TAKEAWAY: As the two-day Power of the Tablet conference continues, follow Reed Reibstein’s live coverage of events for the second day. Follow the tweets (#poweroftablet), too!
For the schedule for the conference, go to today’s other blog post. At the bottom of the blog post, we have reprinted a transcript of the first day’s liveblogging for easier reading.
8:19
Damon Kiesow:
Good morning. Day two of The Power of Tablets will begin in about 20 minutes. The first speaker of the day will be Roger Fidler “The Evolution of the Tablet”
8:35
Damon Kiesow:
Poynter’s Bill Mitchell is recapping yesterday’s sessions and introducing Roger Fidler’s presentation.
8:38
Damon Kiesow:
Erik Schut of Woodwing points out that the current iPad apps were developed in two months. It is still very early in the app development process.
8:42
dorsey:
Getting started at Day 2 of#poweroftablet. @bmitch is leading a thoughtful summary of yesterday. Lots of big ideas to carry forward.
8:43
Damon Kiesow:
Mitchell: Fidler has been unmovable in his core belief that there is something in the tablet for journalism.
8:46
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler is referencing work by Alan Kay and Arthur C. Clarke that supported the future development of tablets.
8:48
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: In 1988 studies how to take a broadsheet newspaper and translate it to a device. Gave up on idea of reproducing quadrants of print pages in readable digital format.
8:49
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: In 1990 helped produce a video describing a news tablet device – in 1991 developed first limited functional prototype of a tablet newspaper.
8:51
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler worked in early 1990’s to develop physical prototypes to help communicate concepts of tablet news reading.
8:52
Reed Reibstein:
Here’s the 1994 video Fidler mentioned: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4176721009838609904&hl=en#.
8:53
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: paper is never going to go away. But newsprint is a highly ephemeral medium. People are shifting to digital. Not surprised to see tablets be the main product of ‘newspapers’
8:54
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Digital publishing will become the economically viable product. By 2020 most major metros will be primarily digital.
8:54
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: The era of printing newspapers on paper is coming to an end.
8:55
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Produced first complete, functional tablet newspaper while at Kent State. Used content from Crain’s Cleveland Business.
8:56
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Print is a pleasurable leisure reading experience. That is different than the Web reading experience. Reading on an iPhone or Web is more like snacking on news. Reading on print or a tablet is more like dining on the news.
8:56
poetabook:
#poweroftablet so many new journalism challenges are age-old marketing challenges: audience building, distribution, redefining “newstand”
8:57
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: A danger if we go too far to the Web side of the tablet experience. Tablets need to be a different experience of the Web. I do not believe in screen replica editions. it is not successful with consumers.
8:58
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Products need to be developed specifically for tablets. And it must be different than print. It must have added value.
8:59
9:01
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Worked with LA Times content in 2002 – 2003 to create newsbooks for reading on tablets and laptop PCs.
9:02
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: advertising is the key to success in tablet editions. Subscriptions will not create enough revenue.
9:02
sdkstl:
Roger Fidler talks us through history of tablets at #poweroftablet. Reminder of how much work was done before Apple unlocked consumer power.
9:03
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: In 2003 prototype had functional prototype had video and interactive elements within ads.
9:07
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: In 2005 – 2007 did a field test with the Missourian – produced by MU grad students. It as created in PDF format. Ran into issues with installed software standards.
9:08
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: www.globaljournalist.com is a current digital reader project.
9:10
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: diigital newsbooks an opportunity to take investigative projects from newspapers and repackage and sell them online. Will people pay for a packaged digital version when they can get the same info for free online? Some positive signs.
9:11
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Reynolds Journalism Institute will be pursuing a national survey on iPad usage patterns and behavior.
9:12
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler is displaying some of the early prototypes he mentioned earlier in his presentation. An LA Times edition in a PDF has embedded video.
9:14
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: As we work with digital editions – keep people within the context of the publication as long as possible. Advertisers need to think of image and information within the digital newspaper edition.
9:17
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Early advertisers on the Missourian digital edition field test were skeptical until they saw the product hands-on. Still a question of “is it a print ad or a web ad?”
9:18
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: took advertisers Web sites and re-purposed it for layered, interactive ad experiences in the digital edition.
9:20
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: St Petersburg Times newsbook version of their Scientology investigation has sold ‘hundreds’ of copies. It aggregates a year-long series that first ran in print.
9:21
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Goodreader app on iPad is the only one that handles embedded video and other features used to create interactive PDF presentations.
9:22
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Print still provides the best presentation of leisure reading. It can be OK to recreate that experience in digital formats. It should still have added value – links, multimedia etc.
