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December 2002
- Voter News Service Is in Danger of Dissolution
The Voter News Service, a consortium of major news
organizations that surveys voters, might be dissolved
after it suffered an embarrassing loss of data in the
recent elections.
Source: New York Times,
WWForums.com Discussion 12-30-02
- Slow Holiday Sales
Books, electronics and holiday sales in general were
disappointing. Barnes & Noble has reduced its earnings
outlook for the fourth quarter based on disappointing sales
of books at its Barnes & Noble stores. Barnes & Noble expects
sales will be flat to down 3 percent in the fourth quarter vs. the
same period in 2001.
Source: Statesman Journal 12-27-02
- The Rising Cost of Books
Why do books cost so much? Why are prices on new hardcovers
above the $30 mark? Some of the factors involved include:
paper costs, warehouse space, salaries for the publisher's staff,
publicity, author's royalties, cuts to distributors and retailers
and remaindered and returned books.
Source: Salon.com, WWForums.com Discussion 12-25-02
- The New York Press has been sold to an investor group
and five employees, including the editor, were let go by
the new owners -- about 10% of the staff.
Source: New York Times 10-24-02
- Google News Showcases Press Release
Google News, a
news site based on computer algorithms with no human editors, does
not always select the most appropriate sources for its material.
In one incident found by Marketwatch.com, Google News selected
a press release for the top news item on its business section.
Source: Marketwatch.com,
WWForums.com Discussion 12-23-02
- “Faux” Suggestions at Amazon
In order to push its new clothing offers Amazon has
been trying to convert book, music and dvd shoppers.
On the sales pages for these products text links appear
that say “Customers who shopped for this item also wear"
and then it lists items from its apparel merchants.
However, people who ordered the book, cd or dvd shown did
not necessarily buy any clothes.
An Amazon spokeswoman told the Wall Street Journal
that the suggestions are “not based on the purchasing
history” of Amazon customers.
Source: Wall Street Journal 12-23-02
- Manhattan's Madison Avenue Bookshop is closing on
January 10th, 2003.
Source: Publishers Weekly 12-23-02
- Macmillans,
the publisher of Jeffrey Archer's novels,
denies claims that Archer's latest novel, Sons of Fortune,
is full of factual errors as many reviewers have claimed.
Source: BBC 12-23-02
- Hated Pop-ups Add New Intrusive Method
Some pop-up ads are now sending you to a new
site when you move your cursor over the ad --
even if you do not click on it. News.com reported
that many people found that these new features in
pop-up ads "overstep the boundaries of an already
intrusive and loathed form of Web advertising."
Source: News.com,
WWForums.com Discussion 12-20-02
- Email Viruses Multiply
Email viruses are now twice as common as they
were a year ago.
Source: News.com 12-16-02
- Business Age magazine has ceased publication. The
magazine's ten employees were let go.
Source: The Guardian 12-16-02
- Media Unspun, a
subscription-based email newsletter published by
Jimmy Guterman, is ceasing publication.
Source: InternetNews.com 12-13-02
- The Jewish Star Times is ceasing publication. The publication, which
was started by the Miami Herald in 1999, has five employees.
Souce: Miami Herald 12-13-02
- AOL has started its lasted round of layoffs. There
are expected to be hundreds of job cuts, most of
them coming from AOL's Netscape unit.
Source: CNN 12-10-02
- Yahoo is cutting staff in its Broadcast and NetRoadShow units.
The cuts will take place at Yahoo's Atlanta and Dallas offices.
Yahoo also recently closed down its web hosting services division.
Source: News.com 12-10-02
- Is Blockbuster Fiction Going Bust?
New books from big name authors like Stephen King,
Tom Clancy and Michael Crichton are not selling as well as
publishers were expecting. There could be a number of
reasons for the drop in sales including the economy, less
interest in these authors, competition from other mediums
and expensive hardcover prices. Whatever the reason might
be, the sales drop in from trusted bestsellers is troubling
booksellers and publishers.
Source: WWForums.com Discussion, Washingtonpost.com 12-9-02
- Madster Ordered to Unplug Computers
Madster, an online music file swapping service, has
been ordered to unplug its computers by a
Chicago federal judge. So far, the company has
not complied with the judge's order.
Source: Internet.com, ZDNet 12-9-02
- Bad Reviews Not Easily Forgotten
Bad news for authors. Unfortunately, people
remember the bad reviews more than they remember
the good ones.
Source: The Guardian 12-9-02
- AOL Job Cuts
AOL Time Warner's America Online unit plans to cut $100 million
in operating expenses. Hundreds of job cuts at AOL's headquarters
in Virginia will be part of the plan.
Source: Washingtonpost.com 12-6-02
- Sheep Poetry
If there wasn't already enough competition for
poets, now sheep are creating their own poems.
Source: BBC,
WWForums.com discussion 12-4-02
- AOL Expects Weak 2003 Revenues
America Online says the ad slump will continue in 2003, at
least for itself. AOL expects its revenues to drop by 50% in
2003.
Source: BBC 12-3-02
- Ads.com, a website which provided a database of television
commercials, has closed. A note on the website reads, "We're sorry
to announce that the Ads.com service is no longer available.
Unfortunately, we weren't able to raise the funding necessary to
continue providing the service."
Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer 12-3-02
- Leader Publishing Group is ceasing publication of
Business to Business magazine. Leader will merge
the magazine in with its Catalyst magazine. Three jobs
were eliminated.
Source: Bizjournals.com 12-2-02
- Newspaper readers skip local newspaper
jobs and visit Monster.com for job listings instead,
according to a recent study. One factor might be
the design of the newspaper websites.
Bob Jordan, co-chairman of International Demographics,
said that "just finding the employment icon on some
sites is difficult." Recruitment revenues, which have
diminished the past couple years because of
online competition and the weak economy, are extremely
important to newspapers.
Source: San Jose Business Journal 12-2-02
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