MediaShift

Weblogs

EU Member's Plan for 'Blogger Registry' Is Wrong-Headed

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

When blogs were born over 10 years ago as a way to share the details of one's life with a limited number of people online as a sort of journal, no one could have imagined the importance that this type of D.I.Y. publishing would later take on. Today, bloggers who started out just writing for themselves have empires. Bloggers these days have larger spheres of influence, attracting the eyes of more people -- even presidential candidates. -- and they enjoy the freedom to write whatever they want (within reason) on their blogs.

• July 18, 2008
• 2 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Quick Video Services Spark Conversations, Boredom

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Online video has moved way beyond simple video-sharing on YouTube. A growing number of services are allowing users to make video on the fly and stream their material live or near live to the web or from mobile devices. Instant video content, often just conversations between the producer and his or her audience, or video comments back and forth, is much different from content that is recorded, edited and posted onto video-sharing sites like YouTube.

• June 27, 2008
• 4 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

4 Reasons I Don't Use Personalized Start Pages (And 3 Reasons Others Do)

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

When you open up your Internet browser, what's the first thing you see? Many people opt for personalized start pages, portal-like websites that let you pick and choose the content you want, such as news, weather or updates from social networking sites like Facebook. You can add widgets to your start page, and even create widgets for others to use on their pages.

• June 20, 2008
• 3 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Spain's National Obsession with Mobiles, Texting

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

A few weeks ago I told you about the perpetuation of print newspapers here in Spain, and in that post I mentioned the fact that you don't see a whole lot of laptops being used on the streets of Barcelona or Madrid. One might think that this is an indication of a lack of love for gadgets. Quite the contrary: You may not see laptops, but what you do see are cell phones -- and tons of them.

• June 13, 2008
• 6 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Slingbox Lets Me Take Live TV Abroad

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Last month, I moved to Spain, and I took my TV with me. Not the actual TV set, but my shows. As I write this, I'm watching a live episode of "Larry King Live," where politicians and pundits are discussing the implications of the Obama victory. It's 9:00 in the morning here in Spain, and even though I'm having breakfast, late-night Larry King and everyone else is truly live, thanks to Slingbox.

• June 6, 2008
• 5 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

3 Reasons FriendFeed Is Great -- and 3 Ways It Scares Me

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Ask me what my mother is doing right now and I couldn't tell you. Or what my best friend has been up to lately...no idea. But with a quick look at my computer screen, I can see what a staggering number of people I barely know are doing right now, 10 minutes ago, or last night. What they are reading, what they are posting and what they are commenting on -- all in one place.

• May 30, 2008
• 4 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Are Print Newspapers Alive and Well in Spain?

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

From a picture window in an office from where I am writing in the Gracia neighborhood of Barcelona, I can see the same sights I could see from a similar window in my former neighborhood in San Francisco: pedestrians, taxis, cafes and bookstores. But there is something different about my view here: I can spot three different storefronts specializing in newspapers and magazines, all on one block and on one side of the street. A couple of yards away, there are more newsstands. A visit to the corner cafe reveals something else that's rather curious: the room full of coffee drinkers is full of people reading the news -- not on laptops or iPhones -- but on good old-fashioned pulp.

• May 16, 2008
• 7 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Twitter Helps with Reporting, Filtering the News

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Last May on MediaShift, we wrote a series of articles about a new microblogging tool called Twitter, which was just beginning to gain visibility among the digerati. At that time, many bloggers were still on the fence as to how useful the service really was. Many thought it was a waste of time. Others just didn't understand if it...

• May 9, 2008
• 16 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

'Blog Till You Drop' Phenomenon Overblown; Disconnecting Is Key

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

The New York Times recently published a story , "In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop," that created a lot of buzz. The story told about bloggers who were literally working themselves to death. As if it were a quickly advancing trend, the Times' Matt Richtel declared, "a growing work force of home-office laborers and entrepreneurs,...

