Category: Media

Pulp Media by Joe WilcoxFeb 14, 20142:53 pm

The Day HBO GO is Stand-alone Subscription, I’m Done with Cable

Against the background noise of ridiculous Apple rumors, television ambitions are constant. Apple wants to be a TV network, will build a flat-screen industry-changer, or soon will release stunning new set-top box. Sources are vague; days, months, and years pass devoid of the next big thing.

Today, Aaron Pressman (@ampressman) tweets story: “Apple’s Promised TV Revolution Will Be More Of The Same Crap, Thanks To Terrified Cable & Broadcast Executives” by Karl Bode for TechDirt. My reply: “They should be scared. The day HBO GO is stand-alone subscription, I’m done with cable forever”.

News Media by Joe WilcoxFeb 13, 201410:44 am

Lesson Learned about PR Pitches

For my Be a Better Blogger crowdfunding campaign, roles are reversed. I am accustomed to public relations professionals—what many of my peers call flaks (I don’t)—sending me cold pitches about something related to technology. They range from product announcements to corporate news. Now I’m the cold pitcher promoting my ~~money-grubbing~~ requests to support the project. I don’t like how it all feels, but…

I actually archive most of the PR email received, and these messages go back to the 1990s. So my pool of marketing professional return mail addresses is quite sizable. The day after the campaign started (February 1), I pitched back. About 150 of the PR folks got my cold pitch. I kept the outreach to those with whom there had been interaction within 18 months. Their responses exceeded expectations.

News Media by Joe WilcoxFeb 12, 20142:30 pm

Put another Brick in the Paywall

As I update my long-neglected website and here review content relevant to forthcoming book Be a Better Blogger, some long-ago posts are surprisingly still relevant. I refer to “Can You Charge for News? Ask Google” (August 2009) and “The Price You Pay Google for Paywalls” (April 2010). The first looks at three different content sites and their visibility to Google search. Each uses a different paywall strategy. The second story assesses a website with all content behind a paywall.

Four years later, blog, news, and other content websites still grapple with the paywall question. Whether to charge? What to charge? When? Competition from sites delivering free content is major consideration. But another is often overlooked in the public discussion: Visibility in Google search.

Journalism by Joe WilcoxFeb 11, 20149:56 pm

Living Legend

While searching Flickr Commons for one thing, I found another—this amazing photo of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Lucy Morgan. Circa 1985, you see it. She carries cell phone and video camera, tools of the trade long […]

News Media by Joe WilcoxFeb 11, 20147:32 pm

The Case for Advocacy Journalism

Judging by Philip Elmer-DeWitt’s Google+ posts, he is a nobody—less than 500 Circles and virtually no comments. Reality is something else: Philip is a respected reporter responsible for the Apple 2.0 blog. Googlism is primary reason, I believe, for the response—or lack of it. The social network attracts Google fanboys and abhors others. There isn’t much audience for him on Plus.

But over on the Fortune website, Philip’s following is clear, judging by comments to his frequent posts. He falls into the “advocacy journalism” category. Philip writes for an Apple audience and often, but by no means always, favorably about the fruit-logo company.

Google by Joe WilcoxFeb 10, 20142:09 pm

I Take Away Control From Google+

My personal site is in state of revival, as I follow through on a long-contemplated change to my blogging style. I let inertia hold me back. No longer.

Since July 2011, I reserved most of my personal writing for Google+ and built there a fairly robust following (more than 16,000 Circles at present). The social network makes easy posting and connecting to others. Elsewhere, I write for BetaNews (e.g., for work).

News Media by Joe WilcoxFeb 9, 201410:33 am

You Live in the Present, Write That Way

If you want your writing to impact, be present. Past tense weakens the narrative and deadens the emotional connection with readers.

Present tense is a weapon, which use raises body counts. Over at the BetaNews, some commenters consistently accuse me of being an overly-emotional writer. I cock my head and laugh, because just the opposite is true. Ambivalence is my feeling about 95 percent of stories, if not more. But accusations persist that I am a killer. For sure—of past tense.

Events by Joe WilcoxFeb 8, 20143:27 pm

Hobby Costumer Shea Standefer

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpuF_CTQrlo] Scifi lover Shea Standefer and “big all-around nerd” shows off her stunning the Original Star Trek costume, in this video I shot during Comic-Con 2012. She bought the costume from Anovos, which […]

Aspiration by Joe WilcoxFeb 8, 20142:21 pm

Real People, Real Cosplay

Here is another vid from Comic-Con 2009 and, again, 360p even though I shot in 1080p. Perhaps YouTube allows re-uploads with higher quality? This one is a bit long for the actual content, but I […]

Aspiration by Joe WilcoxFeb 8, 201411:13 am

'Comic-Con Heroes' Weekend Sale

To celebrate the opening of San Diego Comic-Con 2014 pre-registration, I discount my book Comic-Con Heroes: The Fans Who Make the Greatest Show on Earth. Go to Smashwords and use coupon code “SZ79R” to get the book for $1.49 instead of $3.99. The coupon expires tomorrow, so grab the ebook today.

Comic-Con Heroes also is available from other major ebookstores, like Amazon Kindle and Google Play. I offer the deal through Smashwords because the store lets me generate coupon codes and offers readers a wider selection of format options, with ePub and Mobi being the most important.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 7, 201410:57 pm

Every Man a Hero

Yesterday I awoke to an email from The Graham Norton Show asking to use this photo from my Comic-Con 2010 Flickr set. Well, thank you for asking! My pics all carry a Creative Commons non-commercial […]

Journalism by Joe WilcoxFeb 7, 20141:48 pm

AOL's Digital Prophet

If you swabbed the seats at TechCrunch Disrupt, spread it across a petri dish, and dipped that dish in uranium, this man would eventually emerge. But there’s no need to wait: he’s real, he works […]