Fred Wilson on “Style, Design, and Voice: The Merging of Content With Technology”
Fred Wilson spoke to The Publishing Point yesterday about the intersection of content and technology. The talk was inspiring—full of interesting points and observations. Here are my key takeaways. (Debbie Stier also shared some on her blog.)
The media landscape is constantly changing: Yes, we already knew this, but Fred’s talk drove home just how true it is. He talked about social media he uses to discover new content (boxee, WeAreHunted) which I was only vaguely aware of, but which will undoubtedly grow in importance. Lesson? The time you spend reading about technology and innovation is time well spent. The future is here already, always.
Discovery beyond search: Social networks have radically changed the way we discover content. Fred noted that consuming content in a vacuum no longer feels natural to him (or anyone younger than he is)—they want to share it. But with so many people sharing so much online—300 million+ on Facebook alone—the value of the individual share has decreased. Enter filters, which give added value to select shares based on popularity and/or quality (like Twitter’s promoted tweets system). For instance, Fred’s favorite news source is Hacker News, curated entirely by users. Traditional curators—publishers!—take note.
Liquidity and protection: “People who want to steal your content will steal your content. DRM is a tax on your best customers.” So true. The way to avoid Napster syndrome? Be aggressive. License your content and get it out there legally. People are willing to pay for quality content—Fred’s a big fan of subscription models—but the creators need to get their content discovered and to show readers why they should value it. There’s no better way to start than to get your books—and your brand—out there.
Do it now: More than anything Fred’s talk reminded me of the need to act now. Publishers shouldn’t be afraid of technologists—as Fred said, they don’t know how to create good content. Publishers do. But when they refuse to participate fully in the social web, they hide that fact from, well, everyone. It’s time to focus on where publishers really add value in a digital, linked world and streamline the rest. I think there will always be a market for printed books—collectors, as Fred called them—but the focus of publishing should be on consumers (who no longer need to be collectors). We’re not and have never been a printing industry.
With the way we interact with content and each other changing rapidly—every.single.day—asking questions like “will the iPad save publishing?” is a waste of time. Publishers will save themselves by proving their value to readers. And there’s no app for that.
—
Were you there? Have thoughts? Let’s talk on Twitter.
Notes
-
kratlee liked this
-
maggiehilliard posted this
