Comments on: Are Apps Like Flipboard the Future of Media? http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/ Thu, 20 Jun 2013 04:10:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Neil Sorensen http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/#comment-619128 Sat, 23 Apr 2011 13:42:35 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=333084#comment-619128 I have a new Asus Eee PC with a multi-touch screen and windows 7 professional. The touch screen works pretty well, not quite as sensitive as an iPod, but essentially the same. So far, however, there are hardly any apps available for this computer. I have to download and install the normal program versions, which are not really adapted to touch screens. Of course I can use the regular programs with the touch screen, but I am waiting for a windows app store, which reportedly will be included in windows 8. I wish it were possible to install a parallel operating system for the touch screen so I could use that feature independently from loading windows. Is this possible?

]]> By: Harriet Meth http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/#comment-618871 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 01:12:20 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=333084#comment-618871 Mathew, you hit the trifecta with the three categories you’ve pegged as necessary to successfully drive content consumption: aggregation, customization and personalization. Clearly this is where the traditional players like NYT are missing the boat. Sure you can “personalize” the mix of stories in the way you can superficially “view” them but there’s no aggregation and that’s a huge void. It’s also easy to see how they view this part of the equation as a looming threat.

On the flip side of the Flipboard story (sorry for the bad pun), as a former journalist I also get concerned about people sourcing their news primarily by popularity. It’s not difficult to envision how easy it will become to game the system. So your three drivers hopefully act as a buffer against reading only the news that everyone likes.

]]> By: Joe Patel http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/#comment-618756 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:35:23 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=333084#comment-618756 Jonathon is spot on. There is no editor in these apps. These apps just pull whatever crap that is online and squeeze them into the program. When u read the times. The editor add a little bit of cars, house, interviews, world news etc. Lots of the articles actually feels fresh.
You have to admit that lots of sites online including the om just have one mono tone and repeat the same thinking on similar items over and over and over again. I am not saying that its not entertaining. Everyone likes to watch wrestling. But the real media knows to bring fresh content.

]]> By: Dawn Shrum http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/#comment-618751 Thu, 21 Apr 2011 16:20:34 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=333084#comment-618751 Exciting to hear what is on the horizon. You nailed it at the beginning when you referenced the way digital natives like receiving information- we’re in the midst of information transformation.

]]> By: Jonathan S-B http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/#comment-618618 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:56:26 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=333084#comment-618618 The trouble with Flipboard is that it is pretty much theatre over true functionality. The beauty of magazines is that they provide a curated information environment where there is 9usually) a clearly defined hierarchy of information. This hierarchy is what gives magazines their unique appeal and creates “the magazine experience.” For all its cleverness, Fipboard does a very poor job of recreating this experience. It has pretentions to it but those pretentions are not borne out by the product.

The truth is that what is broken in the magazine world is the typical magazine business model, not the magazine experience.

Ironically, everyone gives great plaudits to Flipboard and yet their business model is currently no more robust or healthy than the olde worlde print products they hope to usurp.

]]> By: AppHipMom http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/#comment-618559 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 18:08:38 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=333084#comment-618559 Long ago I moved from reading the pages of newspapers to getting my news from the internet from my desktop. Then I moved to Twitter. Now as a new iPad owner, I go to Flipboard. With Oprah being the latest to join Flipboard, maybe others will follow suit?

]]> By: FK http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/#comment-618509 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 15:16:13 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=333084#comment-618509 Also check out http://www.newstweet.se/ it’s a cool news app for iPad from Sweden, with interesting Twitter integration.

]]> By: Mathew Ingram http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/#comment-618502 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:55:23 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=333084#comment-618502 Thanks, Gregg — totally agree. Appreciate the comment.

]]> By: Mathew Ingram http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/#comment-618501 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:54:18 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=333084#comment-618501 I agree, Ian — I can’t understand why more newspapers haven’t tried to emulate this kind of approach, instead of the old-fashioned newspaper website metaphor. Thanks for the comment.

]]> By: Paul http://gigaom.com/2011/04/19/are-apps-like-flipboard-the-future-of-media/#comment-618485 Wed, 20 Apr 2011 14:00:34 +0000 http://gigaom.com/?p=333084#comment-618485 I would agree with gfreishtat. Publishers need to “they need to BE the FlipBoard’s and Huff Po’s of the world”. We have developed an app for publishers that allows them to pull their content from the web through blogs and RSS feeds and turn it into a digital edition. Its in public beta at the moment, check it out at PressJack.

I think that the content owners need to start thinking about revenue on an article by article basis rather than on site traffic. Allow their content to be scooped by “Magregators” on the condition that they include their advertising. The guardian have this system in place where you can use their content in your apps on the condition that you include their advertising.

The battle between publishers and magregators over how much content is been shown could easily be solved if content owners would simply enhance their RSS feeds to include more information in their feed. It wouldnt have to be the full article but enough for the magregators to fill a section on the page.

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