R we paying for info on the net with advertising or not?

Internet free ride soon over

Gordon Farrer

June 13, 2009

WITHIN five years internet users will have to pay to access content now free, according to Barry Diller, chief executive of InterActiveCorp in the United States, which runs about 30 websites and turns over $US1.5 billion ($A1.8 billion) each year.

"I absolutely believe the internet is passing from its free days into a paid system," he told the Advertising 2.0 conference in New York this week.

Mr Diller said the paid model would include subscriptions, one-time purchases for access to sites and micro-payments.

But not all agree. "That's quite a prediction," said Neil Ackland, managing director of the Sound Alliance Group, the largest independent online publisher in Australia. Its niche music and lifestyle sites — such as FasterLouder, SameSame and Mess+Noise — attract 500,000 unique hits a month.

"We've been doing that for more than 10 years and manage to make a profit out of advertising as our model — why would we want to change that?"

Mr Ackland said people would be willing to pay for some content "but I think people are already paying for that content: finance, investment, dating, real estate information, high-end information. People already recognise that value.

"But a news story that is on 600 websites around the world simultaneously doesn't have any value to the end user. It doesn't have any exclusive value they can't get elsewhere."

Andrew Sims, general manager of marketing and products for Melbourne-based internet service provider iPrimus agrees: "If one of the big newspapers today wanted to make everyone pay for content, people would go elsewhere … there'll be another two, three maybe five sites out there that'll provide the services (free)."

The demise of respect for copyright on the internet plays a role. Canny consumers can find their way around information toll booths; once someone has access to content they can put it out there for others to access.

"We see that with all types of things," said Mr Sims, "(such as) illegal downloads of video content and music."

Companies must learn to survive on revenue via advertising on their sites, he said.

"Advertising companies are moving away from traditional media — print and TV — and putting their money online because they feel they get better bang for their buck. As that trend continues you'll see more and more people spending online, which will certainly help websites whose ultimate goal is to deliver quality content."

The shift in how young people, especially, found information was also a factor, said Mr Ackland.

"A lot of people now already get a lot of their news and information from forums and blogs — when they happen to stumble across news that's been posted in forum threads …

"Twenty years ago there was a limited number of places where information could get published and distributed. Now there's an infinite number … The idea of putting information behind a walled garden? I just don't see it happening."

Lonely Planet snaps up Microsofts sci fi computer

The Lonely Planet application being demonstrated on Microsoft's Surface coffee table computer.

Lonely Planet gets touchy feelyLonely Planet is the latest high profile company to utilise Microsoft's newest interactive computer, 'Surface'.
Asher MosesJune 11, 2009 - 1:29PM

Lonely Planet in Australia has become the first local company to harness Microsoft's radical new Surface coffee table computer that responds to natural hand gestures and real-world objects.
The travel publishing company, which is opening up its first brick-and-mortar store in Sydney Airport next month, gave Microsoft license to develop a proof-of-concept application for Surface with a view to installing the state-of-the-art computers in its stores in future.
First unveiled last year, the $US12,500 ($15,400) machines have already been introduced into some US restaurants and hotels - such as the Sheraton, Starwood and Harrah's chains - letting customers order food directly, book entertainment and play music and games.
The computers, which feature a 30-inch touchscreen panel, are controlled by hand gestures similar to those found in the science fiction movie Minority Report. They can also interact with non-digital objects placed on top of them.
With the Lonely Planet application, shown off today at Microsoft's REMIX 09 conference in Sydney, customers can pick up any of the Lonely Planet guidebooks in the store, place it on the table, and they are then presented with an array of rich content about that destination including videos, maps, images and, down the track, live weather details and relevant posts on the Lonely Planet forums.
All of the content can be resized and moved around the table using hand gestures. The customer can then pick up a mini cardboard "passport", place it on the table and then drag over any content they would like to revisit on to the passport.
Each passport has a URL and a unique code, so when the user gets to their destination, they can log on to the internet at an internet cafe, enter the code, and then retrieve all of the content they saved using Surface.
"Lonely Planet is the first Australian brand to start seriously exploring what you can do with Surface," said Microsoft Australia's user experience evangelist, Shane Morris.
"They saw this as the way to bridge their physical product with their virtual product. Every year they make less money from guidebooks, they know that their future is online."
At Starwood Hotels in the US, customers can pay for items by dropping a credit card on to the touchscreen, while those visiting stores of US telco AT&T can compare phone features and plans by placing two different phones on the table.
Casino giant Harrah's has introduced Surface computers at the Rio, which let patrons order drinks, make dinner reservations, book shows, watch YouTube videos, play touchscreen games and even flirt with people sitting at other tables.

