NONE: ONLINE-ADS>> WB '97#2: Will the Darlings of Push Be Around in A Year?
ONLINE-ADS>> WB '97#2: Will the Darlings of Push Be Around in A Year?
Online Ads (online-ads_at_o-a.com)
Wed, 11 Jun 1997 11:47:56 -0500 (CDT)
This is the second in a series of 10 reports from Richard Hoy
covering the Web Broadcasting '97 conference.
You will receive these reports in addition to your normal
Online Ads posts/digests.
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Web Broadcasting '97 coverage
June 11, 1997 / Issue 2
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Will the Darlings of Push Be Around in A Year?
Session:
Defining The Turf: Web Broadcasting From E-mail
to HTML to HDTV
speaker:
Lee Fleming, Digital Information Group
It is clear from Lee Fleming's talk that there
are a dizzying array of options for anyone
wanting to push content. So many, in fact, that
Fleming suggested it is smart to try and understand
who is involved and who is likely to disappear
when the inevitable shake out comes.
"Will the darlings of push be around in a year?"
She asked rhetorically.
In a very unscientific but nevertheless
revealing straw poll, Fleming asked audience
members how many had downloaded Pointcast. Most
of the 200-plus crowd raised their hands. Then
she asked how many still have the software on
their machines. Hands dropped like trees in a
hurricane. It was clear that at least most
of this audience had removed the software
after the novelty wore off.
This is a stark contrast to the 1.5 million
ACTIVE users Pointcast claims.
So who is right? Fleming tried to construct
a framework for newcomers to help them begin
understanding what these companies do.
QUICK BREAKDOWN OF PUSH
-----------------------
There are two business models in the push
world:
Technology Sellers - companies that make the
tools you need to build and manage push.
Examples include: Marimba, BackWeb, Wayfarer.
Content Resellers - companies that aggregate
content and then pay for that content through
advertising, subscriptions or pay-per-view.
Examples include: Pointcast, Newspage, Mercury
Mail.
There are two basic techniques to deliver
via push:
Multicasting - sending the same content to
a select group of people. Examples include:
sending email to a discussion list;
sending software updates directly to programs
on a user's hard drive.
Streaming - sending video or audio data as
a continuous feed that can be played back in
real- or near real-time. Examples include:
Internet radio broadcasts; video feeds over the
Internet.
Push content can contain some form of
intelligent agent - a program that gathers or
processes information on your behalf. These
generally take the form of filters or
analysis of a user's behavior. Agents are
often used to deliver personalized push content.
THE REAL CHALLENGE
------------------
According to Fleming, the challenge for
publishers now isn't whether to adopt web-based
delivery. It is clear that it will play a major
role in the future. The challenge is deciding
who you should deal with and is it worth the
cost.
In some instances web-based delivery can
cannibalize your existing subscriber base if you
are a traditional publisher. In one example,
Fleming cited the since the introduction of
the Wall Street Journal Interactive, only
one in eight subscribers to the paper Journal
now renew.
Your brand could disappear online. It is now
common to hear, "I read that story on Pointcast,"
rather than, "I read that Reuters story on
Pointcast."
And you could invest a great deal of resources
to online publishing and be wiped out by a
new brand. C|net is a perfect example of a
dominate information provider that didn't
exist three years ago.
What is clear is that there are no winners just
yet. Push may become mission critical to your
publishing efforts. It is prudent to have an
understanding who the players are and what
they offer.
Fleming's presentation, including descriptions of
all the types of software she found, will be
online starting June 15. To retrieve it, go to:
http://www.atvantage.com/
select DIG from the drop-down list, then select the
title: "Web Broadcasting: The Players."
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Reporting provided by Richard Hoy, moderator of
the Online Advertising Discussion List
http://www.o-a.com
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