• April 11, 2008
• 4 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Web Serials Find Their Niche vs. TV

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Everyone's a producer -- or so it seems with the availability of video-making tools for just about anyone these days. With the arrival of cheaper, more compact equipment and the rapid of advance of technology in this area, it's possible to shoot a pretty good quality video with a small digital camera or even a high-end cell phone. Plus,...

• April 4, 2008
• 5 comments

Wikis

How to Be a Model Wikipedia Contributor

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Wikipedia -- like Google or CNN -- is a name we recognize immediately when mentioned in conversation. The collaborative online encyclopedia currently ranks 8th on the Alexa list of top web destinations. Ask anyone sitting in front of a computer to find information for you on any topic. While most might turn first to Google, many others will turn...

• March 21, 2008
• 27 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

The Blessing and Curse of the iPod Touch

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Here at MediaShift, we have had some less than perfect experiences with mobile devices and the Internet. Earlier this year, Mark wrote "a manifesto about what would make for a smarter smartphone." And last summer "I grumbled about the bad time I was having with my new smartphone." The Treo 680 was under-delivering in the one area that had convinced me to purchase the phone in the first place: surfing the web.

• March 14, 2008
• 4 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Citizen Journalism Spreads in Spanish-Speaking World

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Traditional media has always drawn a line between the reporter and the "reported to." But citizen journalism is a phenomenon that looks to bridge the gap between the news and the people, with average folks being able to use digital technology and the Internet to create and distribute their own news. But most stories about citizen journalism in the...

• February 29, 2008
• 8 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Facebook Becomes Catalyst for Causes, Colombian FARC Protest

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

This morning, I received a notification on my Facebook profile that said if I sent a virtual plant to some of my friends, I'd help them "save the Earth." If you're a Facebook user, you probably wonder how much the incessant pleas by certain applications on the site might actually "change the world." Modules built to help you attack...

• February 22, 2008
• 3 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

5 Videoblogs That Do It Right

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Lately, it seems everybody's a video producer. From YouTube to BlogTV to Seesmic –- it's as if everyone's doing something with a videocamera. Last year, I wondered if the transition from blogger to video producer and host might not be the best route for everyone. It seemed that bloggers were eager to jump formats and just "do video," and the...

• February 15, 2008
• 7 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

5 Reasons I Won't Give Up Books

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Last month at the highly anticipated MacWorld conference here in San Francisco, Apple honcho Steve Jobs said some words that left many agape. Those words weren't "Macbook Air" but "people don't read anymore." He was predicting a doomed future for Amazon's new Kindle e-reader. Shocked, I've been going over this for weeks now, trying to cut through the punditry...

• February 8, 2008
• 16 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Why I Left Print Media for Digital

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

In new media circles, one of the hottest topics of recent years has been the print-to-digital shift. People pundit about it, shout "print is dead" and wallow in the sadness sparked by nostalgia for a day when this wasn't a question. We've also begun speculating on whether a device like the Kindle will really ever take our attention away...

• January 31, 2008
• 13 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

How Google, Wikipedia Have Changed Our Lives -- For Better and Worse

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

A lecturer in the U.K. made headlines this month when she banned her students from using Wikipedia and Google for research assignments in her classes. The professor, Dr. Tara Brabazon, said that students "don't come to university to learn how to Google." I'm sure they don't, but I can imagine the fear that the ban struck in the hearts...

• January 25, 2008
• 12 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

The Benefits and Pitfalls of Using Social Media for Reporting

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Because we live in an age when social media sites are our daily bread, it seems natural to turn to them as resources for writing a story. When I wrote a piece about the popularity of Facebook all over the world, I went straight to Facebook to get the user interviews I needed. And when I wrote about the...

• January 17, 2008
• 4 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

5 Places to Watch Movies Online Legally -- and Free

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

The spread of broadband Internet access has made online video a much better experience, allowing movie fans to catch a flick on the Net without having to rent a DVD. Depending on the kind of system and monitor you have, watching films on a computer can become almost as enjoyable as watching them on your television. For instance, with...