9:23
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Producing Global Journalist using inDesign and some automated scripts to create a newsbook edition in a few hours.
9:24
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: Original newspapers were book sized. Broadsheet was developed to reduce taxes on the product. Newspapers have changed and evolved over time. They will continue to.
9:26
Damon Kiesow:
Question: issues with Apple? Fidler: Jobs is being way too rigid. Flash, OK. On PDF – they don’t support javascript in PDFs, limits our tools.
9:27
Damon Kiesow:
Fidler: There are enough differences between Apple and Android and eReaders – we are not close to having any standardization. We can create ad standards – maybe.
9:30
Damon Kiesow:
Question: What about companies offering to translate print content to multiple digital platforms? Fidler: Most papers are not prepared to deal with the variety of platforms. There are many challenges with exporting feeds, often results in bland presentation. But I want to see more of this moving in house. We should not be outsourcing everything. Not a lot of revenue to share in rev-share deals.
9:31
Damon Kiesow:
We will be on a 15 minute break. Returning with The Economics of the iPad—Staci Kramer of PaidContent.org surveys the emerging business models for the iPad and other tablets; Joe Zeff of Joe Zeff design discusses how to prepare for advertising opportunities/challenges on these platforms.
9:31 [Be Right Back Countdown] 20 minutes
9:48
Damon Kiesow:
First up – Joe Zeff then Staci Kramer
9:50
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: the iPad lets us take a lot of things we already do and put them into a new format – but how do you make money at it?
9:50
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: You need to assess this opportunity as an entrepreneur
9:52
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: Costs are development, content, production, distribution. Revenues: advertising, subscriptions, partnerships, transactions.
9:54
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: Step one: Who is your audience? Two million iPads in two months. But not a lot of analytics yet. Apple is not sharing what they know – they are developing their own ad platform.
9:55
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: You can tabletize your entire publication. (Time or Wired) Successfully reformated their pubs for tablets.
9:55
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: Tabletize portions of your publication. EW Must List is an example. NYT Editor’s Choice as well.
9:56
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: Create something entirely new. Guardian Eyewitness – a free app supported through a sponsor. It just shows pictures. Elements – really allows you to experience content.
9:57
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: Print lets you … read, look. Apps let you read, look, watch, listen, search, organize, connect, play, buy.
9:59
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: make your app local, current, personalized, convenient, authoritative, exclusive, simple useful, fun.
10:00
dorsey:
On following Roger Fidler at#poweroftablet: “It’s like following Nostradamus”—@joezeffdesign
10:00
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: Consider partnerships. Consumers don’t want to pay for content. Advertisers do want to pay for audience.
10:02
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: How do you develop partnerships a a small newspaper? Package recipes with a way to buy pre-bagged groceries at a local store. High school sports coverage plus local team discounts.
10:03
Damon Kiesow:
Staci Kramer is up next. http://paidcontent.org/bio/3/
10:06
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer is showing the New York Post Pix app on he iPad. “Simple, elegant and engaging.”
10:06
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: Using one of their biggest assets – “photos” to prepare people for their full edition app which is coming.
10:07
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: Found the app because it was featured in the Apple Store. That is a big deal for apps.
10:07
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: We have no idea how many people are using apps, how they are using it.
10:08
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: It is too early to know what apps are worth economically. How many Wired users will pay for it the second time?
10:09
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: How many iPad users will buy the newspaper or magazine edition the second month, the third month.
10:10
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: People are willing to pay for novelty. That’s one reason why 80,000 people paid for the Wired app. But you have to deliver novelty. Not sure the first Wired app did that.
10:12
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: For the Guardian 156,000 iPhone apps sold @ $3.99 149,000 free iPad apps
10:13
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: Guardian Eyewitness – very simple to do. Not much cost involved. It is simple – got them on the iPad fast. it got them ready to launch their full edition paid app later this year.
10:16
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: Time actually produces and adds value to the purchase. You get the current issue – access to the news feed – and eventually use the newsfeed to upsell other issues or products.
10:16
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: Have not bought a second iPad edition of Time. Waiting for a subscription option. Get it in print.
10:17
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: WSJ adapted right away to an iPad version. The reason they did that – they were in a hurry. it turns out iut has had a positive reader response. The Journal has 10,000 Ipad subs sold and 30,000 other subscribers who get access to it. it is a value add.
10:18
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: it is hard to quantify – but in terms of retention it could be invaluable.
10:20
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: The Washington Post came out with a $2 iPhone app that was not worth $2. They knew it was not really ready. Instead of disappointing expectations – give it away for free and let people know a paid version is coming.
