Remember just two posts ago I mentioned the imminent demise of several industries? … one such industry seeing dramatic changes on a daily basis is centralized news reporting by large media organizations.

WHAT IF the news could be pushed out through distributed systems instead of centralized ones? What if these new-fangled applications were web-based and open source so they were free and readily available to the masses? What if some of the biggest players in the online news and social bookmarking scene were making moves in this direction (e.g. Digg, Mag.nolia and Reddit)? What if you could build a customized, branded, slick social news service for your own domain?
Well, “what if” no more kids. Your dreams have come true! Here’s a post from Adam Ostrow that covers some of the details to look out for in the upcoming months.

Go Ahead, Socialize ...

A friend of mine is, let’s say, challenged when it comes to anything computer or Internet related. If I throw any terms at her like wiki, podcast, RSS feed or social bookmarking, she looks at me like I have two heads. Now, thanks to Commoncraft.com there’s help for anyone struggling to understand these concepts.

Commoncraft.com produces short videos that can be found on YouTube. They take complex concepts and break them down into simple explanations. This husband and wife production company develops clever videos that creatively explain a robust subject in plain terms so the average person can easily understand. 

I recently found one of their videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddO9idmax0o when doing research on Twitter. Each of their productions is fun with graphics that include a whiteboard and paper cutouts. The first one I saw made me laugh out loud it was so different and interesting the way it was put together. And, the best thing about it was that I really understood what I hadn’t been able to before. 

Besides Internet concepts, they also cover other topics like: New Light Bulbs, California School Finance and the H&R Block Tango. They even have some in languages other than English. 

So the next time my friend is befuddled with something computer related, I’m sending her to the URL for a Common Craft video. That is, once I explain to her what a URL is. Hmm… is there a Common Craft video for that?

Go Ahead, Socialize ...

The Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s largest newspaper, reports they’ll be forced to sell unless 200 non-union employees accept a buyout.  Publisher George E. Arwady described the paper as being “on life support.”

NJ.com stated in their report of the announcement;

The offer comes at a time when the newspaper industry is reeling from plunging advertising revenues linked to a troubled economy and the growth of online media.

Other troubled businesses and industries you’ll want to keep an eye on (and the New Media forces causing their woes).

• Newspapers
  Blogs, Forums, Communities, Niche Portals
• Travel Agents
  Online travel sites like Travelocity.com
• Yellow Pages
  Google.com / Online Search
• Map Makers
  MapQuest.com, Maps.Google.com
• Encyclopedias
  Wikipedia.com
• Music/CD Stores
  MP3s and online stores like iTunes.com
• Libraries
  The Internet at large
• Movie Theaters
  NetFlix.com
• The Recording Industry
  MP3s and File Sharing
• Broadcast Video Channels MTV / VH1
  YouTube.com
• Photo Film Development
  Digital cameras / flickr.com
• Aerial Photography
  Satellites and Earth.Google.com
• Radio Stations (as we currently know them)
  iPods/Zunes and iTunes.com
• Small generic book stores (boutique/niche shops have a chance)
  Amazon.com, Borders.com, BN.com

Maybe it’s time to short some stocks.

Go Ahead, Socialize ...

This has nothing to do with brand or marketing or social media … but it’s kinda fun, so I couldn’t resist.

The time stamp for this post is 08:08.08, 08/08/08. Today, I hope your luck number is “8″!

Go Ahead, Socialize ...