Future of Media

Googlezon will run a new database that will personalize the news for consumers in the year 2014. The program, Google EPIC, will feature news that is personalized to consumers search habits online.

In the article, linked here, discusses how Googlezon will affect the people of the world.

In todays world the advancements in technology like smart phones, have allowed journalist to capture moments in real time and share the story behind it.

Media is transforming the lives of the people everyday because of how fast the news gets out. Journalist have a variety of ways to get the news out to the audience but with Google EPIC the audience does not have to search for the news that fits their own personality because Google EPIC will do that automatically by following the audiences search habits online.

Robin Sloan and Matt Thompson have envisioned what the future of media might be. A preview of the future, EPIC 2014, shows how individuals will have an information database tailored to consumers needs.

Why do we need the news tailored to audience? Are consumers becoming lazy? Is the technology in the media becoming to advanced?

Like it or not the future of media is now and coming. This will created jobs for freelance journalist to help write and regulate what is uploaded onto Google EPIC.

With Google EPIC the people do not have to interrupt the news, the news will interrupt the people.

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Finding a Business Model for Newspapers

Daily newspapers are facing decreased readership, especially among young audiences. According to a recent article by CNET writer Lance Whitney, a new Harris Poll shows that only 23% of those surveyed ages 18-34 read the newspaper daily. Even scarier, 17% claimed to not read newspapers at all. Where are readers obtaining their news? Online, where for the most part, content remains free. This fact scares journalists and media giants, who are scrambling to find a business model better suited for today's audiences.

One solution, posed by many, involves charging readers for online content. However, the same Harris Poll also revealed another shocking fact: 77% of all surveyed (all ages) answered that they would never pay for online content. Of those who answered they would be willing to pay, 19% said they would only be willing to pay between one and five dollars per month, and only 5% said they would be willing to pay more than ten.

What does this information mean for daily newspapers and their online content? According to a 2009 Time article entitled "How to Save Your Newspaper", newspapers traditionally received their income from three sources: news stand sales, subscriptions, and advertising. However, by applying this model to online content, a newspaper relies solely on advertising revenue, which can be a risky proposition.

The solution? An idea proposed to me in a conversation with an employee at the Ottumwa Courier seemed to solve a number of problems associated with paying for online content. His idea involved each reader creating an account with a newspaper's website and selecting only the sections of the paper which the reader wants. Under this system, each subscriber would pay for only the news that he/she deemed fit, and newspapers would thwart complaints over customers having to pay for an entire paper, much of which they may or may not read. I agree that this system would have many benefits. Not only would it would allow newspapers to save money by cutting out unwanted sections, it would lead to overall greater customer satisfaction.

While the future of newspapers may be in question, it is certain that the coming years will bring many creative and innovative changes to the industry.

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