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Tuesday, December 22, 1998 Media Cynic | Forum | Advertising | Classifieds | Jobs The Cat in The Hat Hosts U.S. Kids Compute! The Learning Company, Inc., with the help of The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss Enterprises, and various participating sponsors and partners announced today the launch of the U.S. Kids Compute! website. The purpose of the campaign and website is to make the public aware of the way computers affect learning by young children. Hosted by CKidsNet, the Seussian-style website will provide activities to increase their computer skills. Their scores earn points that cumulatively result in the acquisition of 10,000 CD-ROMs to be donated to needy kids via community organizations. "The goals of the campaign are to educate and involve kids and families about learning with computers, and to improve access to software for children who might not have computers at home," said First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, during remarks on Dec. 1, 1998, the day of the campaign launch. As with reading, computer literacy takes root in the home. There are a number of powerful initiatives on the website to enable parents to participate in this process. The Computer Literacy 101 section provides a directory of useful websites. The FAQ section answers basic home site computer questions. The Practical Tips area contains documents for parents and educators to download, such as an age-appropriate "Computer Skills Checklist"; "How to Set Up the Optimal Kid's Computer Environment at Home"; "How to Select Early Learning Software for Kids 3-8." A white paper entitled "Kids Computing at Home" provides insight from industry experts. By participating in the site's Challenge Center, families will engage in several fun activities which will help to improve and develop their computer literacy skills. As they complete the activities, they will help less fortunate children increase their computer literacy as well, by causing software to be donated to community organizations across the country. With activities for children ages 2 and up, the website challenge will run from Dec. 15, 1998 through March 2, 1999. Mac Publishing's CEO Colin Crawford Named Publisher of eMediaweekly Mac Publishing's board of directors has announced that Colin Crawford, CEO and president of Mac Publishing will assume the title of publisher of eMediaweekly, a newsweekly for digital media managers. Crawford steps in to replace Rick LePage, who held the title of publisher, as well as editor-in-chief. An eleven-year veteran of MacWEEK and eMediaweekly, LePage is leaving to pursue writing and other interests. "At a time when some publishers are opting out of this space, we wanted to send a clear and strong message that we believe the digital media market is vital and viable," said Claude Sheer, Ziff-Davis Chief Internet Strategist and Mac Publishing board member. "Naming Colin publisher underscores our commitment and support of eMediaweekly and to this market. Additionally, as a veteran in the Mac market, Colin can leverage his longtime relationships with vendors who staked out positions early in the DTP and mid to high-end graphics market, and for whom eMw represents a crucial advertising vehicle." "Rick LePage has done an exemplary job in providing leadership during the transition of MacWEEK to an electronic platform, and the launch of eMediaweekly. Now, it's critical that we sustain the momentum that Rick, along with editor David Morgenstern and associate publisher Karl Elken have built," said Crawford. Mac Publishing, LLC, also publishes Macworld magazine, a leading Macintosh monthly, Macworld Online, MacWEEK.com, iMacworld.com and eMediaweekly which aggregated are one of the top contributors of traffic to ZDNet. Mac Publishing, located in San Francisco, is a joint venture between Ziff-Davis Inc. and International Data Group, Inc. VARBusiness Enhancements to Reflect New Services Emphasis and Reconfiguration of the PC Industry CMP Media's VARBusiness Magazine has announced that it will launch several new sections and increase its frequency as part of a series of enhancements for 1999 to further align its editorial content with significant new trends in the computer industry and the channel. A key trend affecting the value-added resellers (VARs), systems integrators and IT consultants who read VARBusiness is the emphasis on services. VARBusiness Editor Mark Kindley said, "our own `State of the VAR Market' research shows that 43 percent of a typical reseller's profits now come from services and consulting and that nearly half of all VARs plan to focus more on services in 1999." As part of its planned enhancement for 1999, VARBusiness will launch a new section called "Services and Consulting" designed to meet the needs of VARs and service-oriented integrators. The section draws upon the resources of G2R Inc., the market research and consulting firm, to present resellers with different approaches to building customer relationships for the consultative process. Another trend affecting VARBusiness readers, the increased importance of unbranded personal computers or "white boxes," is spawning a new, dedicated section. It will focus on system builders, distributors that assemble white-box systems and vendors that are supplying components to resellers. In addition, VARBusiness will increase its frequency to 32 issues per year from the current 26 to permit stand-alone publication of six franchise issues like the benchmark annual "State of the VAR Market" study, previously included in the biweekly magazine's regular issues. "Our ongoing research indicates that readers depend on both the regular timely issues coverage and special issues to guide their business and technology strategies," said Publisher Robert C. DeMarzo. "In the past, some regular editorial sections were eliminated to accommodate the special reports. Now, by publishing dedicated special issues, complete coverage is maintained without any gaps." PriMedia Consumer Magazines Names John Kennelly Publisher of Automobile Magazine PriMedia Consumer Magazines, a unit of PriMedia Inc., announced that John Kennelly, 34, currently associate publisher of Automobile Magazine has been named publisher of the magazine by Janice Grossman, executive vice president, president of advertising and marketing. Automobile Magazine targets the "enlightened enthusiast" whose passion for the experience and thrill of driving informs that reader's lifestyle and choices. "John has impressed all of us - advertisers, editors and PRIMEDIA management alike, with his energy and skillful piloting of the magazine," said Grossman. "He accepted enormous responsibility and deserves the title of publisher." Kennelly joined Automobile Magazine in 1997 from Financial World, where he was advertising director. Prior to that he spent nine years at Hearst, holding management positions at Cosmopolitan, Country Living and Countryside. Pen Scanner Enables Capture of Web Site Addresses From Print Media Symbol Technologies, Inc., a leader in mobile computing systems and bar-code data capture, has announced a partnership with software developer Jump Technologies of Minneapolis, Minn., to revolutionize the way newspaper readers can obtain further information about their interests. The Rochester Post-Bulletin, Minnesota's largest afternoon newspaper, is using Symbol's new CyberPen, a combination bar-code scanner and writing instrument, in conjunction with Jump Technologies' patent-pending JumpCode software. This system allows readers to scan bar codes appearing in print articles or advertisements and instantly create an indexed "homepage" containing hyperlinks to the user's desired websites. "In the past, if readers wanted to obtain further information about a subject, they had to tear newspaper pages or write down Web site addresses in order to remember what interested them," said Bob Hill, general manager of the Post-Bulletin. Using the CyberPen is a quicker and more organized way for readers to bookmark their areas of interest. When a reader scans the bar code on a print article, the CyberPen directs them to the on-line version of that article. There, they are given the option of viewing past articles on that subject or similar articles." How the Solution Works The CyberPen system includes a standard ink pen with integrated bar-code scanning wand and decoder, and the CyberWell docking station, where the wand is placed to upload data to a PC and where it is stored when not in use. The CyberPen allows readers to scan and store up to 100 codes. When ready, the reader transfers the stored codes through the CyberWell to their PC. The JumpCode system then takes the data from the scanner and connects the reader to the Internet by starting the default browser. "Together with Symbol Technologies, we have created a compelling new way for consumers to navigate the World Wide Web, allowing users to cut through unnecessary layers of information and taking a faster, direct route to their interests," said Rhys Parry, president and CEO of Jump Technologies. Click here to return to the homepage of The Write NewsTM Click here to subscribe to our free weekly email newsletter.  www.writenews.com Copyright © 1997-2010 by Writers Write, Inc. All Rights Reserved. |