At some hotels and restaurants, bills can be split by placing two cards on the table and dragging menu items onto the card.
Surface has yet to officially launch in Australia, and Morris would not say when companies here would be able to buy them. But the tables have already launched in the US, Canada, the Middle East and 15 countries in Europe, so an Australian launch does not appear to be far away.
Three of the tables have made their way to Australia, one located at Microsoft's headquarters and two located at the Microsoft-owned Australian marketing company Amnesia, which developed the Lonely Planet application.
Amnesia's founder, Iain McDonald, said he had four staff developing concept applications for the machines, some of which can be viewed here. But the company was not yet officially developing applications for other Australian companies.
Lonely Planet, whose headquarters is in Victoria but acquired by the BBC in 2007, said there were as yet no specific plans to deploy the Surface computers in its Sydney store.
"Nevertheless, Lonely Planet and Lagardere Services Asia Pacific (who are collaborating on the store) are both very excited by the possibilities, and are very open to the possibility of deploying offerings like this one in the future," the company said.

Create your own user name on Facebook this Saturday from 2pm

200m members ready for Facebook name grab

Asher MosesJune 10, 2009 - 3:28PM
Get ready for the great Facebook land grab - at 2pm on Saturday, the social networking site will allow members to register their own user names to make it easier for others to find their pages.
The new system - already offered by MySpace and Twitter - will give people a simple, unique address, such as http://www.facebook.com/joebloggs, instead of the current system whereby profile pages have a URL with a randomly assigned number such as "www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=123456789".
But Facebook designer Blaise DiPersia said the user names would be handed out on a "first-come, first-serve basis", a move that is sure to spark a land rush as the site's 200 million members race to register their favourite names first.
The social networking site has created a special page for people to go to to choose their user names on the day.
"This way people will have an easy-to-remember way to find you," DiPersia wrote on a blog post.
"We expect to offer even more ways to use your Facebook user name in the future."
But only existing members who had signed up before the usernames announcement will be eligible on Saturday in order to "prevent people from creating new accounts just to take advantage of reserving a username".
New Facebook users will be able to claim their username on June 28.
Unlike MySpace, Facebook has a strict rule forcing people to use their real names when signing up to the site, and has even banned people with unusual names after suspecting they were fake.
But, for the user names, it appears any name is fine as long as it is at least five alphanumeric characters. Facebook said it "prevents certain words from being included in usernames", which most likely refers to swear words.
Having a unique username will be particularly useful for those with common names such as "John Smith", as these people are often difficult to find using the search feature on the Facebook site since there are hundreds of John Smith profiles to sift through.
Facebook users should think carefully about the username they choose, as, once it's been selected, they will not be able to change or transfer it, DiPersia said. This is probably to prevent people from selling popular usernames on sites such as eBay.
Members should also be aware that Facebook can remove or reclaim "any username at any time for any reason".

Travelling overseas soon... some good tips here to remind you to take care

Dirty dozen: top 12 travel scams and cons

June 5, 2009

Travellers beware ... tourists lose billions each year to scams and con artists. Illustration: John Shakespeare

Travellers lose billions each year to series of scams, cons and tricks - the majority of which occur in foreign destinations when people are at their most vulnerable. Here are 12 to look out for:

The journey:

Tyres and fliers

You are driving along the motorway when a driver draws alongside you, pointing to one of your tyres and gesturing to you to pull over. You stop on the hard shoulder and the other driver kindly pulls over to help. While you inspect the tyre, he lifts all your valuables from the front seat. A new version on this is when you return to your parked car and get in, only to see a flier stuck under the rear window wiper obscuring your view. So you jump out to remove it, thieves nip in and drive off in the car - more than likely taking your bag/shopping with it.

