Twitter vs Telecom and the RIAA vs Newspapers.

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

Begin forwarded message:

From: "Bob Frankston" <Bob19-0501 () bobf frankston com>
Date: April 4, 2009 12:05:22 PM EDT
To: <dave () farber net>
Subject: Twitter vs Telecom and the RIAA vs Newspapers.

With stories (in the newspapers) about Google buying Twitter I can’t  
help but wonder about the emphasis on high-speed broadband even as the  
ultimate example of an extremely low bandwidth application is  
thriving. Tweets need 24x7 connectivity, wired/unwired, and that’s  
well within the capacity of today’s infrastructure. So why don’t we  
work to remove the barriers rather than waiting for an HDTV Internet?

You can think of telemedicine messages, farm information, fire alarms,  
and a myriad other exchanges being in this ilk. I don’t mean literally  
tweeting – messages between devices is likely to dominate as in the  
example of farm machinery responding to a weather forecast or your  
doctor’s computer tracking your heart events.

Just as a reminder of why today’s business models are going to be  
problematic -- AT&T and Verizon tout wireless gadgets: "We can't  
expect people to have five different accounts," Tony Melone, CTO of  
Verizon Wireless, said during an interview this week. ‘There needs to  
be a mechanism that allows people to have some kind of account for  
multiple.’" There is a trivial solution – shift to an infrastructure  
models but we are in an increasingly painful period as we try to force  
ourselves to live within business models that are increasingly out of  
touch with reality – if the shoe doesn’t fit then don’t wear it! Even  
more so when we have models (shoes) that do fit.

This doesn’t mean we should be indifferent to challenges to today’s  
business models. While we have alternatives to telecom we are still  
struggling to find a post-newspaper model for getting information that  
can’t necessarily be gathered via per click funding.

Times Co. may shut Globe; seeks union concessions
The New York Times Co. has threatened to shut The Boston Globe unless  
the newspaper's unions swiftly agree to $20 million in concessions,  
union leaders said yesterday. (By Robert Gavin and Robert Weisman,  
Globe Staff)

With all the political support for the RIAA out of fear that artists  
won’t get paid why are we so uncaring about the fate of news workers  
who are so vital for a functioning democracy?




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