November 2006 Archives

Media Guardian reports that the BBC will launch a new News program which is comproised completely of user generated content.    Appearing on BBC News 24 the program 'Your News' will take advantage of the enormous amount of user generasted content that is now sent to the BBC newsroom on a daily basis.

It will be interesting to see if the content of user generated news is the same as the topics covered by journalist reported news and how the two will effect each other.   The BBC has recently changed their policy regarding payment for user generated content - previously they paid nothing, now they pay a fee for content that is 'particularly editiorially important or unique'.    I wonder if they will declare which footage they have paid for and which pieces came for free?  

Take a look at this, it's a convergence of Wikipedia and Google Maps, their lovechild is Wikimapia. It allows you too zoom in on a location and then read about the places. Anyone can add compentary about the location. I added the Film and Television Institute, the nearest thing to us that was laready entered was a near-by skate park, dispelling any argument that the youth of today don't use the technology. The converegence of mapping technology and television is not coming soon, it's here already, I recently helped recruit some filmmakers for a company who promote tourist destinations through a combination of web mapps and short video presentations. How long until we have a treasure-hunt map based television program? The LAMP workshops at AFTRS have had a few projects on this concept. If it's not on TV by 2007, people are asleep at the wheel.

Take a look at this. Tony Bennet has just released a new album, a collection of duets with well known performers such as Celine Dion, The Dixie Chicks, George Michael, Elton John , Sting and a bunch of others. This kind of product is proven to work well, it's worked for Santana, it's worked for Ray Charles, it's worked for Elton John more than once. To promote the album to Christmas market though they have provided an additional song that is available online. Tony Bennet teams up with Moby on the classic, "I'll be Home for Christmas". Futher more, if your a MAC user, you can download additional files so you can make your own remix of the track using GarageBand. The site also has videos of some of the performances and behind the scenes footage. It's an interesting combination, Bennnet who has always maintained a good level of MTV cool, proves he's up with the hip set, the free download allows people to experience the product before buying and the free track, gives us a warm and fuzzy feeling about Tony Bennet. If you were to move this marketing format to the television arena, could we see free Christmans Episodes of our favorite shows that are exclusive for the net? Could brands which are valuable in 'long tail' sales maintain their market presence with new short internet episodes - a 5 minute re-union for Ab-Fab, a short new episode of an older Doctor Who, or how about an interview with the cast members of 'Are You Being Served'.

The SYDNEY MORNING HERALD reports on Miscrosoft's anounement that the new X-Box Live will allow users to download particular television programs, citing it as another example of the digitisation of media.   

In the short term you can see divergence, rather than convergence as people watch shows on another device, but surely there will come a time when my computer, internet connection and games console and television are simply one device.    When this happens we will no longer be talking about cross platform media development.   How long do you think it will be before convergence is complete?   Clcik on the comments link below and share your thoughts.

There is an interesting article in the British publication THE STAGE, that highlights that the introduction of high definition television will require a lot of retraining for the nations make-up artists as HDTV is less forgiving than the current level of technology. It is unlikely that the training needs of make-up artists were even considered when the decision to upgrade to HDTV was taken, but it is a great example of the ripple effect of new technology and how we can often be unprepared for it's full impact. As we embrace new technologies, cross platform concepts and new media, Trainers are given an enormous challenge, how do we incorporate all this new skills, when none of the old skills have disapeared? Or have they? Are there any things that the media professional of 2007 doesn't need to know? Are there any skills that can be dropped?

The NEW YORK TIMES takes a look at how new media challenges are effecting the delicate negotiations between Hollywood's studio and artists guilds.

"The growth of new media threatens to undermine traditional businesses, while studios are flummoxed about how to take advantage of the new opportunities they represent."

While the studio's clamber to get onboard the cross media bandwagon, could artists rights and payments be left behind? or will the artists themselves end up being indipendent screators free of the constictions of Hollywood's power players? Personally I'm just impressed by the word, flummoxed. What do you think? Who is holding the winning cards?

There is a conference devoted to Asian Media comming up this month at Curtin University in Perth, Western Australia.   At just  AUD$110.00 for three days it is very well priced.   

Something that the organisers of CyberGames at Murdoch University might want take a look at, as their conference is a pricey AUD$600.00 to attend.   Although not as bad as the Digital Media Festival in Sydney which is a whopping AUD$1199.00.    There is no seperate price listed this year for the AEAF, although maybe this is a web error as there are two different prices for the 2-day entery to the Media 2.0 section.

How much do you think a conference should cost?   The E-Learning Conference last week was totally free!