10:21
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: Users expect iteration. They accept it but they expect it. You need to take it to the next step. If you don’t intend to upgrade it ever – tell readers that.
10:22
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: Took half-a-dozen attempts to download the Wired app. I would have asked for money back if I could have – it was frustrating due to the size of the app.
10:25
Damon Kiesow:
Bill Mitchell is moderating questions. What is our best sense of a target audience. And what are possibilities of apps and revenue streams? Zeff: Tried to find demographics for the audience. There really is nothing out there. Yahoo identified some trends from a week’s visits. Most were 35 – 44 years old, affluent, living in cities, male 2:1 and were tech-saavy. That is so preliminary to be meaningless.
10:25
Damon Kiesow:
Zeff: Go to the Apple store and see who is using it. All of the evidence is anecdotal.
10:26
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: Apple policies are going ot make it hard to figure out analytics. Some of this is going to have to be on gut feel. Investing in one idea is maybe not the best idea. Repurpose content in multiple ways.
10:27
10:28
Damon Kiesow:
Comment from Roger Fidler: In our field tests most of the regular users of the Missourian digital edition were those not able to access the print paper. Men were the biggest initial down loaders but women were the most loyal readers.
10:29
Damon Kiesow:
Kramer: First app I bought was a Dora coloring book. We really don’t have any idea of the iPad pass-along rate.
10:30
Damon Kiesow:
We will break for 15 minutes and return with Andrew DeVigal and Bill Couch
10:30 [Be Right Back Countdown] 20 minutes
10:47
Reed Reibstein:
Starting now, Andrew DeVigal, Multimedia Editor of The New York Times, and Bill Couch, Interaction Designer of USA Today, discuss how tablets can enhance the storytelling process.
10:48
Reed Reibstein:
Mario Garcia is introducing DeVigal and Couch. He says that the information delivered at the conference so far has been far beyond what he expected and that it will be sure to resonate in the months to come.
10:48
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal takes the stage.
10:50
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: Taking a look at the historical perspective. Examine how we’ve told stories online with an eye to applying lessons to the tablet.
10:51
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: Showing an infographic he created in 1996. Pre-Flash.
10:53
dorsey:
@drewvigal delighting w review of his Shockwave-based 1996 interactive graphic. Amazing how far and fast things have changed.#poweroftablet
10:53
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: Images in infographics were pixellated to ensure speedy downloads. Compressed, monotone audio to improve the reader’s web experience.
10:54
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: In 2003, high-speed and low-speed versions of infographics. This feature is no longer used, but might it be helpful for the iPad?
10:56
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: By 2007, bandwidth situation had changed, allowing for streaming panoramic photos and audio.
10:58
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: Pushing the boundaries in 2010 with a graphic at the Broadway Theater. Triggers in audio that points the panoramic photo toward the subject of the discussion. Check it out:http://j.mp/cOP9Hn.
11:00
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: Will speak about storytelling through design, technology, navigation, and reporting/editing.
11:01
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: Plug-ins from just a few years ago are no longer available. iPix, Shockwave are gone, while Real Video is less widely used. So when designing today, we should create enduring forms.
11:03
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: At The New York Times, DeVigal’s team identifies the most common graphical forms and creates templates, empowering those in the newsroom who do not know the technology.
11:05
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: Many of the best iPad apps work in the cloud, synchronizing between the tablet, phone, and computer.
11:07
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: Agrees with Joe Zeff about creating specialized apps. In print, the Times won’t try to use the panoramic photo graphics.
11:08
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: Some interactive elements take days to execute, but others take weeks.
11:10
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal: The tablet is in its infancy. We are too critical of ourselves—give the tablet platform time to develop.
11:11
Reed Reibstein:
DeVigal introduces Couch. While DeVigal focused on the past, Couch will explore the current tablet environment.
11:12
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Parts of iPad apps feel like print, while others like the web. The iPad is the overlap of layout and technology, a perfect storm of design and interface.
11:13
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Print design is human interface design, working on how people move through the publication.
11:13
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: “The luxury of digital with the familiarity of the physical.”
11:15
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: All pieces of USA Today app are interactive.
11:16
Reed Reibstein:
Couch showing navigation diagrams, as seen at http://j.mp/d5xD3n.
11:18
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Print stories go live at 6 a.m., but by noon it’s old news. So give the editors some control during the day to insert breaking news or highlight certain articles.
11:18
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: “Gestures are the shortcuts for touch interfaces.”
11:20
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Approaches to building apps. Is the tablet for consumption or creation? Right now, Apple markets it as a device for consumption, but it will be a great creating device as it matures.
11:21 How did you learn about today’s chat?
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11:21
11:22
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Most apps right now put content on the device, but maybe content should take better advantage of each platform’s tools.
