Fan To Pro - The Blog of Professional Geekery

Links of the Day, April 24, 2009

Video Games

You may want to hold off on starting that game company for a year or so - startup venture capital for gaming is running dry in the wake of the recession, according to Games Investor Consulting director Nick Gibson. It's easy to fall into the mindset that gaming is recession-proof, especially in light of the continued success of firms such as Activision/Blizzard, Nintendo and Microsoft (the Xbox is strong despite an overall drop in company profits, its first ever year-over-year drop), but the reality is that getting started there is as difficult as any other industry nowadays. Perhaps it's best to do some time at an established gaming company first, get that big name on your resume, wait out the recession and then make your move.

Nintendo and the Death of Hardcore Gaming: Chris Jager from GoodGearGuide is questioning whether the Wii-sparked rise in casual gaming,which is being increasingly adopted by other platforms, is going to lead to a decline in more traditional gaming. Personally, I think he's taking things a step too far. It's true that casual gaming is booming, expanding, and something you definitely should think about pursuing if you'e a game developer, but the industry isn't going to neglect its roots, either. Despite the flop of the DS version, Grand Theft Auto is massively profitable, as are God of War, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy, etc. - plus, the hardcore audience is incredibly brand-loyal. Once they find a franchise they like, they stick with it, and the game companies know this. So casual and hardcore gaming can definitely coexist, and will continue to do so for a long time. 

Social Media

The Newcomer's Guide to Social Networking: A reality check for the mindset that social media is automatically a one-size-fits-all road to riches and glory for any type of business. You have to evaluate whether your business is a good fit for this medium to begn with, and then evaluate what type works best for you. Definitely worth reading for anyone who wants to use this for both business contacts and general networking.

Economics/Geekonomics

New home sales show signs of revival: It's a small improvement to be sure - as in, "well, they dropped, but not as much as was predicted." But it's a sign in the right direction to be sure, and any symptom that the economy might be recovering ahead of schedule is welcome.

Technology

Microsoft, it seems, still wants to partner with Yahoo, so the saga that began with the failed takeover bid most definitely is not over. Yahoo, which is still looking for a new direction under its CEO and in a post-Google landscape, needs Microsoft right now, so the face that the software giant is still interested is a very good sign for Yahoo and its employees.

Apple has passed its one billion iPhone app download, but Mashable notes it's just one of several tech arenas that are currently booming - for instance, Facebook hit 200 million members eight months after hitting 100 million, Twitter passed a billion tweets in November and YouTube now has 100 million users a month. This pretty much shows you the leaders in most of the hot industries of the moment - streaming video, social media, smartphones - and points out that they're all growing at an astonishing speed. Consider this a guideline to the tech careers of the future.

Geocities, the old build-your-own-Web-page system which had its heyday in the late 90s, has been officially shut down by Yahoo. This is a definite symptom of a shift in the online world, with the old personal Web page replaced by the Facebook page, the blog and the Tweet. Will personal pages come back? Maybe as a boutique item, a "gallery" of sorts for writers, artists, etc. who already have a following on group sites like DeviantArt and Fanfiction.net (they also make good online resumes, by the way!) But for the most part, we live in a social media world,  and Yahoo knows this.

Joost reportedly may be for sale, with Time Warner a potential suitor. Note we have another traditional media giant looking to throw their hat in the streaming media ring - NBC is part-owner of Hulu. The future of television is definitely going online, and just as writers/journalists have to keep in mind that they need to know HTML in a Web-news world, people involved in any kind of video production will have to think in terms of computers are well as television in the future.

Publishing

Add Us Weekly to the list of magazines establishing a stronger presence online - and they're doing it via Facebook. The gossip mag's new page features a Tweet stream, red carpet video clips and breaking news updates, and the magazine is reaping profits from it by selling its own "sponsorship" ads outside of the usual Facebook system. Good move on Us' part; Facebook is highly visible and a good fit for its audience, and the sponsorship opens up a new revenue stream. Expect other "casual reading" mags to go this route, so having a Facebook yourself might be a major plus if you want to apply there.

