watching New England Cable News (NECN).  On came an investigative report: The subject was shocking – rapes at college campus’s are going not only unreported, but those that are reported,  unprosecuted. Rapists are getting away with attacks on campus with no criminal repercussions. The interview of a Dean at the University of Massachusetts Amherst was embarrassing. Colleges, to protect reputations, are not punishing these men and at best, giving them slaps on the wrists for their criminal actions. The report really highlighted the need to have a discussion on how best to clarify where university campus police department jurisdiction starts and stops. For certain types of crimes, I believe that the (non university) police should automatically be called in. They are extensively trained and have the investigative resources and experience to properly, and without bias, handle certain types of crimes. I seriously doubt that if there was a murder, the campus police would be allowed to conduct an investigation on their own. Where is the line or standard to bring in the (non university) police? Define that, clarify that and then educate all the students on that ... and at least some of the issues would be addressed that this report raises. 

This is investigative journalism at the core, shining a light on an issue and getting people to discuss and consequently, address an important issue.  As you can see this report did its job, it certainly got me talking! 

How did NECN do this investigative report in this age of cost cutting and pool reporters? The answer came at the end via a long announcement. The report was the first investigation from a national collaboration called the Investigative News Network combined with collaboration from New England Center for Investigative Reporting.

Here is the attribution:

This investigative report was done in collaboration with the New England Center for Investigative Reporting at Boston University, a nonprofit investigative reporting collaborative that includes the Boston Globe, El Planeta and WBUR. 

Contributing to this report: NECIR’s Assoc. Director Maggie Mulvihill, NECN’s Andrea LePain, Lisa Chedekel, and Boston University Students Sarah Favot and Jaime Lutz. 

Also contributing to this report was the Center for Public Integrity in Washington. This investigation was the first national collaboration involving members of the Investigative News Network.

Is the future of investigative journalism accomplished through collaborative, non profit organizations? I definitely think it will play a role.  

Social Media ... Just Do It

Amazing.  In a recent poll by MarketingSherpa, many companies are still figuring out this whole social media thing.  The poll looks at the key barriers to adopting a social media marketing strategy.  According to the poll, lack of knowledge about social media (46%) and the inability to measure ROI (43%) are the key drivers.  Hmmmm … could they be related?

In my travels, I hear arguments on both sides of the social media aisle.  On the one hand, there are people like John Blossom, President and Chief Analyst of Shore Communications (and on the SIIA Content Board with me).  John is usually the first in my circle to play with the latest social media tools.  Way back when Twitter launched, then Google Wave and most recently, Google Buzz  – he dove right in. It’s been fascinating to watch and observe John.  He has been very open about his evolving learning’s and suggestions on how best to leverage each social media tool.  Its fun to see him, and others, try to understand these tools and the implications for them and their businesses. I bet if you asked John or any person or business proactively figuring how social media impacts their business, they could tell you exactly what ROI social media provides to their business. 

On the other side of the social media aisle? The loud cry from those who just don't understand. Who are they?  Well, the respondents from that MarketingSherpa poll for one. In my own personal polling, I have found people actually bragging they are laggards and use that excuse not to test social media. Others, and you see the blog posts and tweets all the time, just don't see the ROI and therefore refuse to try it out.  Oh ... then there are the comments that it’s a waste of time! Your teenagers on Facebook for 7 hours a day ... is a waste of time.  Your business?  You really can’t afford NOT to. 

Ignorance and lack of action is no excuse.  The challenge with social media is in order to understand it … you need to use it.  The more you blog, tweet, buzz and post on various social media sites … the more you ‘get it’.   While some of these examples are a bit dated, check out what happened to these companies when they didn’t understand and appropriately react to the social media activity.   

I am stating the obvious here, but you laggards, technically phobic and overly analytically inclined who have not jumped in yet, you need to jump in and start learning and testing social media now. Its way beyond a start up phase ... or even a fad. This week, Twitter announced that there are now over 50 million tweets a day. The search engines are now integrating Twitter, Facebook and other social media services into "real time search".   Social media is here to stay and will be a force impacting your company whether you want it to or not ... for better or worse. 

