March 2008 Archives
Six months ago, Erick Schonfeld reflects on his first six month at TechCrunch, a tech-focused blog. He previously worked at Time Inc.
In reflecting on the two worlds: "The worlds of blogging and journalism are colliding and I want to get some thoughts down on this transition before I forget what the old world was like or feel too comfortable in the new one."
TechCrunch is a leader in the tech media:
Putting out TechCrunch is like riding a bullet train. When I jumped aboard, it was already going 150 miles per hour. Six months ago, the main TechCrunch site was attracting about two million visitors a month and it was ranked No. 4 on the Technorati 100 list of the most linked-to blogs. Today, six months later, we are within spitting distance of three million visitors a month (2.9 million, to be exact), and last week we overtook Engadget for the first time to reach the No. 1 spot on the Technorati 100.
The pace of a blogging site:
There is always something else to write about, and not enough time to cover it. But we live or die by how fast we can post after a story breaks, if we can’t break it ourselves. We hardly have time to proofread our posts, as anyone who’s come across one of the frequent typos in TechCrunch knows.
Earlier this year, Jennifer Woodard Maderazo wrote of her switch in MediaShift: No More Ink Stains::Why I Left Print Media for Digital
Lost Remote: Forbes launching online ad network and Yahoo News: Media cos. battle Web portals on ads
Ad networks drive down the cost of site's CPMs, so how will Forbes avoid undercutting itself?
New Yorker: Out of Print: The death and life of the American newspaper -- In the Internet age, however, no one has figured out how to rescue the newspaper in the United States or abroad. Newspapers have created Web sites that benefit from the growth of online advertising, but the sums are not nearly enough to replace the loss in revenue from circulation and print ads.
TechCrunch: Decline Of US Newspapers Accelerating -- Figures released by the Newspaper Association of America show that the decline of newspapers is more rapid than previously thought, with total print advertising revenue in 2007 plunging 9.4% to $42 billion compared to 2006, the biggest drop in revenue since 1950, the year they started tracking annual revenue.
TechCrunch: News Via Old Fashioned Means Put On Deadpool Watch -- Survey results released by We Media/Zogby earlier this week show that more people turn to the internet for news than any other source.
Duncan Riley, writing in TechCrunch:
Newspapers do have a future, but as I wrote in November, we are yet to see a major consolidation of print in the United States. Declining revenues will ultimately force consolidation across print media in the United States, and many of those that fail to embrace change will be on borrowed time.
Will sails return to the cargo ships crossing the ocean?
See greenbizjournal: Sails return to help power cargo ships
NY Times: Go on, Leave your job looks at bloggers who focus on small business advice and tips.
Bloggers mentioned:
- escapefromcubiclenation.com -- Pamela Slim, a former leadership development consultant with Cisco
- franchisepundit.com -- Ryan M. Knoll, 32, Chicago lawyer
- smallbiztrends.com -- Anita Campbell
- younggogetter.com -- three small-business owners in their 20s, including Aaron Kuroiwa
NY Times looks a several blogging stars and finds the stars are few and far apart.
Mark Cuban, Xeni Jardin, Glenn Reynolds are profiled, but for others considering a full-time blogging career, the prospects of paying the bills is bleak.
Philip Kaplan, president for products at AdBrite, cautions that only one in six blogs draws even 500 page views a day. At that pace, you would make at most $45 a month, even if the site were decked out with full-page ads.
There are two good tips for bloggers in the piece:
Fit blogging into the holes in your schedule. “Deal with the rest of your life first,” advises Glenn Reynolds ...Just post it already! The hurdle that stops many would-be bloggers is fear of clicking the “Publish” button.
New York Times: So You Want to Be a Blogging Star?
Wired Magazine lists its Top 10 Outdoor Survival Tools.
They are:
10. High-Calorie Protein Bars
9. Flashlight
8. Whistle
7. Backpacker Hammock
6. Water Purification Supplies
5. Plastic Trash Bag
4. First-Aid Kit
3. Metal Cup or Can
2. Butane Lighter and Tinder
1. Knife
Reminded me of Survival kit in an Altoids tin. Wired's survey was less concerned with space.
Get Rich Slowly is a personal finance blog started in 2005 as a part-time venture, This month, the main writer of the blog, JD, quit his day job and will blog full time. It's not a surprise -- he's been blogging about it for awhile.
After his first week, he mentions the anxieties he's having, such as higher utility bills (It’s fine for us to leave the thermostat set at 54 degrees when nobody’s home, but when I’m trying to write, that’s too cold.), income worries, work schedule and worries over health insurance. Reading his concerns and how he has prepared for them is great advice for anyone considering a free-lance, consutant or similar self-employed job.
I’m excited to be pursuing my dreams, and I’m committed to making Get Rich Slowly a fantastic place to find personal finance information. I just need to make some mental adjustments to my new reality.
Another interesting blog written by a small business person is A Thought Over Coffee, written by a coffee shop/catering entrepreneur.
The first Monday after the switch to Daylight Savings Time is the hardest. It feels like you're getting up an hour early. But the afternoons are better.
With this year's early switch to DST, some are saying that switching actually uses more energy, A study led by University of California at Santa Barbara says that electricity usage goes up as we spend more on cooling and heating. The basis of the study was electric bills in Indiana, where only part of the state makes the switch. The increase in electric use was between 1 percent and 4 percent, reports USA Today.
The study has led Congress to agree review the decision, after a federal Department of Energy audit of the impact, reports Earth2Tech.
USA Today: Study: Daylight saving boosts energy use
Earth2Tech: Does Daylight Savings Time Save Energy?
Buzzworthy: Saving daylight, wasting power