- Bonnie

Links of the Day, Aprl 23, 2009

Anime/Manga

Streaming here, streaming there, streaming everywhere: Funimation is offering eps of Requiem for the Phantom, a video game-based anime, within days of their airing in Japan and Crunchyroll is offering live-action Kadokawa series including an adaptation of the manga MPD Psycho. Plus, on the manga side, Viz has begun its instant online releases of Rumiko Takahashi's Rin-ne. What this all means is there is a LOT of work out there right now for people who are fast and accurate at translating Japanese, and there's only going to be more in the future (it's very, very strange that other commercial anime companies have not yet jumped in the streaming pool to the extent Funimation has, but their entry is inevitable if they want to compete).

Video Games

The Wii is getting a video service channel in Japan on  May 1 - which means a U.S. announcement is inevitable. Unlike Xbox Live's Netflix service, Wii Room will offer family-oriented programming created exclusively for Nintendo. This could mean very, very good news for American animation houses and TV production companies if Nintendo USA decides to go the same route. And if they decide to use the animation being created for the Japanese service, it could breathe new life into the anime TV dub, which has been rendered an endangered species by the boom in streaming anime video. (There's apparently a corporate marketing angle involved as well, as Nintendo may be collecting and selling data on users - no formal confirmation on this, though). Meanwhile, Sony is trash-talking about its rival again, claiming that "Sony owns the living room and the Wii owns the closet," meaning PS3 owners tend to actually use the product ad Wii owners don't. And once again, folks, we see how surviving flame wars can actually be career prep.

Square Enix's takeover of Eidos has become official, putting the multimedia Tomb Raider franchise in the House That Sephiroth Built. This gives Squeenix a couple of extra North American studios and, hopefully, saves the jobs of the workers there. It's a good matchup of companies and opens up cross-brand marketing opportunities (Lara Croft in the next Kingdom Hearts, anyone?)

EA Sports is saying more than 500 million matches have been played on its online servers since June 2008, representing a 175% increase in online play over last year. Label president Peter Moore says this means a radical shift toward online gaming (which he claimes EA pioneered). You can't argue with numbers like that - while MMOs may get all the attention when it comes to online gaming, online sports is an area that definitely can't be ignored and is a good one to develop for.

Technology

Apple Inc. had its best second quarter results in its history for the three months ending March 28. And during the earnings call, COO Tim Cook didn't rule out the company entering the netbook fray one of these days, saying they might do so if they can deliver an "innovative product that really makes a contribution." (Cook dismissed most current netbooks as "junky.") Apple definitely seems to be doing just fine without Steve Jobs, so if you were holding off on thinking of a career there until you saw how they'd fare under these circumstances . . . well, you have your answer.

If you're developing cell phone apps, make sure they play to a worldwide audience - smartphone sales are booming in areas you might not expect. India reported 15.6 million new cell phone users in the month of March alone. Of those, 1.6 million were iPhones alone. Thinking on a truly global basis is a rule of thumb for all kinds of media nowadays.

Social Networking

The speculation yesterday that MySpace co-founder Chris DeWolfe is out of the company has been confirmed as fact. He will continue to advise the company and hinted that he may have a couple of startups in mind, so hey - if that goes through, more job opportunities for technology-inclined people, right? 

Economics/Geekonomics

This Recession and its Lasting Socioeconomic Impacts: A look at what's shifting in the marketplace during the first real recession that a lot of people have had to deal with, including an increasing emphasis on frugality and alternative careers and a deemphasis on businesses that meet the needs of the baby boomers.

Publishing

Use of online newspaper sites was up 10 percent in the first quarter according to the Newspaper Association of America. This means Americans are getting increasingly comfortable with getting their news off pixels than paper - but it doesn't necessarily mean we're collectively ready to cut ties to traditional publications, either. The now online-only Seattle Post Intelligencer has fallen from Nielsen's top 30 online newspaper ranking. Ultimately, the move to cyber-only papers is going to be a very slow process, but these numbers are at least showing baby steps in that direction - and even that's a positive thing for the future of journalism. (Also looking in that direction: Gannett has formed a digital advertising network that will service more than 100 virtual communities). 

- Bonnie

Links of the Day, April 22, 2009

Video Games

Sega is rethinking its company structure and may be looking toward more "integration" between its Japanese and Western management. The move would allow both sides to gain from each other's expertise and experience, according to Sega's Takayuki Kawagoe. We may see more Japanese game companies look to the West as the Eastern business climate continues to be tough and sales decline. Could this mean more North American outlets of Japanese companies and more opportunities for Western designers? It's a development worth keeping an eye on. 