At the end of the day, we owe it to ourselves, our customers and our investors - to experiment with all things social media and to figure it out.  Just do it!

When the tough get going ...

The true test of any individual, company or industry is how we all react in the face of adversity and change.  

And so ... we continuously debate ... the PAYWALL.  

Some companies, like the NYTimes, have recently "circled the wagons" trying to protect comfortable and familiar business models. Many are predicting dismal failure. According to TBI Research: "(with paywalls) ... Newspapers merely re-coup the lost ad revenue under the best scenarios and lose significant revenue under the worst scenarios." 

Advertising CPM's for online are a fraction of traditional print CPM.  Consumers have come to expect that our news and information will be readily available and free on the Web. Its hard to thrive with a new online business model when you have to feed an old business model with its fixed costs.  In addition, traditional companies are under tremendous stress and bankruptcy as print and other so called traditional media are just not profitable anymore.  

 

So how is it that while some companies struggle with change, others thrive?

 

Perhaps this isn't an example of thriving ... yet. But look at Journal Register CEO John Paton.   On the job mere days, he is already moving to change culture, educate his workforce and most importantly change compensation so all of his employees share in the reward (and risk) of running the business.  Its impressive how he did this in his Address to Employees: Transforming a Newspaper Company into a Media Company. 

To transform the Journal Register, John keyed into a higher mission. For the rank and file, a mission is not just making money or expanding market share. They want to feel they are a part of something bigger.  John keyed into this emotion and sense of purpose. From John Paton: "I think accountability journalism is threatened in this country as newspapers struggle to find their way to a profitable future. And I think that threatens this country because we provide some of the key checks and balances in our communities. What we do is important and what we do is worth saving. And that means we have to change." How can you NOT get behind this?

Its impressive:  He moved fast.  He created a common, higher mission, all can rally behind. He created an Advisory Board for this new vision. He made sure technology hurdles were addressed. And most importantly, he included all employees in a new compensation structure. 

To John and everyone at the Journal Register: I am rooting for you, I really am. Your journey is a lesson for all of us.

Shameless Plug for SIIA Publisher Search Survey

One of the activities that I enjoy is participating on the Board of the Software Information Industry Association (SIIA) Content Board. I also Chair the Search Engine Executive Council (S.E.E.C. – Don’t you love the cool acronym?)

The Search Engine Executive Council has created a brief survey for publishers, media and information companies.  The goal is to better understand your needs and interest regarding “Search”.  Please take ten minutes and provide us with your input.  
 
To begin the survey please click here: http://www.keysurvey.com/survey/288193/1d03/

This survey is completely confidential and all final results will be aggregated.  Once the survey has been completed we will compile the results and share a top line summary with all participants.

SIIA's Information Industry Summit

I attended the SIIA Information Industry Summit  last week in New York City.  If you have not gone – it’s a great conference and the networking is phenomenal.  Kudo’s to the team that worked to bring in Ken Auletta, Henry Blodget, Ken Doctor and many others. It was an interesting conference.

If you know John Blossom – he has an incredible ability to listen to a speaker, analyze and write at the same time – so I point you to him and his analysis of the sessions here. 

Here are other articles on the subjects discussed and also in good perspective:

• Google's Colonization and Bomb Threats 
  Wall Street Journal, January 26, By Andrew LaVallee
• Google Lessons Learned
  IT Business Edge January 26 By Michael Vizard 
• Auletta: Hard to bet against Steve Jobs
  Poynter Online January 27 By Damon Kiesow
• Maybe Information Really Doesn’t Want to Be Free
  InternetNews  January 27 By Kenneth Corbin 
• Auletta: Media Enters the Age of 'Maybe Models'
  Minonline , January 27 By Steve Smith
• SIIA: Auletta on Apple tablet's impact on media biz
  The Deal  January 27  By Mary Kathleen Flynn 
• Bloomberg's Lack: Better To Be Private; BW Not Going 'Web-Only'
  paidContent  January 27 By David Kaplan
• Information Wants to Be Disrupted
  CRM Magazine January 27 By Lauren McKay