• January 11, 2008
• 18 comments

Social Networking

The Universal Language of Facebook

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

It's been just four short years since a college student named Mark Zuckerberg launched a new social network with a very specific target demographic: American Ivy League college students. Since then, the Facebook phenomenon has exceeded everyone's expectations. After opening up accessibility to anyone interested in signing up late last year, growth in the U.S. for the social network has...

• December 14, 2007
• 3 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

6 Reasons I'm Not Hooked on Podcasts

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

A year ago, Mark wrote about the factors that were limiting the growth of podcast adoption. Some of the problems include the difficulty in finding quality content, a lack of understanding of the medium, and a general impatience in getting podcasts to work. I can relate. Try as I might, I haven't been able to make podcasts a part of...

• December 7, 2007
• 14 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Last.FM, Jango, Pandora Trounce Music Discovery via Radio

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Back before the Internet, listening to the radio was a one-sided experience. Beyond the occasional call-in request, music radio was about listening to whatever the DJs decided to play whenever they decided to play it. But a new breed of online music services are giving listeners access to music content on demand, and most are for free. Can these...

• November 29, 2007
• 10 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Even in U.S., Bloggers Get Little Protection

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Earlier this year, there was a debate in journalism circles and in the general public about who could be considered a journalist, as San Francisco videoblogger and media maker Josh Wolf was jailed after refusing to turn over video footage to federal authorities. After spending 226 days in jail, Wolf was dubbed the "longest-jailed journalist in American history." But...

• October 19, 2007
• 6 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Our Internet Obsession with Missing People Goes Too Far

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Reading online news is a great way to stay constantly updated on what's going on in the world without having to rely on television. And in times of great tragedy the Internet has shown itself to be incomparable in its ability to make information move quickly for the good of public awareness and safety. But for all its positive...

• October 12, 2007
• 6 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

YouTube, Flickr Become Forces for Cultural Change

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

The term "social web" brings to mind images of people around the world interacting with each other without borders or barriers. With the arrival of more and more sites that help us connect, express ourselves and share media, it seems like we're advancing toward a more open Internet, in which everyone has the right to view or post whatever...

• September 28, 2007
• 5 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Bloggers Make Jump to TV Shows -- But Should They?

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

It wasn't that long ago that I was marveling over the fact that mainstream media was paying attention to blogs, particularly for culling public opinion on hot button political issues. I remember being shocked when CNN started featuring a segment quoting bloggers on "The Situation Room" -- shocked and wondering how it all happened. When did blogs suddenly become...

• September 14, 2007
• 4 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Online Video Sites Scratch Your Niche

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

In my post about online television a few weeks ago, I wrote about why I don't enjoy watching television on the Internet. One of the reasons is that a big video-sharing site such as YouTube has thousands of different kinds of content jumbled together in one place, making it hard to find the content I want. Why should I...

• August 30, 2007
• 7 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Free Newspapers Lead Way Online in Europe

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

As big newspapers struggle with shifting business models, a new breed of free newspapers have have found their niche in many parts of the world. According to the Newspaper Innovation blog, 36 million free papers are distributed daily in 49 countries. As newspaper subscriptions lag, advertisers turn to these papers that have a captive audience of commuters desperate for...

• August 17, 2007
• 7 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Is the Future of Television Online? Not Yet

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Late last month the BBC announced that it would be offering up a large part of its television content free of charge on its website. And back in May, ABC announced it would stream some of its primetime shows in HD online for free. As networks begin to put more of their content online -- either on their websites...

• August 10, 2007
• 8 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Flickr Changes Lives, Launches Photog Careers

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

With the plethora of social networking sites, it's easy to come to the quick conclusion that what we are doing on these sites -- chatting up strangers, lurking on people's profiles, spying on friends -- is just a waste of time. But there is one site that is more than just an unhealthy habit: Photo-sharing site Flickr is a...

• August 2, 2007
• 9 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Food Lovers Become Experts at Chowhound, Yelp

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Before the web was in widespread use, food lovers would wait patiently for the New York Times restaurant reviews to come out for the hottest new spot in SoHo, or for hometown papers to write up the little Korean joint that just opened down the street. We relied heavily on that system of stars, dollar signs and bells indicating...