Nintendo is marketing its WiiWare downloadable games through Amazon.com. Kind of a puzzling move, since you usually buy the games directly through the Wii, but it shows how downloadables are increasingly moving into the mainstream, and it's a good "breakout" arena for aspiring designers.

PSP software is almost 'off the cliff' because designers are abandoning the platform in droves - and that's largely because of stagging software piracy levels, according to Peter Dille, senior vice president of marketing at Sony Computer Entertainment America. What this means to you is that the PSP is an arena right now that is hungry for games, and good ones - but if you choose to go this route, make double and triple sure your software is as secure and piracy-proof as possible.

Technology

It's official: The Android netbook has landed. Skytone, a Chinese company that makes ultra-low-cost children's computers, is advertising a $100 netbook that uses Android as its OS. The computer has been described as little more than a glorified smartphone, but it's a sign that the Android netbook is going to be a serious reality in the industry, not just something to be speculated on. Take the OS seriously, especially for online/cloud computing apps.

Yahoo's first quarter results were down 13 percent from the same period in 2008, which shows its status as a company trying to redefine itself. This means any future search/advertising deals with Microsoft (which the company didn't comment on during its announcement) may be critical. Don't take them off your resume candidate list just yet, but keep an eye on them. (Analysts are divided on the results, by the way, with some saying Yahoo has yet to realize its full potential and others saying its search product is troublesome). 

Sports and streaming video continue to be a profitable match: The NHL is reporting big profits from sales of Stanley Cup Playoff streams. Sports looks like it's going to be a major venue for streaming video in the future, so these organizations will definitely be looking for people with the skills to make it happen. (Like I said before, future Olympic games will be bonanzas of hiring for this sort of thing). PBS is also throwing its hat in the arena and is beta-testing an online video portal.

Social Media

Big changes are afoot at MySpace: reports are circulating that  cofounder and CEO Chris DeWolfe and his team are being replaced by parent company News Corp. A new CEO has apparently already been chosen. This could mean that the company may be looking to hire a new team very soon. It's also a lesson on what could happen to you if your small, successful startup gets acquired by a big corporation - it may be good in the short run, but watch your step in the long.

Publishing

In another example of out-of-the-box thinking designed to save traditional print, the Colorado Springs Gazette is introducing a small paper called Ink, which is designed to be read in about 10 minutes. The publisher is hoping Ink will be a new source of ad revenue. The idea could work, especially if it's a free paper given away at commuter stops - and, hey, we're in favor of anything that saves newspaper industry jobs. 

- Bonnie

Links of the Day 4/21/2009

Career Advice:
Jason Alba gives some good advice on turning virtual contacts into real-world ones.

Economics/Freakonomics/Geekonomics:
The unusual political blog The Moderate Voice takes a look at an interesting phenomena: homes being razed after foreclosure. Might be useful if you're moving to keep up on this.

A useful animated map of job losses and gains over time - Pretty stunning in some cases. It also helps one understand that unemployment statistics may be skewed by one major region (such as a city) experiencing losses that impact the surrounding area, OR several areas suffering at once. A good reminder, again, if you're relocating

Publishing:
The Equivalent of Netflix for Books? - An interesting idea, and another note in the Book Wars. No idea if this will actually work OUT, but intriguing nonetheless.

Social Media:
Stealth Startup LOLApps launches - and they've done a lot of work for Facebook with apps - and apparently make app development easier. SOunds like they're well positioned, and worth watching for both jobs and what they do. I can't say they're overly stealthy as they've been recruiting for months.

Facebook may find a way to piggyback an ad network onto Facebook Connect - Also worth watching (and gives them some financial advantages). They certainly could use all the cash they can get. Now I wonder if the announcement of LOLapps hints that this is going to happen.

Unavoidable useful site Mashable gives its monthly report of the fastest growing social sites. Fan-to-pro crush object Linkedin is in there, but I'm also curious as to Bebo, whose overseas presence gives it a solid foundation to grow in North America - I'd watch them as I could see them become more and more indespensible.. Twitter of course is growing like Kudzu (And Opra gave it a boost).

