| CARVIEW |
Recently by Allen Noren
Safari Books Online Goes Mobile
Allen Noren
February 9, 2009
| Permalink
| Comments (9)
|
Listen 
Like much of the publishing world, I'm eager to hear about Amazon's latest version of the Kindle. But that's not the only news today. I'm sitting here at TOC and talking to John Chodacki from Safari Books Online and, with a smile on his face, he's showing me beta version of m.safaribooksonline.com. (In full disclosure, Safari is a joint venture between O'Reilly and Pearson.)
The smile is well deserved. It looks great, it's fast, and I love the stripped-down navigation and lack of clutter. It's got a couple of bugs, and I don't like that I can't read our highly designed Head First books, but it's a Beta.
The mobile version will be released on 23 February, and if you're a Safari subscriber and have feedback, send it to safarimobile AT safaribooksonline DOT com. If you're not already a subscriber, you can get a free trial.
Last chance - BISG survey on experimentation closes on Thursday
Allen Noren
February 19, 2008
| Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Listen
Michael Healy, Executive Director of the BISG, is offering publishers one last chance to take their Experimentation and Innovation Survey. I took it, and I can say it's not only worthwhile as a way of benchmarking where the industry is on this important topic, but it provides a context for thinking about innovation within your own organization. Here's the email Michael sent out today:We will be closing our survey on publisher experimentation and innovation on Thursday afternoon, February 21. We would very much like your participation, so please don’t miss the opportunity to contribute to the survey. The link to the survey is as follows:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=ttAYUp778M0QmwPd7yOHtQ_3d_3d
Harlequin as Innovator
Allen Noren
February 11, 2008
| Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Listen
An truly impressive talk, and I hope we can convince Brent to speak at the next TOC. Do yourself a favor and visit eharlequin.com. Study what they're up to.
The Future of the Book
Allen Noren
February 11, 2008
| Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Listen
There are also some clever marketing and community hooks embedded within the "books," such as the "stay in touch" feature towards the bottom of this page. Small things like this are the often overlooked but necessary features required to encourage ongoing participation.
If you're thinking about experimenting with books online, check the above sites out.
New Publishing Models
Allen Noren
February 11, 2008
| Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Listen
Wikitravel: Though there are a plethora of travel sites available, this one is built on the very successful Wikipedia model. And now users can purchase a book through it, no traditional publisher involved.
Encyclopedia of Life: A dense and gorgeous site that comes to us without the involvement of a traditional publisher.
Sermo.com: A members-only site for doctors in the Boston area that publishes medical information, without the involvement of a traditional publisher.
I could add a bunch more to this list--Knol, 101 Cookbook, Baby Center--but the trend is clear, and if publishers aren't willing to participate in this new world, really participate, then alternatives will be created.
Will Publishers matter?
Allen Noren
February 11, 2008
| Permalink
| Comments (0)
|
Listen
- More people are reading now. They are just reading differently.
- Facebook is the new threat to publishers, not Google.
- Publishing and writing, the sharing of ideas, is fundamentally a part of Web 2.0 technologies.
- Old formats die. The novel as we know it has only been around since the 1800s.
- To be relevant, publishers have to be available at the point of need.
- University of Alberta library doing all referencing in Facebook, and has 5000 visitors a night in Second Life.
- Syndication is increasingly important. If you're still trying to create a destination site, you're messing up.
- User intention paths. Have to adapt to your users, and not create barriers. Otherwise, they'll bypass you.
- Phone is the dominant global device. Is your content ready?
- 85% of Stephen's colleagues in China read books on their phones.
- Do you want to help create the world, or let it happen to you?
There's way more I could write about Stephen's talk, but Bill Burger from the Copyright Clearance Center is up next.
- Stay Connected
-
TOC RSS Feeds
News Posts
Commentary Posts
Combined Feed
New to RSS?
Subscribe to the TOC newsletter. 
Follow TOC on Twitter. 
Join the TOC Facebook group. 
Join the TOC LinkedIn group. 
Get the TOC Headline Widget.
- Search
-
- Events
-
The TOC 2010 Call for Participation is Open
Proposals for the February 2010 Tools of Change for Publishing conference will be accepted through the TOC Conference site until September 1.
- TOC In-Depth
-
Impact of P2P and Free Distribution on Book Sales This report tests assumptions about free digital book distribution and P2P impact on sales. Learn more.
The StartWithXML report offers a pragmatic look at XML tools and publishing workflows. Learn more.
Dive into the skills and tools critical to the future of publishing. Learn more.
- Tag Cloud
- TOC Community Topics
-
Tools of Change for Publishing is a division of O'Reilly Media, Inc.
© 2009, O'Reilly Media, Inc. | (707) 827-7000 / (800) 998-9938
All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing on oreilly.com are the property of their respective owners.
O'Reilly Media Home | Privacy Policy | Community | Blog | Directory | Job Board | About
