Measuring the effects of multiple screen usage

It is common knowledge that as a society, we are multi-tasking more than ever. OTX think we fit 31 hours worth of tasks into a single day, and our lack of down-time is being blamed for our increased sleeplessness.
Seeing some of the Childwise Monitor report data emphasised some of the difficulties that this presents to the [...]

Why a second set of eyes should be mandatory

With their redesigned logo, the Office of Government Commerce’s branding agency has illustrated the importance of having a second set of eyes to check over work.
That second person should be someone that has nothing to do with the project, and preferably nothing to do with the skill or profession in question.
Proficiency and expertise breed blind [...]

James Murdoch is wrong about the iPlayer

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/dantaylor/
At the Marketing Society annual lecture, James Murdoch accused the BBC iPlayer of squashing competition.
I completely disagree with this. The iPlayer is dominant, but it is taking a large slice of an inflated pie. Without the iPlayer, the market would be a lot smaller. No-one was complaining of the other video services using [...]

Links – 24th April 2008

Blog-related

Iron Man and the art of product placement (Madison + Vine)
Kevin Kelly speaks with Robert Rich about the realities of the 1,000 true fans business model NB: This is a must-read
A very good profile on Hulu (Guardian) NB: This is looking like a very good business move and one I can see succeeding
Tennent’s Music Festival allows [...]

Dilbert shows how not to relaunch a website

 
The Dilbert website has undergone a redesign, and now incorporates a web2.0 element. What should have been a successful launch has been mired in criticism. Change, and especially a radical overhaul, will always attract dissent from some quarters, but Scott Adams et al made some basic mistakes which have spoiled the new look.  
I really like [...]

Classic blog posts #1: Russell Davies on how to be interesting

This is intended to be the first in an occasional series.
Unlike the links post that I aim to update every Thursday or Friday, there will be no schedule to this. They will appear whenever I am too busy/uninspired to write original posts. (the former is the case this time – I’ve just got back from a long weekend [...]

Links – 17th April 2008

Blog-related

The BBC Sound Index accumulates the top artists over several sites
Improving reader comments (Freakonomics)
Six mash-ups that inform you about music while you listen (Mashable)
Leadership the Cosa Nostra (mafia) way (Guardian)
Why software and media companies should sometimes encourage piracy (Slate)
Gimmicky cameos to boost TV ratings (AV Club)
Reuters’ attempt at the Semantic Web - Calais
Cory Doctorow short story [...]

The conversation doesn’t have to be continuous

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/benjamin_ellis/
A strange thing happened when I met up with an old friend recently. He mentioned that he had deliberately avoided me online in the time leading up to our drink, so that “we would have something to talk about”. By not reading my blog or browsing my Facebook profile, he felt he wouldn’t [...]

Choosing the right incentives

Photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/lisa_yarost/
Not so long ago, I took part in an online survey. My primary motivation for doing so was the incentive on offer – 5 iTunes downloads. And yet I failed to take use my voucher before the deadline passed. This got me thinking about how incentives are formulated, and how they can [...]

Links – 10th April 2008

Blog-related

When hypertext linking is a bad thing (Slate)
How ISPs throttle legitimate Internet users (Cory Doctorow) NB: This is a great article
Charles Manson releases album using Creative Commons (Limewire)
Blinkx broadband TV is sounding pretty good (CNet)
When targeted advertising is perhaps too good (Neatorama) NB: Any disparagement of World of Warcraft is tongue in cheek
A look at pitchfork tv (Wired) [...]