Technology:
Texas instruments profits down 99%. Despite this dismal news the CEO is claiming that demand has stabilized - which I somewhat credit, but he's also in an embarassing situation. I'm thinking that a lot of chipmakers may be stable (look at Intel), but I don't believe it passionately.

-Steve "Stealth Startup"

Links of the Day 4/20/2009

First out of the Geekosphere, Oracle is buying Sun. Yes, IBM didn't get them - Oracle did. Some interesting analysis is here.

As for impact, pretty much I see this is Oracle doing a mixture of consolidating and expanding so they can offer more complete solutions in their major spaces - but don't forget they get Java and MySQL out of this mixture. What's going to happen with them will be something to watch.

Economics/Geekonomics/Freakonomics:
How many benefits are our hobbies and such bringing us that we can't measure in the common terms of dollars and sense - Read and REREAD this one because it's something you can easily map to your fandom and general geekery. If you're familiar with non-traditional and non-financial economies as they exist in the world, this'll ring a few bells - and brings up the question of how much economic benefit isn't being measured these days. (Also you can bandy this one about at people that think your hobbies are useless).

Social Media:
It's Tweens again, as SuperSecret launches Tween World. They're more than just a tween-oriented startup with a delicious amount of VC ($10 million), but someone aiming to be a sort of online gateway. That also tells me they're aiming at retention and thinking broadly. Going to watch these guys.

OK, Oprah mentions Twitter, what will it do to new user numbers - My answer is 'increase them.' In seriousness, Twitter's success seems to have been boosted by public awareness of it, which feeds back into making it more popular and more used, only increasing public awareness. Thus a simple, if clever, service, is being integrated quickly into our culture. I'm pretty sure Twitter is now failure-proof - but how it survives (and makes money) is in question. At some point when it becomes profitable it will be news -and HOW it does so will probably be game-changing.

Twitter and social media - powered by community-driven narcissism? A rambly thought provoker.

Technology:
Adobe moves towards the TV - And that move is "Flash" which the article inappropriately calls a standard of Video. However the article also notes its incredibly widespread nature and asks what may be up with competition. At this rate Adobe's presence is getting more and more overwhelming, and one has to ask when a challenger(s) will arise - or at least someone invokes some legal gobeldygook to slow them down. Flash on the TV is a lot more than just video - its' games, utilities, etc. Flash by now had better be in your programmer's playbook, and even if you're not a coder you need to be aware of it as it's everywhere.

Video Games:
A look back at the history of Rogue - A bit of history of what is one of the earliest dungeon-crawlers and one of the prototypes of many games today. Rogue is the grandfather in many ways of Pokemon Mystery Dungeon, Persona 3 and 4, and far more . . .

And in good news, The US Supreme court declined to hear Jack Thompson's appeal against his disbarrment

- Steve "Dungeon Crawler"

Links of the Day, April 18, 2009

Video Games

Electronic Arts has announced that football announcer John Madden will stay with their signature sports franchise despite his retirement from day-to-day sports announcing. Madden is an excellent example of someone who has carved out a true multimedia career - he was into synergy before it was a cool concept, spinning off a line of sports games from his broadcasts back in the 16-bit days. 

Kids and tweens mean big bucks in the gaming world once again: Tribal Nova, which produces educational games for kids, has nabbed $2.5 million in financing. The company has built its success with kid-friendly broadcasters like PBS and the Canadian Broadcasting System - one of their games is a virtual world based on PBS shows. Educational games are a market that can't be overlooked, as they are very popular with parents and kids alike 

Technology

Google said during its earnings report that the number of employees at the company dropped for the first time in its 11-year history, but that doesn't mean they're not still hiring. They've got a number of openings in software engineering and engineering operations, which the company terms "critical areas." Very often, when you hear news of a company downsizing, that doesn't mean you have no chance to work there at all - often, they will be shedding employees in one department and still hiring in others (this happened after Microsoft's recent layoffs, too). In the same call, by the way, Google said it is very bullish on Android, its cell phone OS, so if you design smartphone software (or even netbook software, since the OS is said to be headed in that direction as well), be prepared to have Android in your plans. 

