Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 7.17.09 European publishers seek more online control of works

I read an article in the International Herald Tribune last the other day while waiting to board my flight home from Italy. This article was written by Eric Pfanner and it was called “European publishers seek enforcement of copyright”.

The crux of the piece was how leading European newspaper and magazine publishers were calling on the European commission to strengthen their copyright protection so as to generate an income stream from their online counterparts.

The problem from the point of view of the publisher, is that information is so – almost too – readily available and transmitable that it is impeding their ability to control dissemination of the news.

Welcome to the not-so-new world, publishers! This is what makes the internet great, in my opinion. Yes, printed media will experience a loss of revenue. There are some that attempt to make the consumer pay for the online couterpart to the written word, but in my view, this is a futile effort at best. I, for one, view these pay-per-view entities as an impediment to the spirit of the web.

Only a handful of newspapers or magazines have had success in charging readers to use their sites, as the article points out – among them The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times.

What the European publishers want is greater control over the reproduction of their creative works.

My question is how would this function? If one did a Google search, would the results be the same and would certain articles be free while others offered at a premium.

Not on board with this one only because years of getting information easily and free have spoiled me, and trust me – you too.

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 7.15.09 Will Blog for Food: How the unemployed are spending their time off

Another Tip from Mutt Media NY

I’ve said it before but it bears mentioning over and over again. Need attention? For anything? A charity, pet project, shameless self-promotion? BLOG!!

Yet again – this time this past Monday in the NY Post in the @work section, there appeared an article about how blogging has become THE thing for out-of-work people of all ages, shapes and sizes. I began blogging when I founded Mutt Media and I haven’t been able to shut up since. I find there’s plenty of things that I find compelling, interesting or just that warrant a comment or two and so, I write.

This wasn’t always so. Yes, I was an English major in college and writing has always come easy to me. Much easier than taking a conventional exam, I will admit but as a student I found writing to be a chore, a necessary evil. Now that it is no longer a so-called “requirement”, I submit to it voluntarily.

As a business tool, it can be invaluable. If you have good content, people will tune in and read – always a plus if your Blog is an appendage of your website. But it is more than that. In today’s climate of employee hiring, there is an abundance of competition for work. Prospective employers are using the search engines to find anything about their applicants. I personally know some who have found Facebook profiles and passed on calling the applicant for an interview.

As I said Bloggers come in all shapes and sizes. Here are some funny titles. I cannot vouch for the content but the names are catchy. Pinkslipsarethenewblack.com, yourunemployeddaughter.com, livingwithmyparents.com, whatssofunnyaboutunemployment.wordpress.com and unemployeddad.com just to name a few.

Moral of the story? Carefully craft your message and get it out there. Blog well and blog often. It works.

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 7.13.09 Google & Apple: Share-Share. Is that fair?

So, forgive me if I bore you with some of last weeks’ news, but I’ve been on holiday and not in touch. There are some things in the news that I would’ve blogged about in Real Time but sometimes vacation trumps work, and that’s a good thing, right?

So, first off, our friends at Google, in the midst of executing their plan for world domination and data-collection, have announced they will be releasing their own Operating System called Chrome. At first blush, I am excited about this, for a couple of reasons.

Google does seem to get it right. Their services are useful and free – two features I always find pleasing. I like anything that works and doesn’t stress me out, as I am a simple girl. Their analytics and other applications function well and play nice with my MacBook. Life is good. Yay Apple & Google.

My husband is engaged in a brutal war at the moment with his new laptop that is running Windows Vista, an operating system that doesn’t play well with others. He needs to run a certain software for his business and Vista just won’t cooperate. Updates, tech support, patches and lots of nonsensical work-arounds have kept my husband up at night and his staff has logged hours trying to trouble shoot for him to no avail. He’s had to wipe out the hard drive and reinstall programs, download updates that in the end, set his efforts back and just yesterday, his laptop shot off a really low blow: just crapped out. During one of the mind-bending downloads and installs, during step 3 of 3, the screen goes dark but for 3 lines that read, “Running Step 3 of 3. 0% complete. Do not shut down your computer.” And so he waited and waited. Still 0% complete 45 minutes later but the graphics are moving like something is happening. But nothing does.

