Changing the Face of TV

The new Apple TV may revolutionize what we watch on television and when.

For about $300, Apple TV wirelessly syncs your iTunes library from any computer in the house and broadcasts the content through your television or home theater system.

For people with an iTunes library filled with music, podcasts, video podcasts (vodcasts), television shows, movies and photos, this means you can enjoy all your digital media in HDTV widescreen from the comfort of your living room.

Burgeoning Content

Many podcasts, vodcasts and major network television shows are available for free download, and some major studio releases can now be purchased through iTunes Music Store. Look for more big budget as well as independent movies and television shows to become available in the future.

And best of all, Apple TV allows you to watch a veritable smorgasbord of media whenever you want to watch it.

For now, it won’t replace your DVR or cable box, but as more content becomes available, it may develop into a must-have component for your home theater system.

See Apple TV specs for more information.

Online radio is rife with Web 2.0 listeners. According to Techcrunch, content demand for two French-based online music entities, BlogMusik and RadioBlogClub, was so intense that both elected to go off-line this week in search of more robust and secure server space.

But What Right Do They Have?

Unfortunately Techcrunch was mislead by messages on both sites. Turns out the French Government organization SACEM—a regulating body representing original music composers, authors and publishers—mandated both companies go offline over usage fee disputes and copyright infringements.

The Irony of It All

Ironically, one commenter requested that Techcrunch remove a RadioBlogClub widget embedded in the article claiming it was illegally streaming a Prince tune.

Odder yet, Techcrunch France got the SACEM angle of the story correct (If you don’t read French, consider using the FireFox translator add-on we featured).

Pandora’s Box

Online radio is a burgeoning marketplace as suggested in our recent article about online radio sites Last.FM and Pandora.

But pressure to satiate the socially-driven, “I want it my way and I want it now” appetites of online listeners often leads to purveying ill-gotten content. And resolving Napster-like licensing and jurisdiction issues on the global stage remains an elusive task.

For now, I’m content to don my headphones, order up an up-tempo set on Last.FM and watch the drama unfold.

Image source: Patrick Q

You’ve seen thousands of billboards, but have you ever been moved by one? Responded to a call to action? Chances are you can count the ones you remember on one hand, the ones you’ve liked on a couple of fingers. So, is outdoor advertising effective? When used appropriately, yes.

Outdoor advertising has its own strengths and weaknesses, and its own set of rules. Here are some guiding principles to help you get the most out of your billboards:

Remember the 4-second rule. On average, drivers have four seconds to digest the information on an outdoor board. Four seconds. Short headline, visual, logo. Time’s up. Try it tonight on your drive home. At the point you can clearly see a billboard, begin counting: One-Mississippi, two-Mississippi. Stop when you’ve passed the board.

Keep it short and simple. To make an impact, the information on the board must be a single concise message, ideally conveyed in 7 words or less. Unless your phone number is somehow repetitive or easy to remember, leave it off. Most drivers don’t have a pen and paper to write it down, and even if they did, they shouldn’t attempt to do so while driving. Leave the www off your url; it’s unnecessary. Boil it down to one short, impactful statement.

Make it big and clean. You can’t just resize your print ad and expect it to work. The font must be simple and large enough to read. The more copy, the smaller the font, the less likely drivers will be able to read it. Clean, san serif fonts 10″ to 24″ high on a contrasting background work best.

Test your concept. Don’t hesitate to ask your creative firm for proof of concept prior to production. If you’re producing your own creative, the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA), Lamar Outdoor and Clear Channel all have simulators to test your creative from a street-level view.

Billboards build awareness. They’re a great way to reinforce your print or broadcast ad, or simply get your name and logo in front of commuters on a daily basis. But they are not a targeted medium. Unless a billboard is solely directional, it must be used in concert with other media efforts to be effective.

Communicators everywhere rejoice. Featuring an interface designed to ape the Periodic Table, The Periodic Table of Visualization Methods offers a guide to nearly every diagrammatic visual aid imaginable. The chart’s interactive roll overs make visualizing your next chart or graph an elemental exercise indeed.

Not only is Google the number one search engine, it’s also the best place to work according to Fortune Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For 2007 list.

An intentionally unconventional company, Google understands employees spend long hours on their Mountain View, California campus. To reward their hard work and loyalty, there aren’t many perks Google doesn’t offer. In addition to the conventional child care, concierge and on-site gym, they also offer 11 gourmet cafeterias and enough snack areas to ensure no employee is more than 150 feet away from a food source. All free.

Other amenities include access to five campus doctors compliments of Google, and no cost laundry rooms—even the soap is free. For your car, on-site car washes and oil changes.

Want to bring your dog to work? Sure. Got your eye on a hybrid car? Google will give you $5,000 toward its purchase. Having a baby? They’ll reimburse you up to $500 for take out food your first four weeks at home.

Employees also have a climbing wall, swimming pool, Foosball and a variety of other diversions when they’re ready to take a break.

Beyond fun, food, and personal conveniences, Google puts its money where its mouth is. To reward employee innovation, they offer compensation incentives including special bonuses and a Founders award that can grant an employee millions of dollars.

The word is out, Google treats their employees well. Approximately 1,300 people a day submit a résumé in hopes of witnessing first-hand just how well.