2009 March | Justin Levy

Ok, so I’m weird. I have an obsession with chips and salsa. I seriously could eat it all the time and be perfectly happy with it. So, while thinking about some great salsa I had a couple days ago interspersed with thinking about social media, I came up with a conclusion. FriendFeed is like salsa. How you may ask?

Well, it’s actually quite a simple explanation. The reason why salsa is so great is because it generally starts with the same few basic ingredients: tomatao, onion, jalapeno, cilantro, etc. From those basic ingredients, and with the addition of others, you can create many different forms of salsa. Everyone has their own variations. That’s how FriendFeed isn’t it? You start with all the same basic ingredients: Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, RSS or your other favorite services. From those basic ingredients you create your own variations of FriendFeed. That’s what so great about the service, it is a different experience for everyone that uses it. Kinda like salsa. Salsa is always different, even if you buy the same brand more than once.

See, told you it was a simple explanation.

Do you like salsa as much as I do? See the connection that I’m making here? What are your thoughts?

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Photo by: suavehouse113

Behind the Scenes of a Newspaper as it Says Goodbye

People are turning to forms of new media to get their news now. I don’t ever read a printed newspaper. I don’t even watch the news on TV (partially because I gave up cable). Why? I’m able to get all of the same information online, but instead of just from one source, I can get it from hundreds or thousands of other sources. One of my favorite sites for many years has been Google News for that very feature. Also, if I do want to catch up on the news, I can watch shortened clips on many of the major television sites now (CNN being my favorite). As with everything in my life, there is a equal reaction that has been set in motion by this convergence to new forms of media.

It seems as though each week the news gets darker for newspaper companies. Traditional printed newspapers are racing to transform themselves while at the same time trying to, at least, retain their customer base. Couple this with the tough economic times that we are currently going through, and it’s no wonder why Paul Gillin is able to update his blog on this very topic, Newspaper Death Watch, so often. One of the recent subjects of many conversations, both on Paul’s blog and elsewhere, was the death of the Rocky Mountain News. I was familiar with the newspaper and had read it before while traveling or because of my role with my former company.

After reading Paul’s article on it, I clicked over to the Rocky Mountain News site and came across the below behind the scenes video of the newspaper and it’s staff during its final weeks. This is the reality of what is happening to many newspapers around the country. There are many newspapers that won’t even make the national radar that are closing up and many that are going through their final weeks, months and definitely, years.

If you can’t see the video, you can watch it here.

What are your thoughts on what is happening with newspaper companies? Can they be saved? How?

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