11:24
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: The iPhone is nearly sentient, with cellular service, GPS, and WiFi, magnetometer, accelerometer, and proximity sensor. Check out the Yelp iPhone app, with an augmented reality “monocle” feature.
11:24
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Multitouch and sensors combine for a wholly new kind of storytelling.
11:26
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: The tablet is like DeVigal’s six-week-old infant, capable of smiling. But the web is like a teenager or college student.
11:27
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Who is exploring the capabilities of the platform? People using a blend of print and web design.
11:28
ctonk144:
Bill Couch: With gyroscope function, apps can become nearly sentient . So story can become sentient . #poweroftablet
11:28
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Even though the PopSci+ app has gotten some flak, it is an intriguing approach to navigation. Also check out StarWalk.
11:33
poetabook:
#poweroftablet who are the explorers? print and online designers (plus pure programmers)
11:34
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: ABC Player translated its content well with video on demand.
11:35
Reed Reibstein:
Couch is showing off the popular RealRacing HD app. Tilt to steer makes you feel like you’re actually turning the wheel.
11:36
Reed Reibstein:
Pinball HD featured as an accurate representation of a pinball experience.
11:38
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Straightforward applications don’t need much translation or optimization when moving from device to device.
11:40
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Check out Pictory Magazine as an example of a web publication that works beautifully on the iPad.http://www.pictorymag.com/
11:41
Reed Reibstein:
Couch finished by quoting Craig Hockenberry, the developer of Twitterific for iPad, “It astonished me how the interface disappeared for [my mother]: at one point she subconsciously licked her finger before ‘flipping’ to the next photo.”
11:41
Reed Reibstein:
Now Q&A with DeVigal and Couch.
11:42
Reed Reibstein:
Question about whether USA Today’s app might take advantage of dynamic content on the iPad from Joe Zeff.
11:43
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: Still a lot of technological constraints. Difficult to inject one-off features into apps. But applications on the web can work on all devices—universally accessible.
11:44
Reed Reibstein:
Couch: In a couple of years, there will be templates for apps to deliver rich, dynamic experiences.
11:45
Reed Reibstein:
Couch is showing HTML5 app Every Time Zone. Works on tablet and desktop.http://everytimezone.com/
11:49
Reed Reibstein:
That’s a wrap on DeVigal and Couch. Mario Garcia mentions that this has been the storytelling unit of the conference—hopes that there will be another conference on that subject.
11:49
Reed Reibstein:
Garcia: Make the narrative part of the storytelling process. Nothing new about this, but must emphasize it on the tablet.
11:50
Reed Reibstein:
Garcia: Good photos and good stories are the foundations.
11:51
Reed Reibstein:
Group photo time, then lunch. Tune back in at 1:45 p.m. for Erik Schut of WoodWing and Gary Cosimini of Adobe.
11:52 [Standby] We will return at 1:45 p.m.
1:30
Reed Reibstein:
Surprise—back 15 minutes early from lunch!
1:32
Reed Reibstein:
Now up, Erik Schut, president of WoodWing, with a primer on the technical challenges and requirements of going tablet, and Gary Cosimini, Senior Business Development Manager of Adobe, discussing how Adobe created the WIRED app and Adobe’s plan to bring digital publishing to all tablet platforms.
1:32
Reed Reibstein:
Schut begins with an introduction to his Dutch-based company WoodWing.
1:33
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: “Software for efficient cross-media publishing.”
1:34
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: Presenting the cross-media workflow. Plan a story, then gather and create material. Select or edit the material and manage it. All done through WoodWing’s ContentStation.
1:39
dorsey:
Erik Schut: Seeing a lot of tension in newsrooms where tablet design responsibilities are contested by web and print teams.#poweroftablet
1:39
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: Describing how their solution works. It is issue-based, with live content, if desired, in an embedded browser; designed, not based on feeds; works well for magazines, but for newspapers it may be applicable if the requirements are right; and works best when led by print people.
1:39
GarciaInteract:
Are iPad projects owned by web or print? Best results with Print—Eric Schutt, Woodwing CEO #poweroftablet
1:40
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: Goal with their solution is that everything—including adding interactive elements—can be done within InDesign.
1:41
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: A WoodWing app is customized for each brand, with prototypes in Flash and HTML5.
1:41
Reed Reibstein:
Schut has now moved to InDesign CS5 to demonstrate the WoodWing plug-ins.
1:42
Reed Reibstein:
He’s showing an Audi sample ad. Creating a slideshow by dragging and dropping images from the media library. All done within a single InDesign panel.