Job Market

Career Must-Haves: A roundup of things that can make your work experience just overall more pleasant, including efficient management, company pride, flexible working hours and a short commute. (Having spent a decade traveling nearly two hours each way to and from work, and currently working seven minutes from home, I can vouch for the latter).

Record Unemployment in California and North Carolina: A roundup of how unemployment rates are doing around the country. Michigan has the highest rate in the country right now. If you're thinking of relocating for career purposes, this list is a must-peruse - and if you're not thinking of moving, maybe these stats will change your mind.  

Publishing

The New York Times said it is cutting sections, including fashion coverage in its weekly magazine, in order to save newsprint. Meanwhile, the paper says it is "still some time away from making decisions" when it comes to making money online - not a smart move, given the direction the industry as a whole is moving in (The Philadelphia Inquirer, for one, seems to have scored a success with its online version, Philly.com). However, there is good news from the Gray Old Lady - the paper doesn't see the need for any further "significant reductions," meaning it sounds like jobs there are safe.

Is the newspaper job crisis as bad as it seems? New statistics have emerged that seem to indicate the job loss numbers were not as bad as the 11 percent initially reported - in fact, the actual number may be around 6%, once both dailies and weeklies are taken into consideration. This isn't quite cause for celebration - after all, the news industry is very much still in transition between new media and old - but at least it's cause for a little optimism. (And do remember the key word in here is transition - even if the old news world may still be hanging on, be ready to move to the new.)

- Bonnie

Links of the Day, April 17, 2009

Anime/Manga

Yes, them again: Crunchyroll's latest additions include live-action J-horror films, continuing their march toward being one-stop-shopping online for all types of Asian pop culture. We're wondering how long before Funimation, Viz etc. start imitating them and expanding their online offerings beyond anime - this is really a case where an amateur upstart showed the long-time pros how it's done.

Technology

The founders of Swedish BitTorrent site Pirate Bay have been sentenced to prison time (one year, but still) for copyright infringement. Worth noting simply because it's huge news in the world of technology, and because those who get their videos for AMVs, etc. by these means are going to have to step more carefully in the future. (With the huge amount of instantly-legit stuff appearing online nowadays anyway, we wonder if illegal downloads will eventually be severely curtailed just by the march of technology alone).

Google is apparently looking to take pay per view to YouTube and has signed a distribution deal with Sony, opening up the next chapter in streaming video. There's already pay-per-view and subscription services for consoles (Xbox 360's Netflix service comes to mind), but this opens up the PC to that market, and will probably lead to comparable services from Hulu, Joost, etc. Which all just takes us a step closer to the end of the DVD as the home content delivery medium of choice. The question is, if the pros take over the streaming services, where are the amateurs going to post the video works where they've been honing their craft? May be an opening for Veoh to step in and save both the day and itself. (Meawhile, Google showed its first ever revenue drop in the first quarter, although revenues for the full year 2008 were still up). 

Video Games

Sega's M-rated Wii game MadWorld has sold 66,000 units in the U.S. alone - but conversely, sales of Grand Theft Auto Chinatown Wars have been a disappointment. So does this mean Nintendo is having a hard time shaking its wholesome image as the Home of Pokemon? Any public branding change is going to take time, and there's always going to be resistance to injecting adults-only content into something perceived as family-friendly - this blogger is old enough to remember the public outcry when Disney founded Touchstone Pictures and started releasing R-rated movies. If you think you have an idea for a mature title for the Wii or DS, go for it.

Speaking of Nintendo, their shares slipped by more than six percent in March due to a drop in year-over-year Wii sales - but given that the Wii has been around awhile now and supply is finally starting to catch up with demand, that might be inevitable. The Wii and DS were still the top hardware sellers in March and the DSi sold more than 400k units during its first week, so I wouldn't worry too hard about a Nintendo slump.  

Social Networking

Facebook has launched a vote by its members on its controversial terms of service. This shows that the service is definitely willing to listen to its members, maybe because it realizes that social media is a booming industry and they're not the only game in town anymore. Maybe they took a cue from LiveJournal, which has caused member grumbling many times with moves considered anti-membership (the notorious Strikethrough and Boldthrough, in which members were allegedly purged for objectionable content, comes to mind). 

