Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with longtail

Let's give them someone to talk to

DiscourseMarker — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:40:50 -0800

I'm looking for suggestions for video guest speakers for a class I'm teaching this fall. I'm teaching a class this semester called Media 2.0: Production & Distribution in the Internet Age. It's based on the ideas of the long tail and convergence culture and how new technologies are changing the relationships between producers and consumers of media content. (There's a syllabus posted on my website, which is liked in my profile, if you're interested).

One of my ideas for the class was to have people who are actually doing this kind of work to talk directly to my class, to help make these concepts more real to them. But, because I am at a state university, in a poor state that just had a budget shortfall, I have zero dollars for this, literally (we don't even have student fees for our courses). So my idea was to have guest speakers via video chat, through Skype or ooVoo or something similar, because we do at least have internet and a video projector in our classrooms.

So far I have two AWESOME speakers lined up: Apelad (Adam Koford) of Laugh-out-Loud Cats fame, and Metafilter's Own Jesse Thorn. I'm looking for suggestions for 1 or maybe 2 more people to round out the semester. Based on my students' interests, a writer, filmmaker, or musician would be really good. (I did try to get Jonathan Coulton, but my first email received no response, and my second got swiftly turned down by his publicity person).

So any suggestions you have for good possible speakers, as well as maybe any hints as to how to best approach these people, would be very welcomed.

Why is it so difficult to find historical footage of past events which were, at the time, broadcast for free?

chos — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 13:20:09 -0800

Why is it so difficult to find historical footage of past events which were, at the time, broadcast for free (for example, archival video of the Olympic Games and the Oscars)? Wouldn't the economic value of making these events available somehow (for a fee) outweigh their value sitting on a shelf somewhere, unwatchable except in tiny snippets or on very rare special occasions? The current Beijing games has made me interested in going back to see events from past Olympics, especially those featuring athletes who are competing again this time. Considering the popularity of these types of events, I am surprised that it isn't possible to find archival video (either legally for purchase, or otherwise). I have observed this same behavior at work with other high-popularity events, like the Super Bowl or the Oscars.

Obviously the broadcast/distribution rights-holders of these events are fiercely protecting their property, as one would expect. It would seem, however, that the value of these events goes down immediately after they are completed (after everyone knows the winner of the game, most people would have no interest in watching). I am interested in understanding the economic rationale behind limiting their availability - is this a Long Tail kind of thing where it wouldn't actually be worth it to produce DVDs or otherwise manage these assets? Or is the strict limitation supposed to add to the "special/exclusive" nature of these events, thus attracting more viewers the next time they occur?

Who are authors writing on the impact of the Internet as a communications medium?

Jaybo — Wed, 01 Nov 2006 09:55:17 -0800

Who are scholars and/or popular authors writing on the impact of the Internet as a communications medium, specifically those talking about how the Internet removes previous time and/or space biases that are inevitably present in other forms of communication technology (telephone, television, radio, etc.)? I'm writing a paper on the ways that the Internet is supplanting television as the dominant communications medium in our society. To keep it manageable, I'm specifically comparing TV and the Internet as broadcast methods for video (although I may talk about other forms of "broadcasting" including RSS, blogs, etc.)

The essay's starting point is last summer's Live 8 concerts which caused one reporter to observe: "Television seemed shockingly old-fashioned in how it followed Saturday's worldwide concert for poverty relief. AOL's coverage was so superior, it may one day be seen as a historical marker in drawing people to computers instead of TV screens for big events"

Although my main question is asking for authors writing about how the Internet is fundamentally erasing space and time barriers that exist in communication currently, I'd also be interested in any suggestions of topics/issues/examples to cover. YouTube, the role of "The Long Tail", convergence, copyright and clearance, unsuccessful TV shows gaining large viewerships when released online, costs of production - ie. Rocketboom, the role of memes in online broadcasting are just a few examples of things on my "brainstorm" list.

Thanks in advance!

What is the difference between business blogging and forums

freakystyley — Mon, 19 Jun 2006 10:51:48 -0800

How can I convince my boss to use business blogging instead of forums? Or, how can my boss get A Clue? I work for a Clueless web business. In an effort to get the company to go "Web 2.0" (for lack of a better word), I've been trying to convince the boss that we should at least start business blogging to get a feel of what's really going on out there. Instead, he wants to set up a forum. Now I don't think that the advantages of a forum outweighs the advantages of a well-run business blog and I'm having a helluva time trying to convince him so. I explained how it can organize our communications, leverage our knowledge base, create more incoming links and foster community, all at the same time, but he still doesn't get it (or is perhaps too stubborn).

Now I'm at my wit's end 'cause another company virtually exploded onto the scene and it looks like they're going to take a huge portion of our potential market share (my boss also doesn't believe in The Long Tail). Of course, this new company is completely Web 2.0-savvy and knows a thing or two about blogging: a Google search for my company comes up with around 10 hits and a search for this other company comes up with nearly 65,000 hits. Our company has been around for nearly a year, and this new company has been around for around a month.

Ultimately, how can I convince my boss to get A Clue? I already got him the book (Cluetrain) a while back and he wasn't impressed. Sorry, this is probably the core question, but I'm trying to start with baby steps.