Eoin Purcell
What’s not to like about this?
Go on buy a book, you know you want to!
Eoin
PS, Listening to an interesting piece on Kenny about Welcome to The Dark Side
Monthly Archives: March 2009
Guardian innovates
Eoin Purcell
Open Platform
In what seems like a smart play to me the Guardian has created an API and a data tool. The API puts articles and news features (and crucuially advertising from The Guardian) onto partner websites and the data tools allows access to a number of curated datasets. All very smart and digitally I think you’ll agree. From the piece:
Open Platform
The Cass Sculpture Foundation is using the service to add Guardian articles about British artists to its site.
Other partners for the launch of the service include web design firm Stamen and OpenStreetMap, a free, open alternative to commercial map data services. Stamen and OpenStreetMap developed a service that they hope will encourage Guardian readers to “geo-tag” the newspaper’s content, positioning every article, video and picture on a map so users can find news, commentary, video and other content related to their area.
Data Store
The Data Store launched with 80 data sets from trusted sources, including figures on child poverty in England and world carbon emissions by country. Simon Rogers, news editor, graphics, at the Guardian, will highlight some of the data sets in a Datablog, suggesting ways that the sets could be combined, or mashed up. It will also be a place where the Guardian highlights some of the best projects from its partners.
This seems like an intelligent play and I’d expect to see it copied by other major newspapers and media players. I can see the first mover being able to lock in considerable space from a program like this!
I’m sure there will be much more discussion on this!
Eoin
Who didn’t enjoy World Book Day?
Eoin Purcell
I did enjoy World Book Day!
Mainly because I attended two great readings by upcoming Mercier authors, Susan Connolly, whose Damsel will be released this month and Kieran Mark Crowley whose Colm & The Lazarus Key is out on June 24.
See them in action below. They were excellent and both of them were reading in public for the first time!
Susan Conolly with the boys from CBC Monkstown
Kieran reads with the boys and girls from Dominican Convent Primary School
Links of Interest (At Least to Me) 05/03/2009
You have to wonder what goes on in the heads of publishing firms sometimes. A week after closing teh Collins division in the US, HarperCollins announces a new one (It Books) focused:
on pop culture, sports, style and content derived from the Internet, like a planned collection of Twitter posts called “Twitter Wit.”
The wonderful Bookbrunch which has caused the equally wonderful Bookseller to raise its game has decided to start charging for its service, an inevitable move and one I welcome. There is nothing wrong with asking people to pay for your hard work. The rates seem pretty reasonable too:
Individual subscription prices are as follows:
3 months subscription – £30
6 months subscription – £55
12 months subscription – £99
Delia and Gordon go head to head for the top spot. I think you should just buy both as this amazon offer suggests and in these recessionary times, £24 is a damn good price.
Here
Links of Interest (At Least To Me) 02/03/2008
Eoin Purcell
Not everyone is losing money in the CEE*. Pearson (Penguin’s parent) is coming up smelling of roses. Good for them.
Here
Random makes what I think is a smart acquisition though, in the CEE*, some might demur.
Here
Faber are launching a nice promotion for their What Price Liberty book. A pay what price you like for an ebook version.
Story Here & Microsite Here
All very interesting!
Eoin
*CEE: Current Economic Environment
