Daily Marauder

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA by Marauder

ONLINE SERVICES/INTERACTIVE MEDIA

If more people are searching on Google for “Obama” than “McCain” does that mean he is more likely to win the election?  Not every voter in the U.S. uses Google, or even uses the Internet, for that matter. But enough of the population does use Google that its search patterns cannot be ignored by either candidate, the press, or anyone interested in the outcome of the election. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/07/can-google-trends-predict-the-election 6/7)

YouTube is launching a “Reporter” channel, featuring news-related videos submitted by both amateurs to professionals, in time for presidential race. Also: The Google-owned video site is teaming with the GOP for a contest to send an amateur videographer to the Republican convention. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://venturebeat.com/2008/06/06/youtube-launches-reporter-channel-in-time-for-presidential-race 6/6, http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6568233.html 6/9)

Google, which has struggled to find the best way to monetize YouTube, is now allowing content creators to sell advertising on their YouTube channels. The revenue is split between the content creator and YouTube, just as it would be if YouTube sold the ads. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=127619 6/9)

Amazon.com’s Web site experienced problems in North America for more than two hours on Friday due to system issues. Amazon’s systems are “very complex” and “on rare occasions” may experience problems, says a spokesman. The impact on sales is not yet known. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080606/ap_on_hi_te/amazon_down 6/6)

MySpace’s recent move to allow software developers to make money from their viral creations is beginning to pay off. About 1,000 new applications created for MySpace in the last two months have helped keep the site’s 117 million users online longer, which could boost advertising. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-mon-myspace-facebook-faceoffjun09,0,1364023.story 6/9)

(Below)  I tried out a search with Weezer’s new video “Pork & Beans” which is number 2 on Viral Video Chart’s list.  I tried Weezer and alternatively Pork & Beans with no relevant search results.  Maybe this is considered user-generated (even though it’s not)?  Additionally, along the left nav bar under sources, I couldn’t find any source related to blogs, social networking sites, etc.  I understand Hulu’s desire to index video becoming the first stop for video search.  I just don’t know how wise this will be when mucking up the results with blogs and social networking sites.

Hulu rolled out a new video search function indexing not only its 50+ content providers but also videos embedded on blogs, social networking sites and a host of other online video outlets. Search results appear within the Hulu video interface, so you don’t have to leave the site to hunt for something Hulu doesn’t have. (Cynopsis 6/9)

After shutting down its online music store Wal-Mart is trying to insure there is still demand for its CDs. The chain signed an deal with AC/DC to become the exclusive CD retailer for its next album this fall, similar to agreements struck with The Eagles and Journey, according to the WSJ. The company also says it plans to reduce its inventory of CDs to focus more on blockbuster titles. (Cynopsis 6/9)

After engaging in high-profile spats with Wikipedia over the accuracy, the Encyclopedia Britannica says it plans to experiment with user-contributed content.  Britannica emphasizes that its staff will continue to police content: “We are not abdicating our responsibility.” (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080609-britannica-to-cautiously-try-harnessing-users-for-content.html 6/9)

That said, TV Guide wants to make sure you can easily access its video content if you prefer to spend most of your time in a social networking environment. TV Guile Online officially launched its Video Guide widget as an embeddable extension of its popular online video guide. (Cynopsis 6/9)

FanFare, SanDisk’s free, ad-supported content portal, has been shuttered along with their ill-fated TakeTV video solution. TakeTV was a little device that you plugged into your computer, filled up with media, and then carried to your TV. FanFare was supposed to supply exciting, free content for the player. Anyone who knows anything about the average consumer would tell you that making someone use SneakerNet to watch Iron Man bootlegs on their TV is a losing proposition. (http://www.techcrunch.com/2008/06/07/sandisk-takes-fanfare-taketv-to-the-deadpool 6/7)

Disney Family.com plans to roll out a new parent-oriented social networking platform that will provide users with the ability to create profiles for their entire family. The new community will be different from typical social networks, which emphasize individual profiles. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/content_display/news/digital-downloads/broadband/e3i32a6c4ade2dd7b234f0417152699006a 6/9)

Nielsen Online is preparing a platform to monitor the number of downloaded media served through Apple iTunes and other systems.  While Nielsen and others track the views of streaming video, third party monitoring of downloaded video are understood to not currently exist. (Iwantmedia 6/9, http://www.beet.tv/2008/06/scoop-nielsen-r.html 6/7)

Leave a Comment so far
Leave a comment