Microsoft: The New New York Times?
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer last year famously remarked that in 10 years, all
media will be digital -- meaning print will be deader than a run-over Texas
armadillo. Maybe Steve really believes such an absurd idea (despite iPods and
CDs, the LP is the hot ticket for young music-philes). Or perhaps he's trying
to will it into happening so Microsoft can take over the publishing business.
Like Google and Yahoo, Microsoft isn't really planning on doing publishing
the traditional way -- the hard way -- where you actually hire journalists and
editors and produce content. No, Microsoft and its ilk want to monetize content
produced by others. They want advertisers to connect with Microsoft by advertising
on Microsoft sites, or for advertisers and publishers to use Microsoft as the
Web advertising go-between. Here's
a rundown of what Microsoft has to offer.
The company has a new
partner, Rapt Inc., which Microsoft is in the process of buying. Rapt helps
publishers forecast and does inventory management. The software will be added
to Microsoft's Atlas Publisher Suite.
Posted by Doug Barney on March 17, 2008 at 11:52 AM