I used to work off of a Windows PC. You don’t realize how much of a nightmare it is until you switch to a Mac. I swear ONCE YOU GO MAC YOU NEVER GO BACK. (Knock on wood) My Mac & I do not have to battle resistant, mutating viruses, updates go off without a hitch and all of my programs load like butter. Going on 2 years together and so far, it’s a match made in compuer heaven.

So, my point? Let’s take a look behind the scenes to see why my Mac (Apple) and Google apps work so well together. The common denominator here could be that they share a CEO named Eric Schmidt and another Board Member name Arthur D. Levinson, the CEO of Genentech.

Is this a conflict? Does this fly in the face of anti-trust laws, which are in place to safeguard against possible collusion between companies (and world domination).

An article in the Global edition of the New York Times from last Friday by Brad Stone speculates that the “Chrome Operating System is likely to create more questions for regulators”. Yep, this alliance is already on the radar of the Federal Trade Commission with the investigation going on for the last several months.

Under section 8 of the Clayton Anti-Trust Act specific limits are placed on the sharing of information between companies by common board members.

In the case of Schmidt and Levinson, both claim to recuse themselves during portions of the Board Meetings when the discussions turn to tricky topics.

Where is the overlap? Well, Apple makes the IPhone and Google has the Android Software (see YouTube video for info on Android and the “G Phone” below), Apple has ITunes and then there’s YouTube, Apple has the Safari Browser and now here’s Google with Chrome.

In the end, the FTC will decide whether these relationships are problematic. It all comes down to what percentage of the overall business is affected.

I don’t care. I just love my MacBook and my Google. Can’t we all just get along? (hello Microsoft!)

Then maybe my poor husband will get some sleep.

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.26.09 MySpace lays off 700+ employees!

MySpace recently announced plans for cuts and closings company-wide including 300 jobs oversees, 420 US-based positions and 4 overseas offices, ultimately leaving them with just over 1100 worldwide employees and overseas offices in London, Berlin & Sydney. MySpace is a subsidiary of News Corp, which also owns the NY Post and Fox Broadcasting. Following is an excerpt taken from the Huffington Post.

“The move, the latest cost-cutting effort at the site, comes less than two months after the unit of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. hired former Facebook executive Owen Van Natta, 39, as its new chief executive.

It also comes a day after data from tracking firm comScore show Facebook has caught up with MySpace in monthly U.S. visitors for the first time.

“Simply put, our staffing levels were bloated and hindered our ability to be an efficient and nimble team-oriented company,” Van Natta said in a statement.

The cuts amount to about 420 people, bringing the total number of MySpace’s U.S. staff to 1,000. As of May, Facebook had about 850 employees worldwide, the vast majority in the United States.

MySpace’s user base has stagnated at about 125 million worldwide users, while Facebook said its usage has doubled to more than 200 million in less than a year.

Until now, MySpace still had the edge among U.S. users. But numbers from comScore show that in May, MySpace and Facebook both had about 70 million users apiece in the United States.

MySpace generates more revenue, according to Internet research firm eMarketer; it estimates that MySpace generated about $605 million in global advertising revenue last year, compared with $250 million for Facebook. MySpace’s revenue is expected to shrink next year while Facebook’s is seen as growing.”

It seems as though sometimes we need a little “push” to trim the fat…in life and in business. For a long time, Myspace was the only social networking game in town and really dominated the market. However as the above excerpt shows, this is no longer the case.

I say that competition is good. Good for business, good for the consumer. What do you think?

Mutt Media's Daily Bone | 6.24.09 More Craigslist Crime News

Here’s a good one. Some bonehead (excuse the pun) placed an ad on Craigslist asking if anyone needed some “420 help”. Do any of YOU know what this even means? If I didn’t read about his arrest, I would think he’s a math tutor for the SAT’s.

Turns out that is not the case. 420 is a term used for POT – you know, the kind people smoke, not the kind you cook in. 420 alludes to the time during the day back in the ’70s when kids in a California High School would get together and smoke. Anyway, police responded to Christopher Gray’s ad and bought a bag for $45 before they busted him. I guess if criminals were really smart they would do something else for a living.

But the big Craigslist story today is that of music composer Joseph Brooks. That name may not ring a bell to you, but his most popular song might. He’s the guy who wrote “You light up my life” – a song that was at the top of the charts forever back in 1977 and for which Brooks won an Oscar. Here’s a 71 year old man who has been running ads on Craigslist (and other “talent” sites) luring young girls to his apartment with the help of his assistant.