Tip: If you fear you have a flat tyre, try to continue until the next service station. If you do have to remove the flier, ensure your valuables are hidden. In both cases, always keep the car locked.

Metal detector

You place your laptop on the airport security scanner while waiting for a couple of people to pass through the metal detector. The first passes, but the second person triggers the alarm and laboriously takes out coins, jewellery and mobile phone from his pockets. By the time you go through, the first person has long gone, as has your laptop. Most prevalent in countries where you can go in and out of the departure area, such as the United States.

Tip: Never put your belongings on the conveyor belt unless the metal detector is clear.

Currency cons

Unscrupulous cashiers in banks or bureaus de change adopt suspect counting methods when handing over money to foreigners. With irregular pauses they miss out numbers in the countback in the hope that the tourist is not concentrating or does not understand. Another scam is to give someone the wrong currency when exchanging money for example, Czech koruna (50 to 1) instead of Polish zloty (six to 1) - or confuse them with one zero too few (think Turkish lira). More often than not, the tourist will fail to notice.

Tip: Find out about the currency and exchange rate before leaving (www.xe.com), pay attention to those zeros and insist on counting back your money in front of the cashier.

Hire or liar

It's the end of your holiday, you are in a rush to catch your flights, so you hurriedly hand back the keys to the hire car representative who gives you a nod and sends you on your way. Only when you arrive back home do you find your credit card has been charged for damage you never inflicted. This is increasingly prevalent in Europe.

Tip: Make sure you mark any damage before you hire the car and ensure you get a signature for the "all clear", a copy of the paperwork before departing.

By day:

Travelling light

Crowded streets, malls, markets and railway stations are the obvious spots. While moving through the crowds you bump into a passer-by: you apologise and move on. It is only later that you notice you are travelling light - your keys, wallet or phone has gone.

Tip: Make sure your bag is zipped up. Never leave your wallet in a back pocket. Take what you need in a money belt and leave the rest in your hotel safe.

Compensation claim

Someone will bump into you in a crowded place, drop a pair of spectacles or a precious ornament (always previously broken), feign horror and claim to the world and his wife that you have to pay up for the damage. In some African countries, this scam extends to pedestrians bumping into your car and then writhing around on the ground while a hostile crowd asks for compensation.

Tip: Ask to resolve the situation at a police station or hotel reception the crook is more likely to give up the ruse.

Mess take

You are admiring the sights when you feel the unmistakable splat of bird droppings on your shoulder or perhaps you have something spilt on you by a clumsy passer-by. As you stop to examine the damage, an amiable local helps you clean off the mess, while cleaning out your wallet.

Tip: You could chain your wallet to your belt, but a money belt is the safest option.

Unfair cop

A man approaches you to ask for directions or to offer you a currency exchange or even drugs. Then two men appear, flashing badges and claiming to be police. They demand to see your passport and check your wallet for "counterfeit money". When you hand them over the men either disappear into the crowd or one distracts you while the other relieves you of your cash. If you have been duped into changing money they may confiscate it, claiming that it is "counterfeit".

Tip: If approached by police, insist on checking their photographic identification and accompanying them to the police station before handing anything over.

Snooze and lose

You are waiting for a train, plane or bus, with your bags by your side, and a passer-by "accidentally" drops a wallet, money or keys from his pocket. Being honest, you grab them and run after him to return it. Your bags, meanwhile, are long gone.

Tip: If you are alone, err on the side of caution, even if this means appearing rude.

By night:

Unlicensed taxis

It is late, you have had a few drinks and it is a long walk home there are no licensed taxis at the rank and a man is offers you a lift. The fare seems reasonable but you could pay a much heavier price. The consequences can range from simple muggings to murder.

