Neal Gabler had a provocative but flawed commentary in the LA Times on Sunday, built on the premise that we’re now more infatuated with the backstory of entertainment (personal trials, break-ups, star behavior) than we are with the entertainment itself. Says Gabler: Movies, television and DVDs are attracting fewer patrons because people, especially young people, […]
Understanding teens on-line
A new study from the ever-interesting Pew Internet & American Life Project explores the emerging behaviors and perspectives of teens on-line (lots of media coverage available, on ClickZ or through AP feeds…the full report is available on-line, as well). As you might expect, a large majority of teens use the Internet (87 percent, up from […]
The laser-like focus of research
If you’ve wondered about the best day of the week for sending out mass e-mails to your patrons, eROI has done extensive tracking and research to find the answer: it’s hard to say. That’s the gist of their most recent analysis of e-mail sending, reading, and clicking. Among their conclusions: Fatigue sets in as the […]
160 acres and a mule…or an arts district
Arts organizations and arts developments are often part of a community’s effort to revitalize or re-animate areas of downtown that have stumbled into stasis. In fact, urban revitalization is often a key talking point in proposals to construct or refurbish cultural facilities (”If we build it…blah blah blah”). All of us know, however, that a […]
On the fungibility of experience
I’ve had some interesting comments and e-mail feedback on my rant about distributed ticketing. Some had attempted some version of the idea before, but had been flummoxed by distrust or neglect by the community’s arts organizations, or inelegance of the technology available. I continue to think there’s a way to hack the system to make […]
Trust and Consumer Generated Media
”Consumer Generated Media” (or CGM) is the buzzword these days for companies seeking trust, attention, and repeat sales, especially through the Internet. Intelliseek, one service company that’s mining the trend, defines it this way: ”Consumer-Generated Media” (CGM) encompasses the millions of consumer-generated comments, opinions and personal experiences posted in publicly available online sources on a […]
Connection as competition
An associate forwarded a link to this AOL feature that lets you measure your social network against anyone else on the system…and determine the ”winner.” Says the FAQ: Using a complicated algorithm, AIM Fight crawls through the depths of the Internet to answer the all-important question that plagues us all: How popular am I right […]
Alanis Morissette on cultural nonprofit finance structure
There’s too much fun to be had with the Alanis Morissette Lyric Generator, a virtual ‘Mad Libs’ for the adult-contemporary crowd. Here’s just one generated lyric from my suggested nouns and names: “Will to Live” I feel miserable STRUCTURAL DEFICITS make me ill I feel miserable GRANT GUIDELINES tear at my foundations I feel miserable […]
The rebirth of amateur culture
An interesting BBC News interview/overview with copyright activitist Larry Lessig suggests that the 21st century is bringing a burst of amateur culture and creativity. Says Lessig: ”Digital tools are inspiring creativity in a way that I do not think we have seen in a very long time….If you think of the 20th Century as this […]
A fresh look for arts research
The folks over at CPANDA (Cultural Policy & the Arts National Data Archive…when you discuss it at cocktail parties, the acronym is pronounced ‘see’-‘panda’) have redesigned their web site in an effort to make arts and cultural research more engaging for a wider world. The site still primarily serves as a warehouse for research datasets […]
