Tag Archives: new media

Twitter 101 Business Guide

twitter_101guide social cache dot com

by Joe Wallace

One of my favorite new media commentators is Dave Allen, of Gang of Four fame. In addition to a very busy speaking and traveling schedule, he’s got a few going concerns on the web, one of which is the ever-relevant Social Cache.  Check out the recent post on the Twitter 101 for Business guide, now available as a free download from Social Cache (hosted from Allen’s other site Pampelmoose.com).

If you’re still trying to figure out what this Twitter thing is all about and why you should be paying attention, try this free download courtesy of Social Cache and get yourself schooled. (Please note this is a link to the post, not the PDF itself–that’s located within the post itself.)

If you’re not familiar with Social Cache, have a look around the site…it’s definitely worth your time.

I Told You So: Chicago Tribune Files Chapter 11

The L.A. Times reports the Chicago Tribune has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. This is the start of what I predicted back in June with my screed Why the Chicago Tribune is Going to Fold.  When the top names at major papers like the Trib admit they are not computer savvy, you can practically see the vultures gathering above Chicago’s famous Tribune Tower.

Bye, bye, print newspapers…it was fun while it lasted. Even the New York Times is gasping for air, and it won’t be long before people will refer to print papers in the past tense. As I stated back in June, the Internet is NOT killing newspapers–they are doing a wonderful job of euthanizing themselves.

Why the Chicago Tribune is Going To Fold

Tonight, I watched an episode of a local news program called Chicago Tonight. One segment included a discussion with three guests about the future of newspapers. One of those guests was an editor from the venerable Tribune, another was a former writer for the Chicago Sun-Times. Needless to say, between these two gents the experience level was high.

The discussion was fairly gloomy–people in charge at the Tribune are desperate to save the paper from certain death, and have been brainstorming a variety of ideas on how to prevent its demise. Between the editor at the Trib and the former writer for the Sun-Times, I got the distinct impression that nobody in charge of one of Chicago’s most respected daily papers really understands why newspapers are getting slaughtered.

The worst example of this came when the editor at the Chicago Tribune stated quite clearly that he is “not Internet savvy”. I said out loud to the television, ‘And that’s why the Chicago Tribune is going to fold.”

The Internet is not killing newspapers–they are doing a fine job of committing suicide all by themselves. Any editor who does not understand and respect the ‘net is doomed just as surely as a woolly mammoth sinking into the La Brea tar pits. Bleat all you want, big fellah. You’re still going down.

But why?

I would love to pimp myself out to these newspapers as a consultant–or better yet as a new media ombudsman–and command a hefty fee to show them how NOT to get murdered in the age of the Internet. Since no offers are currently forthcoming, I’ll share a few “secrets” here. Continue reading Why the Chicago Tribune is Going To Fold