Media/Publishing

NBC Universal's profits are down 45 percent, and it may not be coincidental that those numbers came out a day after they announced big numbers for their streaming video site. NBC is suffering the same downturn as other traditional media outlets, but they definitely see the writing on the wall when it comes to new media - after all, the network is part-owner of Hulu. 

- Bonnie

Links of the Day, April 16, 2009

Anime/Manga

Viz has joined the parade of online content distributors, saying they will offer streaming video of two popular shojo animes, Honey & Clover and Nana. It's actually surprising that they're late to the party and being rather cautious with this, given the booming popularity of Crunchyroll (which will be streaming the entire series of Code Geass) and Funimation's big-time entry into the streaming arena. They did score one big online offering, though - they will be posting Rumiko Takahashi's new manga, Rin-Ne, in English on a special Web site simultaneously with the Japanese release. (Make your "Hope they have a lot of bandwidth, because that thing is going to go on forever" jokes now).

Video Games

Target has started a new game reservation policy under which shoppers can pay $1 to hold a copy of a popular title and then get a $5 store gift card when they pick the game up. Sounds like a blatant attempt to cut into the business of GameStop, which has been doing quite well, thank you, with the pre-reserve system for some time now. So-called big-box retailers have definitely been trying to crash the electronics party for awhile now - they definitely seem to do good business with families whose kids are crying for the latest Pokemon game - but they're going to have to work harder than that if they want to win the loyalty of the harcore gamers, who are looking for selection and service (and trade-in options), not gift cards.

Speaking of GameStop, CEO Dan DeMatteo has slammed the PS2 price cut,  saying it was "not worth doing." He also said that the Wii and PS3 are going to have to look at price cuts in the future in order to stay competitive - he said the PS3's $399 price tag, especially, is "an issue in this economy" and they're going to have to slice that by $100 in order for it to be effective. His points are most definitely valid. We've been scratching our heads over the PS2 price cut since it was announced (guess it's too late now to assume it was an April Fool) and Sony's refusal to lower the PS3 price tag is equally baffling in light of the fact that the Xbox 360 drop pretty much put that console on the map in this country. I wouldn't count the PS3 out exactly yet, if you're a game developer, but if they fail to heed DeMatteo's advice, consider it shaky.

To absolutely nobody's surprise, Activision Blizzard is continuing to rake in the dough . The company is set to outdo its $860 million net revenue target in the March quarter. They aren't offering any specific games as the reason, but it's easy to see why: They have a diverse lineup of games for both console and online play that hits a variety of different audiences (hardcore gamers, casual gamers, families, etc.). Oh, and they also have a little thing in its lineup called Guitar Hero - maybe you've heard of it?  (Meanwhile, Square Enix seems to have taken a lesson from the success of A/B's Call of Duty and has announced a World War II game , Order of War).

It appears that the super-troubled Midway is finally up for sale with a $30 million price tag. What will get very interesting is if the Mortal Kombat team, which had made overtures toward breaking away and forming their own studio, buys Midway out instead. Stay tuned, this one could get even more interesting - as if it hasn't been enough of a soap opera already.

Social Networking

Twitter is in talks with some of the major Internet players right now, but the service wants distribution deals, not a buyout. I think the founders of the service realize they have a very, very good thing going right now (they added five million users in March alone) and they want to hold onto it, especially since it appears they're getting more and more indespensible, for both purely social and business use.

Facebook rejects funding at $4 billion valuation: The company says it may not need it, which seems to point to all those rumors about them being in trouble if they continue to grow being just that, rumors. It's rather puzzling news, though, and it bears watching what happens to the company in the near future - we may see an about-face on this decision not too long down the line. 

You may not have heard of Nning, but this company's products are the building blocks of most major social networks, and they have 1,000 clients and counting. A great example of a behind-the-scenes success story - and hey, they even power networks that can help you land your next job! 

Majority of marketers use social media: Eighty-eight percent of them are using social media to market their businesses, but 72% have only been doing so for a few months or less. Bottom line, this sector of the industry has just discovered a gold mine, and they're using it for everything it's worth. This is worth noting both for those looking to get into marketing (definitely don't neglect Facebook as a source of publicity!) and for people who plan a career in social media (a whole new audience!) 