1:43
Reed Reibstein:
Now, hotspot capability (not yet used by TIME, but will be used by Sports Illustrated). Use InDesign’s native layers for pop-up elements.
1:44
1:45
Reed Reibstein:
Now looking at ContentStation. Showing each of the pages in the publication.
1:46
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: TIME’s iPad version is superior to the print edition. Referring to D.W. Pine’s presentation yesterday, mentions all the added functionality.
1:47
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: WoodWing is working with publishers around the world. Different reader experiences in each location, so the user interface of the app can be skinned as well.
1:47
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: Sneak peek of next week’s Sports Illustrated app. Presenting the wheel interface, with added functionality, and in-app subscriptions.
1:48
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: Publishers want to know how to get started with the iPad.
1:49
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: WoodWing has hosted more than 70 publishers in two-day digital magazine workshops over the last eight weeks. Eight of these magazines have already launched.
1:50
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: “Technology does not have to be a bottleneck.” Suggests that companies can move from workshop to app store in three weeks (including two weeks for Apple to approve!).
1:53
Reed Reibstein:
Question about the cost and effort of two-day workshops. Schut: 1000 euros and some hard thinking. Depends greatly on how much you have planned for the tablet—good apps after two days come from those who have had thought hard already.
1:54
Reed Reibstein:
Question about whether the video can play within the page as well as in a new window. Schut: Yes, both work. Supports H.264 format.
1:54
Reed Reibstein:
And now, Gary Cosimini of Adobe.
1:55
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: “Bringing Digital Content to All Devices.”
1:56
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini is part of the Digital Publishing Solutions group. Today he will focus on newspapers and magazines, though the group also works on e-books.
1:57
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Over the last year, Adobe has been working with The New York Times on the digital reader application. Database that stores content, based on RSS feeds. Layouts done algorithmically, so as user changes the size or orientation of the window, the text reflows while retaining its nice appearance.
1:57 Before this chat, how often have you visited Poynter Online?
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1:58
Reed Reibstein:
Includes OpenType fonts used in the print edition.
1:58
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Publication can be navigated through keyboard or with mouse.
1:58
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: TImes Reader includes video, interactivity.
1:59
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: NYT Reader will be coming out in a general licensing form. Coming out in September.
1:59
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Lean-back experience. Unlike website, in which users enter from many different places, there is one consistent way to enter the app.
2:00
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Right now, Adobe digital reader technology available for NYT, International Herald-Tribune, and Boston Globe.
2:01
poetabook:
How the Digital Magazine Tools for iPad work | WoodWing.com: http://bit.ly/bqPBsI#poweroftablet
2:02
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: “What makes money in newspapers is advertising.” So Adobe offers Omniture analytics to publishers.
2:02
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: WIRED is not driven by RSS feeds. 500 MB vs. NYT Reader’s 5 MB.
2:03
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: WIRED was a good demo, with absolutely no compression.
2:03
2:03
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Optimization will definitely come soon.
2:04
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: “Apple developed an aversion to anything with the word ‘Flash’ in it.” So developing viewers for Android Froyo and Desktop, available in the fall, along with iPad viewer.
2:05
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini’s presenting a video of WIRED: http://j.mp/9m2CIj.
2:07
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Viewer apps should have a thin chrome that changes following the orientation. As you look at the content, the UI layer fades away.
2:07
sdkstl:
1/2 I have 169 apps taking up 2.8GB on my iPad; Wired makes up nearly 1/5th. Unsustainable.#poweroftablet #pcbuzz
2:08
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Adobe studied web browser and computer news reader navigation. Came up with the “stacks” view, showing the overview and pacing of the magazine, based on storyboards taped to the wall.
2:09
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: “Issue Bundler” will be available on http://labs.adobe.com and will later be incorporated into an update to InDesign CS5.
2:11
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Workflow—begins with InDesign CS5 and interactive overlay creator (animation, video, slideshows, 360 degree rotation, hyperlink, multitouch, pan and zoom). Upcoming features include in-place web window (insert HTML5) content.
2:11
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Showing Interactive Overlay Creator dialog. Use Issue Bundler to assemble pages in magazine.
2:13
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Digital reader tools to be available in July on http://labs.adobe.com.
2:13
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Releasing News Reader SDK in June to system developers. News Reader coming to tablets, “maybe even the iPad.”
2:14
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: In the future, the user will be able to choose on which platform he or she wants to view the published content.
2:15
Reed Reibstein:
Question about News Reader on the iPad by Bill Mitchell. Cosimini: Fonts are a problem on the iPad, but don’t have to resize the screen. Reader will receive RSS feeds as on the PC.
