TAKEAWAY The term dinosaur acquires a different meaning when applied to newspapers—but some websites qualify for the description, too.
Graphic by Reed Reibstein / García Media
Ok, so it must be the term du jour: dinosaur.
I have heard it mentioned at least three times in the past week alone, in three different countries. Two times in a newsroom setting, once by a non media acquaintance referring to his local newspaper.
We all have seen the movies Jurassic Park and A Night at the Museum, so we do know what dinosaurs are, how they move gingerly but are focused on their prey, giants that manage to delight and scare.
The latest reference to a dinosaur—this time in writing—was via The Guardian.
Here is a highlight:
British journalists have a bit of a habit of sneering at our American counterparts. Between the seemingly endless news stories, the Habit Of Capitalising Everything, and especially the headlines – “Letter Raises Questions About When BBC Ex-Chief Learned of Abuse Cases” a recent standout – lots of American journalism, on the face of it, can seem a bit quaint.
With the onslaught of the digital era continuing apace, that quaintness starts to look dangerous: in an age of short attention spans, SEO headlines and upstart online-only rivals, the US’s major papers look like dinosaurs.
The full article:
Washington Post appears to be a dinosaur – but has already evolved
Its core, influential – and paying – print audience in the US capital is backed up by a forward-thinking online presence
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2012/dec/09/washington-post-dinosaur-evolved
What is interesting—if not disturbing—is the fact that the term dinosaur is usually attached to a printed newspaper, not to any of the other platforms.
Yet, there are some online editions out there that qualify for the term. And not very far into 2013 we will probably be able to apply the term to tablet editions. Gasp! Yes, that’s how quickly one turns into a dinosaur in today’s media environment.
A dinosaur online edition is a website that is cluttered, lacking in navigational intelligence and where every little section represented in the site has a navigator button leading you to it. In fact, in a
Do you want to take your brand to the next level by creating a tablet edition? Garcia Media can help. We now offer one- to two-day iPad Design Lab workshops on demand to jumpstart your presence on this exciting new platform. We also offer iPad Ad Lab workshops to develop engaging advertising models for your app. Contact us for more information.
Purchase the book on the iBookstore
The EPUB version of book is HERE:
Now available: The EPUB version of iPad Design Lab: Storytelling in the Age of the Tablet, ready for download via Amazon.com for Kindle:
http://tinyurl.com/8u99txw.
Take a video tour of iPad Design Lab
“iPad Design Lab” trailer on Vimeo.
Read the Society of Publication Designers’ review of The iPad Design Lab here:
http://www.spd.org/2012/10/must-read-ipad-design-lab.php
Keep up with Mario Garcia Jr.. via Garcia Interactive: helping transform online news since 1995.
www.garciainteractive.com
Here’s a gift you don’t have to wrap!
It’s official. The Christmas/holiday shopping season is here.
Here is a suggestion for someone on your list: my digital book iPad Design Lab: Storytelling in the Age of the Tablet. No need to stand in line nor buy wrapping paper. Just send it to someone you think might enjoy a book about this magnificent new platform we call the tablet and how to maximize its potential for storytelling.
Here is how you can get the book:
The original version of the book is the multitouch textbook version available on the iBookstore for iPad (iOS 5.0 and up): https://itunes.apple.com/book/ipad-design-lab/id565672822. This version includes video walkthroughs, audio introductions to each chapter, swipeable slideshows, a glossary and a sophisticated look and feel.
Apple only sells multitouch textbooks in certain countries at this time, unfortunately. Copies are available in at least the following countries: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and the United States.
For those in other countries and without an iPad, we have made the book available in a basic edition for other platforms. This basic edition includes the full text of the original, along with the images and captions, but lacks the other features such as audio and video. It is available on the following platforms in many countries:
Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/SlPzjZ
Google Books: http://bit.ly/TYKcew