Comments on: How to give up first place http://gearino.com/index.php/2008/09/04/how-to-give-up-first-place/ Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 19 May 2012 00:08:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.1 by: Mark Turner http://gearino.com/index.php/2008/09/04/how-to-give-up-first-place/#comment-3920 Tue, 09 Sep 2008 02:21:32 +0000 http://gearino.com/index.php/2008/09/04/how-to-give-up-first-place/#comment-3920 The name of the web game is accessibility. I hated the N&O paywall and knew it would come back to bite it. If you want to keep people from coming to your site, there's no better way than a paywall. Not search engine-friendly, either. On the other hand, video and audio aren't search engine-friendly, either. The world won't beat a path to your door to see your cool video if they can't find it in a search engine. Text on the web still rules the roost. For now. The name of the web game is accessibility. I hated the N&O paywall and knew it would come back to bite it. If you want to keep people from coming to your site, there’s no better way than a paywall. Not search engine-friendly, either.

On the other hand, video and audio aren’t search engine-friendly, either. The world won’t beat a path to your door to see your cool video if they can’t find it in a search engine.

Text on the web still rules the roost. For now.

]]> by: RLR http://gearino.com/index.php/2008/09/04/how-to-give-up-first-place/#comment-3815 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:16:51 +0000 http://gearino.com/index.php/2008/09/04/how-to-give-up-first-place/#comment-3815 Another thing, regarding the whole "Web is great for sound and video" assumption: I can't stand Web sites that are heavy on audio and video content, UNLESS I specifically seek that content (e.g. youtube.com). Speech and video are simply slower and more tedious information conduits than plain old text and pictures. Why should I sit through 3 minutes of video clip when I can skim an article in 15 seconds? I enjoy wral.com weather coverage with its clever maps and radar tracking loops, but those are not video. Yes, I'm one of those people who loves lileks.com, but can't stand James' slide into the media black hole. The Bleat is great but I really couldn't care less about his "back to radio" fantasies, or his evil twin videos. Another thing, regarding the whole “Web is great for sound and video” assumption:

I can’t stand Web sites that are heavy on audio and video content, UNLESS I specifically seek that content (e.g. youtube.com).

Speech and video are simply slower and more tedious information conduits than plain old text and pictures. Why should I sit through 3 minutes of video clip when I can skim an article in 15 seconds?

I enjoy wral.com weather coverage with its clever maps and radar tracking loops, but those are not video.

Yes, I’m one of those people who loves lileks.com, but can’t stand James’ slide into the media black hole. The Bleat is great but I really couldn’t care less about his “back to radio” fantasies, or his evil twin videos.

]]> by: RLR http://gearino.com/index.php/2008/09/04/how-to-give-up-first-place/#comment-3813 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 15:09:08 +0000 http://gearino.com/index.php/2008/09/04/how-to-give-up-first-place/#comment-3813 I'm an equal opportunity browser; Google order factors more into my nando vs. wral site habits than anything. That said, I spend more time researching specific local topics of interest at nando than wral. Jim makes a great point here: nando tends to be more in-depth than wral. As I've communicated with GDG previously, the main reason I subscribe to the N&O is because I don't see anybody else (including local TV news) serving as government watchdogs. But that function, as well as Jim's in-depth observation, is severely threatened by the N&O cutbacks. If the N&O continues its slide into wire story broadsheet oblivion, I'll pull my financial plug. The problem is that I don't see anybody else stepping in to keep an eye on the social movers and shakers, both government and corporate. I’m an equal opportunity browser; Google order factors more into my nando vs. wral site habits than anything. That said, I spend more time researching specific local topics of interest at nando than wral. Jim makes a great point here: nando tends to be more in-depth than wral.

As I’ve communicated with GDG previously, the main reason I subscribe to the N&O is because I don’t see anybody else (including local TV news) serving as government watchdogs. But that function, as well as Jim’s in-depth observation, is severely threatened by the N&O cutbacks.

If the N&O continues its slide into wire story broadsheet oblivion, I’ll pull my financial plug. The problem is that I don’t see anybody else stepping in to keep an eye on the social movers and shakers, both government and corporate.

]]> by: Jim http://gearino.com/index.php/2008/09/04/how-to-give-up-first-place/#comment-3800 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 11:01:40 +0000 http://gearino.com/index.php/2008/09/04/how-to-give-up-first-place/#comment-3800 Sad but true. What bothers me though is that I find the stories on WRAL lacking in any depth. They do a great job with the weather but any real news consists of short snippets suited to the sound bite nature of TV broadcasting. I would never "tune in" to wral.com for anything of substance. Sad but true. What bothers me though is that I find the stories on WRAL lacking in any depth. They do a great job with the weather but any real news consists of short snippets suited to the sound bite nature of TV broadcasting. I would never “tune in” to wral.com for anything of substance.

]]>