June 21, 2006
Sir Martin Sorrell, the chief executive of WPP, thinks so.
At the Newspaper Society Home Truths conference on June 20, Sir Martin’s stunning recidivism was in full display. He called Craigslist, the popular, free classified advertising site that has been eroding revenues at US city newspapers, was a total anomaly because “It was started by three anarchists. How do you deal with anarchists?” He conceded, though, it has permanently altered the profitability model for classified ads. Sir Martin also slammed free content, “The internet is the most socialistic force you’ve ever seen,” noting that the response from some media groups had been to offer their content for free in traditional and digital form.
(more…)
Let it be known that we are perfectly content to be armchair travellers. So from entrancing West Africa to equally captivating Asia, where one of our dear friends is following in Tom “Flat” Friedman’s footsteps and embarking on an exhilarating tour. Inquiring minds should visit his manifesto and perhaps catch a glimpse of his journey.
Having “swiftly and decisively” freed himself from the miasma of toiling away in New York, our newly minted explorer has thoroughly enjoyed the demilitarized zone buffering him from the humdrum memories of dull working days and the stormy reality of unpredictability to come. For what he is, he’s ready to tackle the world’s complexity and ambiguity with gusto.
Let’s give him a fond sendoff with this quote from Groucho Marx: “I’m leaving because the weather is too good. ”
Good luck, be well. And remember to send a “wishing you were here” card once in a while.
An email entitled “Les Mirages”, arrived, with impeccable timing, in our inbox from Nouakchott, Mauritania, where one of our friends is vacationing. A vivid thumbnail sketch of Mauritania, a moderate Islamic country, unexpectedly tickled our senses and predictably aroused our curiosity.
So we start a Summer Romance with Travel series, with this inaugural post on Mauritania.
Google Images
(more…)
As if to coincide with our anxious anticipation for summer solstice, “Shattered“, the first business magazine that breaks the mold, ie, for and about women, arrives.
Hot on the heels of the buzz about Conde Nast’s Portfolio, Shattered is the latest entry in a niche field, affectionately called bizosphere. With the media landscape getting increasignly segmented, niche content is the name of the game. However, with so many eyes on so little (niche) space, the field is exceedingly crowded. You could be forgiven for wondering if Shattered is just Portfolio for women. Just like professional women’s organizations - 85 Broads springs to mind, Shattered hopes to help women in “breaking the glass ceiling.”
(more…)
AP Photo
In the northern hemisphere, today is the longest day of the year when the Sun is farthest north.
As the U.S. Naval Observatory notes, the solstice hits at 12:26 Universal Time, which is 8:26 Eastern Daylight Time, 7:26 Central, 6:26 Mountain, and 5:26 Pacific.
In Britain, the Associated Press reported “cloudy skies, dense fog and spurts of rain did not seem to dampen the energy of smiling revelers” at Stonehenge, the ancient monument possibly built in tribute to the sun. “Today’s sunrise was spectacularly unspectacular,” one person, in characteristically British nonchalance, told BBC News.
