My So-Called Digital Life

Everybody Goes Zune Zune

Ok, so the iPod. Fairly ubiquitous right? I mean, when they galloped onto the market so many years ago, people thought it was a fad...then there were the naysayers...you know the ones..."but it only works on a mac". brilliant. everyone wanted one so much, they had to purchase a new computer....until...the next version and then you could use it with your PC...another marketing victory. now it does video, music, files, pictures, etc....it is a standalone system that will see itself into the sunset.

who knows.

But it is curious that Microsoft would compete so late in the game with Zune...something that is restricted due to digital rights. Curious. MS generally doesn't release anything without thinking it through...but to where?

I've already complained about this little box. I'm just still confused...what is real the method to their madness?

It's not very pretty, its priced too high to not be an iPod if you know what i mean, and its a ugly brown colour. That all said, their business model just might work...eventually. And maybe that all has to do with partnerships. MS just launched a revenue sharing deal with Universal Music Group. MS gets the rights to sell UMG's music and Universal will receive a slice of Zune sales. Nice.

The difference here is that MS adds motivation that goes beyond the downloads rates of Apple. The partners now have a stake in Zune's success.

But do I care about that? Nope. I'm the end user...and i want as much music as i can find when i want it...in the easiest way possible...with my itunes....i personally have no stake in anyone's business model except my own and that's to take MY music...anywhere...now...not when a provider gets around to giving it....

in other words i might not want the chicken or the beef but the fish. and if MS is only offering me beef and limited choice, i'll dine out elsewhere.

Microsoft's Zune

So I know this sounds weird, but the new Zune is an attempt to think into the future, when the thought of digital rights "problems" will be a think of the past. Microsoft's yet unreleased Zune which has been touted the "iPod killer" uses Digital Rights Managemet but oddly enough, will not be compatible with Microsoft's PlayForSure technology.

So anyone that has licensed the old techhnology will find out very quickly that the music that they are currently selling will not be playable on the new Zune. What does this mean? Repurchasing? Possibly if all is correct. Where you say? Zune of course. Will all the music that you owned be able to be repurchased? Well only if its available...look at iTunes...sometimes your fav song just is not licensed or it takes a while for it to be added to a library.

So this brings up an interesting question....repurchasing...relicensing...and what about fair use? Recently at a conference I spoke at in Hong Kong, the idea of licensing depending on use (one cost for listening on a CD at home, another price to download to your computer and then to your iPod, another price to copy to a friend). So the whole buying again and again might not be so far away.

If I've made no sense at all, feel free to check out the BBC. They seem to have it together.

Online E-Commerce Helped Along by Social Media

It's true that social networking sites are definately directing an increasing number of online users towards shopping web sites.

You can find comments and shopping info on sites like Flickr, MySpace, etc. According to research, sites like these increase their shares in September due to shopping and ecommerce becoming a big part of the social networking activities.

Research from Hitwise revealed that shopping and classified sites received 2.4 per cent of their visits from MySpace during September, and furthermore that this represented an 83 per cent increase on figures released six months earlier.

I have found that google alerts that have come up for snazzygirl.com, that were original on blogs and social network sites, talking about opinion about products on the site, really do direct people in a postive way towards the web site. Much more than doing any kind of online advertising.

The Launch of Visual Search

I don't know how many of you have checked out www.like.com, but honestly, you should head right over there. For years, people have been discussing and testing the idea of visual search technology. A search technology that would be more than just text links and descriptions. Like.com has done it one better by matching pics with "like" products that can be found and bought online. And how do you cleverly launch that...well hook people up with the products similar to what the celebrities are wearing!

And you can submit to their database, you products, which in turn, finesse their technology when more people use it. I submitted www.snazzygirl.com to see what would happen. And considering some of the products that the celebrities are wearing are actually available on snazzygirl.com, it should be a no-brainer.

There are other visual search engines...sort of, like pricecanada.com, shoptoit.ca, shop.com, shopping.com and others, but this one takes it up a notch by letting people see ahead what they would like to shop for and then using search in a very creative way, to solve the problem. All visually.

Outsourced Work Makes Up 90% Of Taiwan's Animation Industry

Outsourced animation work in Taiwan makes up 90% of the country’s animation industry revenues in 2005, the Council for Economic Planning and Development (CEPD) announced Wednesday, which was report on at au.biz.yahoo.com.

CEPD figures show that Taiwan’s total production revenue topped NT$4.8 billion (US$146.14 million). By 2008, the government organization projects the Taiwanese market to reach NT$9.4 billion. CEPD states that growth is being seen in animated TV commercials and other CG productions.

Teaching at the University of British Columbia

I'm happy to say that I'll be teaching starting in January at the University of British Columbia continuing studies. I'll be teaching three courses. An introductory and an advanced course on etailing and a course on the business of new media. Check out more info when it's posted soon at UBC's web site.

Animation in China

A cartoon industry forum was held in Qingdao this past weekend. One of the numbers thrown around was that China has around 500 million readers of animation and watchers of cartoons.

About 60% of those fans are from 14-17 years old. Adults make up about 30% of the fans.

Chinese animation is criticized for not having creativity and for suffering at the hands of government controls.

Japanese anime is hugely popular with China's 250 million children. Even America's The simpson's has gained a following. The government promotes watching The Simpsons as more evidence why China should not be a free country like the US.

China has produced 50,000 minutes of animation so far this year, already surpassing last year's total.