These ads would say Brooks was looking for the next big thing, a new face, preferably aged 18-22 to make into a star. His assistant, named Shawni Lucier would screen the girls and even make travel arrangements, with the thought being that if the victim was traveling, they’d be less inclined to put up a fight because they were too exhausted. All of the assaults occured between 2005-2008 but someone from 1970 also had a claim that was deemed beyond the statute of limitations.

Once he had them, he would tell them that the project he was involved in called for them to play a prostitute. He then asked them to drink and take off their clothing and then attack.

Now Brooks is facing over 80 counts of rape, sexual assault and other charges. Lucier is scheduled to turn herself in next week, when she will face 9 counts of criminal solicitation.

Stay tuned….to get the full story from the Chicago Tribune, click here.

http://muttmedia.net

Mutt Media | The Daily Bone 6.23.09 The Iranian Elections and the murder of Neda Agha Soltan

MUTT MEDIA WARNING! | POLITICAL COMMENTARY TO FOLLOW…..

Today’s post is a sad one, but shines a ray of hope on a region in turmoil. I am writing in green to show support for the citizens of Iran and their cause.

No doubt you’ve heard all of the rumblings about the elections in Iran. If you frequent Twitter, Facebook or any of the social networking platforms, you’ve been exposed. Here’s a timeline version of what’s been going on, taken from Reuter’s website.

“(Reuters) – Here is a summary of the main developments in the aftermath of Iran’s June 12 presidential election, which took place against a background of tension with the West over Tehran’s nuclear program.

June 13 – Hardline incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad officially wins presidential election with nearly 63 percent of the vote compared with 34 percent for reformist challenger Mirhossein Mousavi, authorities say. Thousands of protesters clash with police. Mousavi calls result a “dangerous charade”.

June 14 – Mousavi says he has formally asked Iran’s Guardian Council to annul the election.

June 15 – Seven people are killed during a huge march by Mousavi supporters in central Tehran, state media says. There are also pro-Mousavi demonstrations in the cities of Rasht, Orumiyeh, Zahedan and Tabriz.

June 16 – Leading Iranian reformist Mohammad Ali Abtahi, a former vice-president, is arrested, his office says.

– The Guardian Council says it is ready to carry out a partial recount of ballots but rules out annulling the poll.

– Tens of thousands of pro-Mousavi demonstrators march in northern Tehran. Ahmadinejad’s supporters mobilize thousands of demonstrators in central Tehran.

– Authorities ban foreign journalists from leaving their offices to cover street protests.

June 17 – Thousands march in central Tehran.

– Ahmadinejad defends the legitimacy of the vote, telling a cabinet meeting it has “posed a great challenge to the West’s democracy,” Mehr news agency reports.

– Saeed Laylaz, editor of business daily Sarmayeh, and pro-reform activist Mohammadreza Jalaiepour are arrested, a reformist source says.

June 18 – Thousands of Mousavi’s backers rally in Tehran to mourn those killed in the mass protests.

– A spokesman for the Guardian Council says it has begun examining 646 complaints submitted after the June 12 vote.

– Iran’s English-language state television has reported eight people killed in five days of protests. The ISNA news agency, quoting provincial officials, says 88 people were arrested in post-election unrest in the city of Mashhad and up to 60 people in Tabriz in the northwest.

June 19 — Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei says protest leaders would be responsible for any bloodshed if rallies continued against the election, which he said Ahmadinejad had won fairly by 11 million votes.

June 20 — The Guardian Council says it is ready to recount a tenth of the votes in the disputed election.

– Riot police are deployed in force, firing teargas and using batons and water cannon to disperse groups of several hundred Iranians who had gathered across Tehran.

– A suicide bomber blows himself up near the shrine of Iran’s revolutionary founder Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini in Tehran, Iran’s semi-official Mehr news agency reports.

– State television says more than 450 people are detained during clashes in Tehran in which at least 10 people are killed.

June 21 — Mousavi urges supporters to continue protests, issuing an oblique appeal to security forces to show restraint.

– Ahmadinejad accuses the United States and Britain of interfering in Iran’s affairs.

June 22 — Hardline Revolutionary Guards issue a statement saying they will “firmly confront in a revolutionary way rioters and those who violate the law”. Police break up a protest in Tehran hours after the Guards issued their statement.

