Fairfax Kills OFF Broadsheets and Lifts Profits

Fairfax Media’s familiar broadsheets have been consigned to the history books, with the first tabloid editions of The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age rolling off the printing presses this morning.

In what is more of a survival strategy than a cosmetic overhaul, the larger broadsheet layout has been dumped for the weekday editions as Fairfax Media fights to hold onto readers and advertisers in a digital media world that has forced the closure of papers around the globe.

Apart from just size – which Fairfax amusingly refers to as compact rather than tabloid -  one of the biggest changes puts sport on to the back pages, with the very back page taken up by an advertisement, nice work.

Fairfax’s head of advertising strategy, Sarah Keith, says the company put in some very serious research. Brain imaging was used to track what readers really wanted during the entire redesign process, with some resounding plus’ for the new tabloid sized compact papers :: Read the full article »»»»

UPDATED: News Limited Shakes It ALL Up

Australia’s media landscape has been through the ringer over the past few weeks, the ground is changing at a pace not seen since the eighties. The latest shake-up comes from the ever stoic News Limited – the Australian arm of News Corporation – the company has announced a massive restructuring of the way it delivers news.

The announcement on last week, which included job cuts and a reduction in east coast operations from 19 divisions to five, came days after Fairfax Media outlined plans to axe 1,900 staff, move jobs offshore, close two major printing presses and downsize its flagship newspapers to tabloids, as well as it’s ongoing boardroom battles with billionaire Gina Rinehart.

Despite the cuts, News Limited CEO Kim Williams has told staff that the organisation remains committed to print :: Read the full article »»»»

Facebook Timeline: Unearthing Pix You Forgot You Had? or A Stalkers Dream!

Like it or not, Facebook is about to make its new profile format –  Timeline – compulsory. Over the next few weeks, every Facebook account will be updated with the new-look profile, presenting a scrapbook of all of your past status updates and photographs.

The latest upgrade to Facebook has security experts warning people to clean up their online history or risk having embarrassing photos, comments and status updates resurface. Facebook will not say exactly when, but sometime in the next month all user profile pages will transition to the new Timeline setting.

The changes mean that every post, photo and action in a Facebook user’s history will be available for friends to easily view in reverse chronological order. Facebook users have had the option to use Timeline since last year.

The problem with Facebook is it keeps changing its default settings, you might not care about the change right now, in 20 years when you’re standing for political office? Clearly social media sites like Facebook have granted us a much more transparent society. Graham Cluley, a social media security commentator says “Facebook is encouraging users to enter even more personal details about themselves and their life experiences, and making it simpler for others to view the information.” Read the full article »»»»

Belarus Restricts Access to Foreign Websites

UPDATE: There is confusion in the former Soviet republic of Belarus over a new law which restricts internet access to some foreign-registered websites. The government says the change is designed to stop online businesses from setting up outside the country. But activists like Yaroslav Romanchuk, an economist with the Mises Centre in Minsk, say the real aim is to target high-profile opposition websites registered outside Belarus. ”Technically, if you follow the word of this decree, you can fine up to three million Belorussians every day,” Romanchuk said. ”So that’s extremely difficult. I think that authorities will hand-pick websites that they don’t like and they will prosecute people or organisations that will provide access to them.” Belarus, under strongman president Alexander Lukashenka, already has the most repressive security regime in Europe. Kirill Koktysh, from the Moscow Institute of International Relations, says the reason for the confusion over the new law is that the presidential order was “extremely general”. ”Theoretically it allowed interpretation that the access to all Belorussian internet sites would be blocked,” Koktysh said. ”But now we have official comment that the order aims only for blocking of the internet shops. So we should wait for the real practice.”

Many analysts predict the real practice will be a pronounced chill for internet service providers. Faced with fines and an obligation to report visits to certain sites, Romanchuk says providers may simply block access themselves. ”The thing is that if you, as a provider, violate this legislation providing access to websites registered outside Belarus, then you can have your licence revoked,” Romanchuk said. ”Essentially, you can kill your own business.” Read the full article »»»»

The New York Times E-Mails Millions by Mistake to Say Subscriptions Were Canceled

When is a spam email not spam? When it comes from the New York Times!

If your a New York Times Subscriber internet user, you most likely received an  email this morning begging you not to cancel your NYT subscription, quickly followed by another email asking you to ignore the first, confused? don’t be! Read the full article »»»»

Olive The Movie: Shot Entirely on Nokia N8 Smartphone, Olive Gets Cinema Release

Getting a clue is often the first stumbling block for creatives, all the skill in the world is next to useless without a great idea. Hooman Khalili first got the idea to make a feature film shot entirely on a smartphone in January 2010. A little less than two years later, his film Olive, shot on a Nokia N8, is going to be shown in a Los Angeles theatre for a week. The film simply put is about a little girl that transforms the lives of three people without speaking one word. The movie stars two time Academy Award nominated actress Gena Rowlands (The Notebook, A Woman Under the Influence). While it all sounds too simple, it wasn’t, the impressive inventiveness from techs shines through in the quality of this flick. The movie was shot using the Nokia N8′s 12-megapixel camera and a customized 35mm lens adapter – attached with double-sided tape. The mobility of the phone also made for a shallow depth of field and easier maneuvering. Khalili attached the N8 to ladders, remote control helicopters, and motorcycles to capture some of the shots in the film. READ MORE