Disqus - Latest Comments for CantEvenGo

Re: Is Your Feed Reader Becoming Boring?

Corvida — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:39:52 -0000

I'm aware of Snackr. Marshall Kirkpatrick wrote about it on ReadWriteWeb. It's a great tool, but I'm not much of a ticker person myself to be honest. It takes up to much screen estate for me.

I agree though that the presentation manner could definitely play a role in the "boringness" of it all. Google Reader isn't the best for finding new content. Feedly would probably be better.

Re: Is Your Feed Reader Becoming Boring?

CantEvenGo — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 02:50:36 -0000

Corvida,

I think it's the style of presentation. I've tried lots of RSS readers (mac), and the static style of presentation doesn't work for me - it's too hierarchical, keeps me in a rigid reading pattern, and forces me to do more work to find new content from unexpected sources.

this isn't for everyone, but i can't live without Snackr. It's a news-ticker style feed reader that's synced to my Google Reader account, and it helps me discover new stuff every day.

anytime i come across an interesting blog, i subscribe to it with GR. i keep snackr open all the time (i'm currently pushing over 200 feeds now) and it scrolls new items from a random selection of blogs across the bottom of my screen. i see more stuff from blogs i wouldn't usually see, and when i come across good stuff i'll open the post in my browser.

Snackr requires Adobe Air, and some people complain about memory usage, but as a change of pace i'd highly recommend it

Re: Has Traditional Black Media Missed the Bus?

CantEvenGo — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:18:29 -0000

BlackPlanet is the 5th largest social network, i agree. but it is considered a "niche" SN because of its overwhelmingly Black demographic.

i'm not sure i agree with your statement about investments in AA-targeted internet properties, tho. Whither goest MSBET? for that matter, BET.com is only now beginning to use its resources to be more than a video-delivery and tv-show promoting website.

Supporting an internet business is decidedly different from supporting brick-and-mortar businesses. the revenue streams are different and the demands by users of of the medium (for timely AND relevant content) seem to be a major stumbling block in terms of sustainability.

I'm hopeful for theRoot.com, given its backing by WaPo. But that same backing makes me give the site the side-eye because i'm not entirely convinced of their (WaPo's) ethos w/regard to Black culture.

Re: Has Traditional Black Media Missed the Bus?

JillTubman — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 11:33:56 -0000

BlackPlanet is the 5th largest social network worldwide (I think). Investments in African-American targeted internet properties have tended to do much better than those for the general public if you take the wide view. I think it's the same as underinvestment in supermarkets, drug stores and services in working class African-American neighborhoods. There's some assumption among some that we can't support businesses which just ain't factual at all.

Re: Has Traditional Black Media Missed the Bus?

CantEvenGo — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 04:08:27 -0000

Given the limited local markets many black newspapers serve and the resultant small revenue streams from advertising, i can understand why they were reluctant to invest in the Web at a time when they saw the big dogs (NYTimes, WaPo) go in and lose money hand over fist.

Essence (at least pre-Katrina), and the Johnson Publishing clan were even worse IMHO; they HAD resources but treated the web as a direct-mail service to drive readers to their print issues. bad move.

Moreover, early attempts at Black information provision online didn't do well - NetNoir, everythingblack.com - because their target audience hadn't yet reached the web in numbers that could support them. Other properties that reached a moderate level of success were bought up by larger concerns (BlackVoices, Africana) that immediately diluted their message in order to "reach a broader audience".

i think that Katrina was a wake up call for Black websites and bloggers - they realized the paucity of Black-oriented news available on the web and stepped up to meet the demand.