Tip: Never, however tempting, get in an unlicensed taxi in a foreign city that you don't know well, particularly if you are alone.

Bitter pill

While enjoying a few drinks in a bar, you nip to the lavatory and return to finish your drink or perhaps you have just accepted a drink from a friendly stranger. Either way, that will be the last thing you remember: your drink has been spiked. Hours later you wake up to find your wallet has gone, or far worse.

Tip: Never leave your drink unguarded or accept a drink from a stranger unless you see it served by the barman.

Unwelcome reception

You're settling down for an early night when your hotel room phone rings. It's the receptionist apologising for the late hour but asking you to verify your credit-card details. You read them out and drift back to sleep. The caller, of course, was not the receptionist and your credit card is taking a pounding. A variation on this is someone approaching you in what appears to be hotel uniform, saying that he needs to make a photocopy of your passport for hotel records. You hand it over and he disappears.

Tip: Only give out your card number or passport in person at reception, never over the phone.

The Telegraph, London

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Recently cancelled our home delivery but soon we will pay for on line newspapers?!

Future of newspapers is digital: Murdoch


News Corp chairman Rupert MurdochPhoto: Reuters
May 29, 2009 - 11:36AM
News Corp chairman Rupert Murdoch says that the future of newspapers is digital, but it may be 10 to 15 years before readers go fully electronic.
Murdoch, in an interview with the News Corp-owned Fox Business Network, also said that newspapers, faced with eroding print advertising revenue and circulation, are going to have to start charging readers on the web.
The News Corp chief said newspapers in the future will continue to make money "from our readers, from our advertisers (but) the newspapers may look very different.
"Instead of an analogue paper printed on paper you may get it on a panel which would be mobile, which will receive the whole newspaper over the air, (and) be updated every hour or two," he said.
"You'll be able to get the guts or the main headlines and alerts and everything on your Blackberry, on your Palm or whatever, all day long.
"All these things are possible. Some of the greatest electronics companies in the world are working on this very hard," Murdoch said.
"I think it's two or three years away before they get introduced in a big way and then it will probably take 10 years or 15 years for the public to swing over."
Murdoch, who has announced plans to charge readers of his publications online, also said "you're going to have to pay for your favourite newspaper on the web".
The days of free news online were "going to stop," he said.
"I believe newspapers will be selling subscriptions on the web," he said.
"A (newspaper) website will be vastly improved, much more in them and you'll pay for them.
"There's a case that newspapers rushing on to the web to try and get a bigger audience and get more attention for themselves have damaged themselves," he said.
"Now they're going to have to pull back from that and say 'Hey, we're going to charge for this'."
Asked by Fox about a government bailout for newspapers, Murdoch said News Corp would never take government money.
"We'd give up our freedoms and everything else to criticise or to play our full role in the community," he said.
"Nothing that News owns will ever take money from the government and I don't believe even The New York Times would."
The 78-year-old Murdoch announced this month that he planned to begin charging readers of the websites of News Corp newspapers "within the next 12 months".
Murdoch's holdings include The Wall Street Journal, the New York Post, The Times of London, the Sun and The Australian, among others. The Wall Street Journal online already requires a subscription fee for access to all of its content.
Murdoch's comments came as The Atlantic magazine reported that top US newspaper executives held a "discreet" meeting in Chicago on Thursday to discuss the future of the troubled industry.

On your bike?

One student fights back with a design for rail commuters

Robert Dumaresq nabs the gold in the Australian Design Award - James Dyson Award for his foldable "switch commuter bike". Photo: John Woudstra

Daniella Miletic

May 30, 2009

ABOUT the time Robert Dumaresq was choosing his project for the final year of his industrial design degree, Melbourne commuters were being banned from carrying bikes on trains during rush hours.

The controversial ban was reversed but the issue inspired the then 22-year-old Monash University student to create what he now calls the "switch commuter bike" — a high-performance bike that folds into the footprint of just one wheel.

"The trains are there for everyone and to just kick bikes off I thought was a bit unfair," said Mr Dumaresq, now 23.