Technology 

Nokia's net profit fell an astonishing 90 percent this past quarter, which definitely explains those rumors that they're about to make the move into netbooks. Given that the smartphone wars are probably going to get even more bloody, it makes sense for them to seek to reverse their fortunes in more uncharted territory. Of course, the way that netbooks are taking off, we may have an equally bloody netbook war a little way down the line.

Radio Shack now accepting old device trade-ins - It's not being done at all their stores yet, but a good chunk of them. Looks like someone else is modeling themselves on GameStop (see the Target item above). Radio Shack, which has been rather shaky of late, is probably looking to fortify themselves so they don't end up going the Circuit City route, and if you're going to imitate someone, imitating a leader in a related field is the thing to do.

Sun and IBM may reopen talks about the latter acquiring the former, as long as IBM shows a real commitment to a deal. (Sounds more like a marriage than a merger). Given the Wall Street-shaking tremors that resulted from the last attempt, hopefully it goes through this time. Besides, a merger is the best thing to assure the futures of these pioneers in the industry, both of whom seemed to get swept aside in a Wintel world.  

NBC Rewind, the network's streaming service, has hit one billion full episode streams. This, combined with CBS's March Madness hit, is an indication that conventional broadcasting is taking streaming very, very seriously. It's far beyond a fad now, it's rapidly becoming a part of mainstream culture. If you plan to get into producing TV programming, keep in mind that you're working with not only the big-screen living room TV, but also the small screen (laptops) and maybe even the tiny screen (smartphones).    

Job Market

Lessons Learned From a Young Professional: An excellent piece about the importance of networking, mentoring and building a personal brand in overall career success. This expounds on a lot of things we've talked about on this blog, and it's worth reading for anyone at any stage of their career. 

Publishing

Newsroom employment drops to lowest level since '78; A sad symptom of the contraction in the newspaper industry, that's for sure, and the news isn't geting any better - Gannett's quarterly earnings are down again, and even the country's biggest newsprint manufactuer has filed for bankruptcy. But there are encouraging signs here and there - Philadelphia residents turned to Philly.com, the online version of the Philadelphia Inquirer, when beloved baseball announcer Harry Kalas passed away this week, a sign that online newspapers may be eking out a place in people's consciousness. And analysts are hotly debating the topic of Pay for Play, meaning subscription-only news services, a topic that's not about to go away any time soon as the industry struggles to make a transition to a new way of doing things.

Borders overhauls board of directors: The company is going back on its earlier decision on a stock split. Given that book sales fell more than 10 percent in February, the company is justified in trying to salvage itself any way it can. One interesting move it's making: An emphasis on an old-fashioned mail-order book club, perhaps trading on people's unwillingness to drive to the store, and perhaps be tempted to spend more than they planned, in this economy. 

- Bonnie      

Links of the Day 4/15/2009

Career:
Might want to think over your social media photo and it's effects in your job search.

A good guide on making a resume that makes impressions - For that old, ancient way of communicating - the document!

Where Yahoo executives are leaving - In this case, Microsoft. Telling in several ways, but I don't think this indicates a potential hiring binge at Microsoft, so I wouldn't make too much of this career-wise (though it is interesting to see).

Anime and Manga:
Fan-to-Pro Crush Object Crunchyroll is still on a roll. They've got new Code Geas episodes and an affiliate program. No signsof slowing down - or of potential rivals so far competing in their specific space.

Media and Publishing:
There's a plan afoot to create an online subscription plan bundling content from multiple publications - This is in the US and echos some of the efforts in Japan. It remains to be seen if it will work, but it is forward-thinking. Warning for careerists and those examining the model deeper - we can probably expect an initial rush of interest on the publisher end, but the proof will be a year or three down the road.

Social Media:
More on social media: a local paper becoming aware of how businesses use social media. The state department leverages social media. I'd say that awareness of social media is spreading (or has spread) to all aspects of most culture. Important tip here is to remember Social Media is useful for your company or employer, just you - figure out what you can leverage.

Mashable has started profiling Social Media Hubs. There's only two entries as of this writing, but it'll be worth following for those of you in or interested in the industry- and in relocating.. Side note: an RSS subscription to Mashable is very useful.