2:17
Reed Reibstein:
Question from Bill Couch about deleting issues within the app and then restoring issues you’d like back. Cosimini: Yes, this may be available in the future, along with lower-fidelity versions. Tools for publishers to sell back issues with Digital Rights Management. With open systems (desktop, Android), need more comprehensive DRM.
2:18
Reed Reibstein:
Question about plans of WoodWing and Adobe in universities. Schut: WoodWing would look to work with universities to introduce the product.
2:19
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: Adobe has recorded a lot of training sessions using Acrobat Connect and Adobe TV.
2:20
Reed Reibstein:
Question from Robert Newman about integration of Adobe’s tools with other content management systems. Cosimini: Adobe’s tools will work with standard vendors (K4, Atex, etc.).
2:21
Reed Reibstein:
Question about the integration with Omniture. Cosimini: Omniture works with News Reader on- and offline. Will probably do the same thing with the other reader.
2:22
Reed Reibstein:
Question from Regina McCombs about AIR on Apple devices. Cosimini: Without Flash, there is no AIR. Apple is worried about Flash because its competitive with its attention for developers. A “closed garden” view of the world. In the fall there will be a lot more tablets. “Our best way of competing is to make them jealous.”
2:24
Reed Reibstein:
Question from Joe Zeff about WoodWing and Adobe’s solutions for smaller graphic design groups. Schut: Adobe’s solution is largely standalone. Cosimini: Tools with be built into CS5 eventually.
2:26
Reed Reibstein:
Question from Mario Garcia about the cost for a 50,000 circ daily in Kansas (people often think that these tools are more expensive than they are). Schut: It starts around $10K. If you do the calculations, you can make that up with the first issue.
2:26
Reed Reibstein:
Garcia: “The industry needs to know that this is not beyond its means.”
2:27
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: WoodWing installed at about 500 publishers, the majority of which are small newspapers and magazines.
2:28
Reed Reibstein:
Schut: Half of WoodWing’s iPad customers are new customers, some of whom transition to WoodWing for print as well.
2:29
Reed Reibstein:
Question from Bill Couch about whether type will be natively done as selectable. Cosimini: Yes, if Flash and AIR were available. Vector representation on the iPad problematic beyond native fonts.
2:30
Reed Reibstein:
Cosimini: “We’re constantly talking with Apple, trying to get them to come back to their senses.”
2:32
Reed Reibstein:
Question from Andrew DeVigal about output to HTML5. Cosimini: We’re experimenting, but sometimes Flash and HTML5 don’t work in parallel. Problem is getting the richness of Flash to support HTML5 equivalently. For example, SVG didn’t take off because of lack of tooling and inconsistent support.
2:32
Reed Reibstein:
That’s it for Schut and Cosimini. We’ll be back in 15 with Regina McCombs, Steve Dorsey, Jennifer George-Palilonis, and Mario Garcia, Jr.
2:33 [Be Right Back Countdown] 20 minutes
2:50
Damon Kiesow:
Poynter’s Regina McCombs is introducing the session. Mario Garcia Jr is up first. He is president of Garcia Interactive and will talk about usability on the iPad.
2:51
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: “Nobody knows anything” about iPad usability – quoting William Goldman
2:51
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: Not enough time or information to get an accurate read on how people want to use the iPad.
2:52
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: Read the Apple Human Interface Guidelines and Jakob Nielsen study on iPad usability
2:53
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: Nielsen study reports people want more buttons and clearer usability – more linearity. Apple recommends less interface and less linearity.
2:54
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: The USA Today iPad app has less UI and more content.
2:55
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: Flattened hierarchy is recommended by Apple. The BBC app is a good example – you never “leave” the home screen.
2:55
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: Content as navigation – On ABC’s app the buttons are content not just labels.
2:56
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: Discoverability, memorability accidental action are three main problems according to Nielsen
2:56
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: If you are going to have a scroll – give a visual indication of it. Do you go up-down or left-right?
2:57
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: multiple gestures as in the Popular Science app give readers too many things to remember
2:59
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: Users coming from the Web look for hyperlinks. Wired links headlines – GQ does not.
2:59
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: Take advantage of rich graphic capabilities of tablets.
3:00
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: “The fat finger” problem – UI needs to be sized for touching. Elements should be recognizable targets at least 10mm
3:00
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: NPR does a good job defining what are targets for navigation interaction.
3:01
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: One of the things about reading a book or magazine you have a sense of how much is left to ‘complete’ the content. The Web does not offer that. The tablet can.
3:02
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: The iPad has an incredible browser. You don’t need a stand-alone tablet site but at least optimize.
3:04
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: There should be and eventually will be standards for navigation cues and gestures on the iPad.
