Making Sense of the Future

• IBM's Wide-Eyed Local Shopping Predictions. Greg Sterling: Retailers will offer same-day delivery “wherever you are” (same-day delivery may become a reality in selected markets or from a few stores, but it will not be standard absent an Amazon-like existential-competitive threat).

• In 12 years of blogging, the more things change, the more they stay the same. GigaOm: despite my embrace of these new tools, I find solace in the act of blogging and my blog. I have been wondering about how do I evolve as an observer of the world (the technology industry being big part of that world) and then share my observations.

Making “New” Media

• A First Look at NewCo’s structure. Jay Rosen: The news and editorial operation will be a non-profit. The technology company will be a business run for profit. If the tech company is successful it can help fund the journalism mission, along with other possible sources of revenue.

• Building on the Snowden Effect. Dan Gillmor: The Snowden revelations are a classic example of journalistic critical mass. The journalists covering them have used the documents to identify and amplify an issue of such importance and scope that it doesn’t flame up and out in the manner of most stories. […] Achieving genuine critical mass obliges journalists to rethink old traditions, especially competitive ones. “Exclusives” can be counterproductive if they lead other journalists to ignore or downplay the news, whether out of jealousy or inability to get the confirming source material for their own coverage.

Making it a Story

• Lessons in Brand Building from Shinola. Edward Boches: the watchmaker apparently isn't content just to tell its story. It's compelled to create new ones. Evident in its launch of Makers Monday, an annual event that celebrates supporting small, American companies who make stuff here.  Elegantly consistent with the brand Makers Monday appeals to all of Shinola's constituents — customers, employees, fans.

• Moving Responsive Design Beyond Screen Size. Nieman Journalism Lab: the tablet news app I’m hoping for in 2014: something that detects when I’m lying down in bed (it knows my device orientation and, using the ambient light sensor, can detect it’s dark) and serves me the sort of video content that I never have time to watch during the day.

 

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Valeria is an experienced listener. She designs service and product experiences to help businesses rediscover the value of promises and its effects on relationships and culture. She is also frequent speaker at conferences and companies on a variety of topics. Book her to speak here.