He said it was clear to him that carrying bikes on transport would continue to be a problem as the city's train network got busier and more people started to use a train and bike combination to get to work. This, plus the glares he received from travellers when he took his bike on crowded trains, meant he quickly set about making a bike that would fold and be easy to handle on board.

"There was nothing on the market that fulfilled what I wanted," he said. "I wanted to try and avoid relying on a big block that can be a weak part of the frame and also having to take parts off the bike to actually fold it."

First, Mr Dumaresq used a full-size cardboard cut-out to work through the initial stages of his design. Later, he started "body storming" — brainstorming with bike pieces.

"Then I started developing it through sketching and 3D modelling and prototyping to a point at the end of first semester where I had a rough mock-up to prove the concept."

Mr Dumaresq was last night awarded the coveted 2009 gold Australian Design Award — James Dyson Award for his prototype. "I am still blown away by people's reactions to it and the amount of attention it has got," he said. "It's something I have been so close to for a long time now that it is really satisfying that people can get into it and see the demand out there for it."

Mr Dumaresq, of Armadale, and the 12 other finalists will be entered into the James Dyson Award international competition, where they will vie with students from more than 20 countries for a $20,000 prize.

Mr Dumaresq said he always wanted to design and showed early signs of having a technical mind. He loved Lego as a child and said he can think "a lot better three-dimensionally".

It is his dream to design for the cycling industry, a combination of two passions. He is looking for an investor for his bike and for a full-time job. "We are trying to encourage a greener lifestyle and get more people using environmentally friendly transport — and cycling is the best way," he said. "The more we can do to encourage people to cycle, the better."

Google wave is coming to swamp you

Look out Outlook, Google's Wave is coming to swamp you

Google engineer Lars Rasmussen.Photo: Tamara Voninski
Stephen Hutcheon in San Francisco May 29, 2009 - 6:01AM

A team of Google engineers from Australia has unveiled a prototype replacement for standard email that abandons the reliance on the chronological sorting and stacking of messages which has been the hallmark of one of the internet's first and still most popular applications.
Christened Google Wave, the new feature was given its first public viewing in San Francisco earlier this morning Australian time at Google's annual developers' conference.
"I think you will see a form of interaction that you would not have previously imagined," Google co-found Sergey Brin told a post-launch press conference.
Wave - which began life as a project codenamed Walkabout - is a combination of email and instant messaging and document-, maps- image- and video-sharing all housed under one roof.
Much like a conference call, it also allows for conversations between more than two people to happen simultaneous.
And because it all happens inside a web browser, there is no special software to download or plug-in - which means it can be used from any computer or internet-enabled mobile phone.
"Our communication space is very fragmented today. We have a million different tools for different things with lots of different kinds of overlaps," said Lars Rassmussen, a senior software engineer with Google Australia
"The most natural way to try and solve that problem is to take all those different tools and try to make them smaller and fit into a single package and maybe integrate them across the boundaries."
Wave is being released so that the developers - independent software creators - can help iron out the remaining bugs and cook-up a swag of new uses for the service and the platform upon which it is based ahead of a public release later this year.
But Wave is more than just another of Google's ubiquitous free web services. It's also a protocol - meaning that it is going after email's mantle as the predominant internet communications tool.
And despite the recent growth of web-based email services like Hotmail and Gmail, most of the world's email runs through Microsoft's Outlook client.
And to encourage organisations to catch the Wave, Google is offering it up as an open source protocol, meaning that anyone - even a competitor - can box it up and host it on their servers.
Wave is the creation of Danish brothers Lars and Jens Rasmussen, who together with Australian Noel Gordon and Stephen Ma - founded and later sold what became known as Google Maps to Google for an undisclosed sum in 2005.
Lars has worked for Google and lived in Australia since the sale and enticed Jens to leave Google's headquarters near join him in 2007.
The pair and the Wave team - who have been given the full backing of Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page - have been working on the project out of Google's offices in Sydney.
Stephen Hutcheon is attending the San Francisco conference as a guest of Google.