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About
Howard Owens is a digital media pioneer. He started publishing local news online in 1995 when very few local news outlets had web sites. The header image on the site depicts the film camera he used early in his career and the press pass from his year on the staff of the Carlsbad Journal. For more on Howard's professional background, read his LinkedIn profile.
HowardOwens.com is the personal web site of Howard Owens and covers his range of interests -- political localism and libertarianism, music and personal interests, as well as his professional interests.
Howard is currently publisher of The Batavian and lives in Batavia, N.Y.
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Daily Archives: October 1, 2006
To serve readers, get off the grid
About 8 months ago, in the context of a conversation about the state of the newspaper industry, a new media executive asked me if I’d ever seen Tron.
Until now, I’ve probably been about the only geek in America who hasn’t seen Tron.
I just watched it.
The analogy to the newspaper industry, especially to new media, is to be innovative, you need to get off the grid. You can’t just mindlessly follow the Master Control Program.
And there is this bit of dialogue:
Ed Dillinger: I can’t sit here and worry about every little user request that comes in.
Dr. Walter Gibbs: User requests are what computers are for.
Dillinger: Doing our business is what computers are for.
So ask yourself, do you see technology as a way to serve your business or serve your readers? Are you on the grid or off?
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