3:05
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: NPR is doing a lot of good work in usability. It is linear but lets users control experience.
3:07
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: NPR is doing a lot of good work in usability. It is linear but lets users control experience.
3:09
Reed Reibstein:
Now, Steve Dorsey, Vice President of R&D at Detroit Media Partnership.
3:10
Reed Reibstein:
Dorsey: Taking a look at a different kind of tablet: e-readers.
3:11
Reed Reibstein:
Dorsey: Fall, 2008: Plastic Logic seemed like a Kindle Killer, a touchscreen grayscale e-reader.
3:14
Damon Kiesow:
Dorsey: Plastic Logic promised to preserve the look and feel of print pubs. Projected release is still later this year.
3:17
Damon Kiesow:
Dorsey: We were ready to go last year on the Detroit News and Free Press on Plastic Logic editions. USA Today was working on a version as well. It is PDF based.
3:20
Damon Kiesow:
Dorsey: The Plastic Logic Que was $900 – b&w display. Then the iPad launched.
3:20
Damon Kiesow:
Dorsey: What is the cost of production vs user experience. What is the cost-benefit of having a product that feels local to readers?
3:21
Damon Kiesow:
Dorsey: You have to try everythting and not worry about what happens. Some things will work and some won’t. Just figure out what things to bet the most on.
3:23
ctonk144:
Steve Dorsey: Courageous redirection means going all-in and rewiring the clockwork of your work and workforce. #poweroftablet
3:25
Damon Kiesow:
Jennifer George-Palilonis from Ball State University is up next.
3:27
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: We are trying to prepare students to come into this new environment and hit the ground running in newsrooms.
3:29
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: the project at Ball State is called iMedia – it started in 2006. Two colleges, three departments, five professors. Includes Journalism, graphics, broadcast news, computer science, advertising and media research.
3:30
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: Last year they partnered with a local paper to develop a multimedia iPhone app.
3:31
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: Going to be developing an iPad app for Ball State Sports – in cooperation with the athletic department.
3:32
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: For the Muncie Star Press iPhone app students developed interactives and built a WordPress CMS for the back end.
3:33
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: Readers testing the app seemed to like the videos, graphics and other “quick hit” content on the small screen.
3:35
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: Students also developed an app with the City of Muncie. It provided access to city services, bus routes, watch videos. A lot of custom content focused on Muncie.
3:35
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: Two students developed a ‘Golf Muncie” app – every course, every hole. It included a fly over of a few holes as a demo.
3:37
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: We had a ‘revenue team’ working on the project. Not just advertising – enhanced listings, additional content on a paid basis.
3:37
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: We asked advertisers “If you could do anything you wanted in this iPhone app what would you do?” The team created a media kit to help explain the options to local businesses.
3:40
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: Revenue concept for building virtual ads into a downtown tour of Muncie.
3:42
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: For smaller organizations – if you have one hire to make consider a student who has come out of school with these skills. Give them some encouragement and a little bit of time.
3:43
Damon Kiesow:
Questions: How do you maintain the apps with local data? Palilonis: We use the WordPress CMS – businesses have access to change their own content. For media we do that for them.
3:45
Damon Kiesow:
Question: Who “owns” the project in the school since it is cross-departmental? Palilonis: It has fortunately been funded through internal grants but support goes all the way up to the president. For ownership – two of us have been in it from the beginning. Journalism-Computer Science share the leadership. But it does not ‘belong’ to any one person.
3:46
Damon Kiesow:
Question: Who watches the apps in the summer? Palilonis: The site is not up live currently. We are not updating right now. The city and businesses love it – but how do we keep maintaining it?
3:52
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: We tell students you can get an “A” in this class even if the app fails miserably as long as you worked very very hard at failing miserably. it is not a typical classroom experience. The students learn from each other across departments.
3:55
Damon Kiesow:
Question: Could this develop into a consulting business for the school? Palilonis: That is where the MyMuncie name came from. We have thought of approaching every county in the state. There is more and more emphasis at universities for this type of profitability – but how do you run a business effectively and still do our normal jobs. Would that require a project manager?
3:57
Damon Kiesow:
Question: Is this atypical of the quality of the work possible in these types of university programs? Palilonis: We have been lucky to have a good program and support.
3:58
Damon Kiesow:
Palilonis: We have a long history of partnering with Muncie. But we will partner will anyone – did a partnership with St Pete Times, Sun Sentinel among others.
4:01
Reed Reibstein:
Wrapping-up. Mario Garcia of Garcia Media will begin, presenting ten thoughts that have emerged from our discussions here at Poynter.