• July 27, 2007
• 8 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

'Open Universities' Try to Bring College to Masses

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

A college education in the United States can be one of the most costly in the world. For many young people, college isn't an option because of the economic strain it represents for their families. And many older people who would like to attend classes must forego studies to make ends meet. But thanks to the power of voluntary...

• July 20, 2007
• 15 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Why My Smartphone Is Dumb About the Net

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

I've got a problem: I hate using the Internet -- on my phone, that is. I am one of those people whose ears perked up at the idea of being able to take my online activities, such as reading news, watching videos and social networking with me wherever I go, on my phone. And after investing in a flashy...

• July 13, 2007
• 5 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Face-to-Face Networking Trumps Panels at Conference

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

SAN FRANCISCO -- In my account of Supernova 2007 yesterday, I didn't mention one of the things that really irked me about the conference: the silence. When panelists were on the huge stage at the main ballroom in the Westin St. Francis Hotel, the large audience sat silent typing away at their laptops. While some sessions ended with a...

• June 25, 2007
• 1 comment

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Business Crowd Considers Web Users in Third Person

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

SAN FRANCISCO -- Anyone tired of Web 2.0 topics and discussion, and the current venture-capital-fueled hype, would have been advised to stay far away from the Supernova conference here. The conference site bills it as "the only event that assembles the most compelling people and companies from the converging worlds of computing, telecom, and digital media to put decentralization...

• June 22, 2007
• No comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Orkut, Friendster Get Second Chance Overseas

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

What do Brazilian and Indian Internet users have in common? A favorite social networking site called Orkut, a Google web property which, when it was launched in 2004 was meant to put its parent company on the social networking map in the U.S. Orkut may not have taken off stateside, but it has exploded in these two countries, and...

• June 15, 2007
• 12 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Online Map Craze Helps People Visualize Data

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

It's not often that you find an Internet trend based on something ancient. But that's what's happening with maps. Google Maps has gone from innovative to indispensable and highly replicated in a little over two years. Thanks to Google's open map API (appliction programming interface), just about anybody can create a map for just about anything -- from tracking...

• June 8, 2007
• 7 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Community-Edited News Sites Abound in Other Languages

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Back in 2004, when developer Kevin Rose launched the community-edited news site Digg, he could not have imagined it would launch a global phenomenon. A simple application that allowed users to contribute web links and vote on stories to push them to the front page somehow appealed to so many of us that by the next year, it had...

• June 1, 2007
• 8 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Reporting from Afar Might Work, But Not for Local News

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

While much has been made of the outsourcing of American jobs to foreign countries, until recently the field of journalism had remained largely untouched. Earlier this month local news website Pasadena Now announced its decision to outsource work to India, specifically reporting of City Council meetings. The site's owner, James Macpherson, said the meetings are streamed on the Internet,...

• May 25, 2007
• 1 comment

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Doing More Than Just Twittering Our Lives Away

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

When I first signed up for micro-blogging service Twitter last September, I remember reading that day that Evan Willliams, one of Twitter's founders, was in a horse drawn carriage winding through the streets of Marrakech. I found that fascinating. That day, I wrote one update ("I'm blogging...") and didn't sign in again until April of this year. Why? Because...

• May 18, 2007
• 8 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Are We Sharing Too Much Information via Social Media?

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Social media -- the online tools we use to keep in constant contact with friends and to spy on strangers -- is something many of us believe makes the Internet a more fun, more personal place to be. It makes it easier to keep in touch with people we care about, and facilitates relationships with people we might have...

• May 11, 2007
• 12 comments

Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

U.S. Media Fails to Deliver Spanish News Online

by Jennifer Woodard Maderazo

Here in the United States, with over "31 million Spanish speakers", you would think Spanish would be our second language online. And you would think that content for the Spanish-speaking community would be not only available, but also rich and varied, if only for the value it represents to marketers. But that isn't the case.

• May 4, 2007
• 11 comments