2009 Archives

Article — 6 December 2009 — 456 words

There is a good reason for the lack of updates

I don’t often write about myself here these days. Despite the fact that I went to all the effort to set up a personal website, I do think it is a tad self-indulgent to bang on about myself. However, some readers may be interested in recent developments in my life. Regular readers will know that […]

Article — 20 November 2009 — 657 words

Is the blogging era over?

Technology

It is commonly said that blogging is dead. The refrain has increased in frequency over the past year or so, as Twitter extends its influence further and further. I have been blogging since 2002, when I was just 16. Over the years, it has been my favourite means of communicating online — more than Facebook […]

Article — 10 September 2009 — 833 words

The value of GDP

Current affairs — Economics

There was an interesting blog post over at the Telegraph by Geoffrey Lean over the weekend. He asked if GDP is “past its sell by date”, noting that “the EU is due to publish a paper which will conclude that GDP is too limited a measurement.” I agree with the view that GDP doesn’t tell […]

Article — 14 August 2009 — 931 words

How charging for online content might work

Business — Economics — Media — Web

In my previous article, I argued that the problems that are hitting journalism are more to do with the quality of the content than with the fact that it’s difficult to charge for content these days. “Why pay to read Telegraph Digg-bait when you can read BBC churnalism for free?”, I asked. I am sure […]

Article — 14 August 2009 — 1,019 words

Are newspapers ready to charge for online content?

Business — Economics — Media — Technology

Rupert Murdoch’s decision to experiment with charging for content has ruffled a few feathers. Fair play to Murdoch for being brave enough to put his head above the parapet. If anyone can take the risk, it’s Murdoch — and the rest of the media will have him to thank if the gamble pays off and […]

Article — 7 August 2009 — 1,155 words

Growing up with the internet

Media — Personal — Society — Technology

It is notoriously hard to get to grips with the youth. Advertisers hate it. The age group of 15–24 — of which, incidentally, I am still part — is notoriously fickle. They define themselves almost in terms of what they are not rather than what they are. That is the explanation being given to the […]

Article — 1 July 2009 — 1,005 words

Newspapers: keep your RSS feeds

Media — Technology

There is a slightly bizarre article today on Online Journalism Blog advocating that newspapers should turn off their RSS feeds and instead push their stories to Twitter (via Cybersoc). Many people have noticed that Twitter has become one of the easiest ways to disseminate content on the internet, leading some to predict the death of […]

Article — 1 May 2009 — 78 words

Scotweb2 two

Web

For those interested in web 2.0 in Scotland, there will be a second Scotweb2 event this June. Among those attending: digital content marketing firm w00tonomy, Alistair Tibbett from Greener Leith, Iain Henderson from Mydex, Pezholio, Jadu and Learning Pool. The event will take place on 19 June at the Melting Pot on Rose Street in […]

Article — 29 April 2009 — 1,105 words

Iain Macwhirter and the relationship between the media and bloggers

Current affairs — Media — Technology

Part one of this article was published yesterday Further evidence that Iain Macwhirter is struggling to see beyond the model of the media comes from the fact that the blogs he cites as “very good and intelligent” are both offerings from the media. Paul Krugman’s blog is funded by the New York Times while Robert […]

Article — 28 April 2009 — 1,253 words

Iain Macwhirter inadvertently criticised the media

Media — Politics — Technology

There was much hand-wringing among bloggers a couple of weeks ago in the wake of an article about blogging written by Iain Macwhirter. I didn’t take much notice of it at the time. After all, it is not exactly surprising that an established media figure would take a swipe at blogging. And if there is […]

Article — 6 April 2009 — 188 words

Web 2.0 and the Scottish Government

Business — Culture — Society — Web

As part of my never-ending quest to find something resembling employment, I recently spent a bit of time shadowing at the Scottish Government. It was a great experience, and reassuring to see that there are people there who really properly get it. It was interesting to see how they are preparing to enter the web […]

Article — 8 March 2009 — 988 words

Blogging and the future of journalism

Current affairs — Media — Personal — Technology

This week I helped out Peter John Meiklem on a story for the Sunday Herald about the future of journalism. Amid all the job losses in the Scottish media, the piece looks at whether bloggers can step up to the plate and begin to supplant traditional media outlets. My view has long been that blogging […]