NYT to Apple: pull the plug on Pulse
An iPad news reader app designed by two college students has taken more than a few breaths away. Developed as part of a class at Stanford University’s Institute of Design, Pulse is everything you'd want out of an iPad news reader: it has both form and function.
The user experience is obviously a big reason why the app, which sells for $3.99, quickly became the top-selling iPad app in the App Store. And it's a big reason why Steve Jobs, who was reportedly disappointed with the New York Times' own iPad app, personally highlighted Pulse this week.
As RSS readership slows, Google grows
News readership may be up, but as anyone with a media business can tell you, the method of deploying that information is getting more problematic. And one of the businesses that has been receiving obituaries the last few months is the RSS reader.
But rather than an abrupt death, the RSS reader seems to be going the way of search, and ceding marketshare to Google. Which might be even more depressing.
Twitter introduces Lists. Will this make people actually use Twitter?
In the endlessly self-referential world of Twitter, the company made its own headlines today with the rollout of Twitter Lists. The microblogging service has now enabled about 50% of Twitter accounts with the functionality, which is slowly trending on the site.
Twitterers, blogs and news sites are atwitter with the news, but in order for Lists to serve its purpose, it needs to bring in more users and get current followers more addicted to tweeting. Can functionality like Lists turn the tide for Twitter?
Six easy ways to boost your AdSense revenue
Google AdSense is a popular monetization tool for many online publishers. And for good reason: it's quick and easy to set up. If you have a website, AdSense gives you the opportunity to start earning money almost immediately.
But many publishers don't maximize their AdSense earning potential. Here are six easy ways to make sure that you're getting the most out of AdSense.
Is RSS dead?
Yesterday, ZDNet's Sam Diaz called RSS a "Web 1.0 tool" and voiced the opinion that "there are better ways now". He noted a Forrester Research study showing that only 9% of adults in the US use an RSS reader monthly -- a 2% drop from 2008.
Diaz's comments were in response to a Google blog post announcing the release of the second annual Google Reader Power Readers, a collection of the sites various influential individuals call their favorites.
How Journalists Use Social Media
PR practitioners should pay close attention to the number of journalists using social media tools. A few years ago, people were sceptical that most journalists would use social media tools at all. Even though the social media press release format, and the desire to get news in feeds, grew out of a journalist's frustration with traditional press releases, the perception was that it would not catch on with non-tech journalists.
Seven ways to get return visitors to your blog
Obviously, converting every short term blog visitor into a regular user of your site is virtually impossible.
But there are a few things you can do to make a few more people become repeat visitors or at least check out the rest of your site.
25 useful Wordpress plugins for bloggers
Open source blogging platform Wordpress can be enhanced with the use of free plugins which can help you manage comments and spam, as well as improving SEO and user experience.
We've put together a list of some of the most useful plugins for Wordpress...
Q&A: Bill Flitter of Pheedo on RSS advertising
Pheedo is a US-based RSS ad network that serves ads through feeds, among other things.
We caught up with CEO and co-founder Bill Flitter to find out more about RSS advertising and how it might finally put the debate over partial versus full feeds to bed.
Email + SMS convergence = customer convenience
Right person, right place, right time.... right environment: some thoughts on the challenges and opportunities of multichannel customer communications.