Technology:
Looks like Skype will leave eBay for sure - via an IPO. This departure could provide some opportunities at post-eBay Skype. I'm also wanting to watch if we've got an increase in interest in online audio with Goom. Not enough to say but as we've got people involved in the video space, the text space, what's left to battle over . . .

Cloud computing? Hold your horses - A quick look at a longer analysis to give you some perspective.

Video Games Videogames benefit the challenged, the injured, and the ill - So keep this in mind as a designer or marketer - make sure your games are playable by people who may have certain challenges or conditions.

Finally Duke Nukem is apparently slightly nearer completion. I include this just out of morbid curiosity.

-Steve "Twelve year delivery cycle"

Links of the Day 4/14/2009

Over to Amazon, where it appears that the fiasco this weekend was due to a bad cataloguing error - which sounds plausible to me. Don't expect this to fanish easily - see the links below - and keep in mind this is one of many things that has decreased Amazon's popularity.

Economics:
Cheap credit leads to fragile companies - and tight credit leads to companies who can't adapt to credit abundance? A bit of an economic brain twister for you to consider. In the next few years how many companies will fail - and when things do improve, what will the shifts means for companies that went through this Great Recession?

Anime and Manga:
Vampire Hunter D is on the iPhone - Thanks to uClick. Serious title. Serious price. Let's see how this goes - but I think original properties succeeding on the iPhone will mark if this is a real success.

More Naruto on Hulu and Joost - In this case dubbed and uncut. Beyond the continual march of Anime Online, what has me interested is how Naruto is a "driver" on so much of this. Yes its ridiculously popular, which seems to have a trailblazing effect. In turn, I'd ask you to speculate if online video adaption of anime would have gone as easy if there HADN'T been a Naruto. Sometimes cutting edge technology needs a trailblazer or a given 'something' to push it into public consciousness and use.

Moblie:
Android looks to do well in Asia - Very interesting read - and a reminder Android's success has to be counted on worldwide adoption. Not sure if this will help Dell - it will certainly help T-Mobile. So all you programmers out there, if you're tired of us telling you to learn about Android . . . we're still not stopping. Though maybe you'll want to get a language course in Japanese or Chinese to go with your training?

Social Media:
Social media issues a-plenty:

• Be warned, Facebook is bad for your grades Or so some are making it sound. A saner analysis is more insightful.
• Social Media may lead to amorality - which I find amusing because social media has made me a lot more reflective about what I do as its very public.

These are interesting to me as a pro geek as they're going to affect public consciousness of social media, and we all know how technology and the internet get bad press.

Now speaking of bad press, here's a look at the lessons Amazon can learn from it's recent debacle. The point I take away from this is the very serious one that the inernet and social media have made brand and identity management a full time job for every company, and perhaps many individuals. There's a job opportunity for you - online brand manager or something similar . . .

Gaia Online isn't having brand troubles. In fact, they're making people love advertising with Branded Virtual Goods. This is a great in-depth article that you'll want to read to get an idea of some great social media/marketing synergy that people actually enjoy.

Technology:
It's all eBay news so far. Looks like they're splitting with StumbleUpon (an alliance I never got) and there's an effort to get Skype back from them. I find this noteworthy as A) eBay has had it's issues, B) Skype is continuing to be a darling for many - and there's no reason for eBay to have it.

Intel's numbers look bad - but may indicate PC industry hit bottom and cound rebound - I imagine there's something to this - there's only so far the PC (and chip) industries can fall barring total economic meltdown. This news may let us feel out some of the slump in technologies - if there's a sign of bounceback, it will likely occur a few months later in similar industries such as router hardware, etc.

Online radio company nets $16 million in venture capital? Never heard of the company (Goom), but beyond the online radio and user-channel approach it's adding DJs, original content, etc. I'm intrigued as the mix of customization and content sounds like an attempt to find a middle ground, so I'm going to keep an eye on this. As an extension of yesterday's hyperlocal news services, I wonder if Goom could manage something like that as well.

Video Games:
Austin, Texas' Mayoral candidate wants to attract video game companies - Seems like games aren't on anyones naughty list now that they're seen as bringing in the cash. Not sure how many companies would want to move to Austin, but it is cheaper than many areas.

Steve "The Social Media Interface"