4:02
Reed Reibstein:
Garcia: #1—“Tablets are in their infancy; we are the creators. Our models will have that historic opportunity of molding a first template that will have iconic longevity.”
4:02
Reed Reibstein:
Garcia: #2 “Tablet editors are necessary.”
4:02
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: #3 Storytelling has found its next best ally. Story is the foundation of it all.
4:03
Reed Reibstein:
Garcia: #4 “The advertising potential for the tablet, both at the creative and revenue levels, is virtually untapped; create partnerships; think of advertising/content synergies.”
4:04
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: #5 Tablets are a platform to relax with. Tablets offer us an opportunity to disconnect while connected.
4:04
Reed Reibstein:
Garcia: #6 “Economics of the tablet: this is one of the centerpieces of any tablet planning discussion, so develop strategies.”
4:04
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: #7 It is to your publications benefit to have a presence on the tablet. get there fast.
4:04
Reed Reibstein:
Garcia: #8 “Find the one unique, value-driven element of your publication that should open the door to the tablet. That first app will impact your readers and extend your brand.”
4:05
Damon Kiesow:
Garcia: #9 A key to success – make it local personal, local, personal, needed and inexpensive.
4:05
Reed Reibstein:
#10 “It is part of the responsibility of every innovative tablet team to identify creative ways to take print to its next stage of evolution.”
4:06
Damon Kiesow:
Poynter’s Dean of Faculty Stephen Buckley is going to moderate final questions from the audience.
4:07
Reed Reibstein:
Roy Peter Clark reminds us of Mel Brooks’ “History of the World, Part I” sketch on Moses’ tablets: “I bring you these fifteen … er … ten, ten commandments!“http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4TAtRCJIqnk
4:11
Damon Kiesow:
Two questions from Buckley: How do you get started? And what is Poynter’s role?
4:12
Reed Reibstein:
Dana Coester responds: “The next step for me is to do this” as soon as next week.
4:13
Reed Reibstein:
Coester: Still hungry for more glimpses of the workflow.
4:13
Damon Kiesow:
Diego Carvajal: We need to validate some of the things we heard. We need to get out in a short time and not launch will every desired feature.
4:14
Reed Reibstein:
Susan Mango Curtis: Now I can go back and talk to the professors to tell them that this platform is not going to disappear.
4:14
Damon Kiesow:
Chris Martin: It is time to play. People who have been discouraging this have called it a toy. It is not – but warrants purposeful play.
4:15
Damon Kiesow:
Buckley: Don’t be afraid to experiment, don’t be afraid to fail.
4:16
Reed Reibstein:
Javier Devilat: My company needs to make some demos, and then convince potential clients that the tablet is not just for techies. Everyone can have one. You relax with the iPad, and it’s something that you don’t have with any other digital device. No iPads available yet in Chile, but Devilat wants to be first in the market.
4:17 How is this chat working for you?
Cool, let’s do this kind of stuff regularly
( 100% )
I’m confused—too many conversations at once
( 0% )
It’s moving too fast for me
( 0% )
Content is not what I expected
( 0% )
4:18
Reed Reibstein:
Mario Garcia: Concerned at first that there would be too much to cover at this conference. Idea that this would be an introductory conference. Suggest a second conference on storytelling and a third part on the economics of the tablet and advertising. But the second part should not come until there are more answers—perhaps nine months from now.
4:19
ctonk144:
Mario Garcia: “iPads and tablets take print to its next level of evolution.” We are not “saving” print; we are evolving it #poweroftablet
4:19
Reed Reibstein:
Garcia: This may have been the most informative Poynter conference—beyond the WED and color conferences. What should be the legacy of this conference?
4:19
Reed Reibstein:
Bob Newman suggests that it be an app!
4:20
Damon Kiesow:
Joe Zeff: Poynter has the potential to be an incubator for publications that want to publish on the tablet. You have tech, design, a lot of resources are in the room.
4:22
Reed Reibstein:
Andrew DeVigal: Agrees with Garcia that there should be a session on storytelling for this intimate device. After nine months or a year, we would have a lot more data on how people use the iPad and on future devices. Front-facing cameras, for example, would allow readers to become a part of our narrative journalism.
4:23
Damon Kiesow:
Georgeann Herbet: The iPad crystallizes the sense of convergence – we need the mix of skills, broadcast, print to get to the key point of serving our communities.
4:24
Reed Reibstein:
Stephen Buckley brings us to a close. “The biggest risk for our organizations is to do nothing.” Waiting may be the most dangerous thing you can do.
4:25
Damon Kiesow:
The session is adjourning with Buckley thanking the organizers and participants. And, thank you for joining us.
4:25
Reed Reibstein:
Thanks!