– People in Tehran again chant “Allahu Akbar” (God is greatest) from their rooftops at nightfall.

June 23 – Guardian Council again rules out annulment of the election saying there has been no major polling irregularities.”

Just yesterday, a protester named Neda Agha Soltan was shot and killed in the street. Someone captured this heinous act with their cell phone and it’s been getting lots of play on YouTube. Video follows, but please be warned: it is violent and graphic and YouTube requires that you verify that you are over 18 to view it.

There has been so much controversy over the middle east, Iran, Iraq and the degree to which the US should get involved but I think the events of the last few weeks show us that the citizens want some sort of democracy and a fair election process. I am sure that they know the western world is on their side in this endeavor, as their continuous Twitter and other internet communications indicate. This is GREAT. Unfortunate is that lives are lost but this is an important fight and a stand that, in my opinion, needs to be taken.

All of the Tweets, photos and video footage show us that these are a people willing to fight for their desired rights – rights they have long been denied. It’s nothing short of amazing.

So maybe Iraq was the wrong venue at the wrong time, but the ideology was right on target. If only the violence would stop.

links that may be of some interest to you..

thestar.com | nytimes.com (they have a great blog that is tracking the protests and running commentary) | reuters.com

Mutt Media | the Daily Bone 6.12.09 "Tagged" – You're It! How was it for you?

One Phish, Two Phish, Red Phish, Blue Phish – just say no!!! Mutt Media’s cautionary TAG tale…

Have you been tagged yet? Well I have and I must say, I did not find the experience enjoyable. It actually happened to me a few times this week alone.

It began with a simple enough email from a familar name that I haven’t heard from in awhile, so I opened it. Basically, the contents of this email were that “Jane Doe” has tagged me in their personal photos and wouldn’t I love to “click here” to see them? Let me save you the trouble if you should happen to receive an email such as this.

I clicked. I was then propelled into an environment where they asked me to sign up, join etc. in order to see these precious photos. By now, my antenaae was up but I decided to play along and join. Big mistake. The program began asking for access to my address book in order to find my friends and invite them to join too, which, as I suspected – was done to my friend Jane too.

Tagged claims to have over 70 million users but I question how many of those have actually opted-in knowing what they were getting into. This week I have been doing extensive research for an article I’m writing on Social Networking and the traffic these sites attract. I’ve read the data and I do believe people have stumbled into this trap and been added to their 70+million statistics, which just serves to help legitimize this practice of phishing.

Ok…I know you are going to ask, so I’ll save you the trouble of emailing me about this. According to Wikipedia, here’s their definition of phishing. And don’t worry – it’s happened to us all!

If you click on the word “phishing” in the previous paragraph, you can get the full-monty definition, it’s origins etc., but here’s the cliff note version:

“In the field of computer security, phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication. Communications purporting to be from popular social web sites, auction sites, online payment processors or IT Administrators are commonly used to lure the unsuspecting public. Phishing is typically carried out by e-mail or instant messaging, and it often directs users to enter details at a fake website whose look and feel are almost identical to the legitimate one. Even when using server authentication, it may require tremendous skill to detect that the website is fake. Phishing is an example of social engineering techniques used to fool users, and exploits the poor usability of current web security technologies.Attempts to deal with the growing number of reported phishing incidents include legislation, user training, public awareness, and technical security measures.”

So there you have it…a cautionary tale on spamming, tagging, phishing etc.

A quick disclaimer…some may actually enjoy this site and what it has to offer. This post is primarily a complaint about their methodology in signing up new members and siphoning off of your address book.

Oh…and a little footnote. Go and do a Google search on the Harvard-educated founders of the company and you’ll find a few skeletons.

I’m in pretty good company on this one. Just yesterday, Time‘s Sean Gregory called Tagged.com “The World’s Most Annoying Website”. I’ve provided the link, as Mr. Gregory, being the news writer, actually contacted the two founders of the company to inquire about their sign-up practices. It’s an interesting article, so check it out. Since I’m not a news journalist, I don’t have that responsibility. I’ll just say no thanks.

Mutt Media | Daily Bone 6.9.09 A lonely fish contemplates joining Facebook.

Here’s a comic strip I found in my travels. Really cute. My prediction is this fish will become addicted, soon after will need a support group then will go back to life in the fishbowl. Any thoughts? Email me at feedback@muttmedia.net

Enjoy

This has been your Daily Bone
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