I may have been a little detached compared to the average attendee at last weekend’s Chicago Media Future Conference. Then again, the last time I wrote something for print that wasn’t a book, was early 2005. People were genuinely getting worked up, relative to what you normally see at a tech-related conference. In many ways, it reminded me more of the interaction that goes on between the panel and audience at a comic book convention (I’ve been on a few), in terms of emotion overcoming order and, to a degree, common sense.
People were so wound up, as everyone started to sit down, somebody passed out fliers about what the topics were and what he thought the panelists ought to say. He wasn’t part of the event. Maybe he was just mad he wasn’t asked to be on the panel. I really don’t know, and I can’t decide whether I think it was funny or psychotic. It was a good indicator of how riled up people were going to get, though. (more…)
A few months ago, Chicago Tech News interviewed Jessa Crispin, creator of the popular literary website Bookslut. At the end of the month, Jessa will be leaving Chicago and moving to Berlin. Now you might say, “big deal.” If you did, you’d be right. To illustrate Bookslut’s national stature, stories about Jessa’s move cropped up at Publisher’s Weekly, The National Book Critics Circle, and even the mighty New Yorker. Jessa was even summoned to Chicago Tonight to explain the situation. (Editor’s note: I shall be eternally disappointed she didn’t make good on her notion to do the interview while sitting on Phil Ponce’s lap.)
The upshot is, while Jessa is moving, Bookslut is remaining in Chicago. Jessa’s former assistant, Caroline Eick, has been promoted to editor and will be handling the day-to-day functions of the business, while Jessa will resume blogging once she’s settled in Berlin. Since you’re reading a tech news site, you might be thinking “what’s the bid deal about a telecommute?” Since the literary world is giving birth to cattle, and it isn’t everyday The New Yorker writes about Chicago new media, we put some questions about the transition to Caroline Eick. (more…)
Locally, what with the financial troubles at the Sun-Times and the Tribune, there’s been a lot of talk about how newspapers got in this mess and what the formula for them to make money online is.
Clue #1: If anybody tells you they know the perfect online business model for newspapers, they’re lying (or at best exaggerating quite a bit). Nobody knows that ethereal perfect online business model or all the papers would be doing it. It’s also probable that one size does not fit all in this case. (more…)
The Local Tourist is an independent alternative to the Tribune’s Metromix, the Sun-Time’s Centerstage and Time Out Chicago in the derby to serve the arts/entertainment/dining/events needs for the Chicago area. Taking the perspective of residents treating their home like they were on vacation, The Local Tourist spends a hair more time on dining and events/music, than bars. It’s also worth saying that while independent, The Local Tourist is also affiliated with NBC 5’s Street Team, which means a share of an Emmy from that also roosts there. The Local Tourist, herself, Theresa Carter recently took time to answer a few questions about the business.
Chicago Tech News: How long has The Local Tourist been online? (more…)
For as much hype as the Printed Blog has generated for itself, online-to-print is not a new idea. Not even close to a new idea.
Go back a few years and you’ll see all manner of websites getting in on the print market by way of books. Perhaps the first notable entrant in the this category was 2000’s release of the first print edition of The Darwin Awards. Some more recent entrants in this space would be Stuff White People Like (New York Times Bestseller List 2008, 2009), I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (NYT 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009) and Diary of a Wimpy Kid (NYT 2007, 2008, 2009). (more…)
RecipeComparison is a bit of an odd duck in the Chicago tech community. Content sites have never been as celebrated here as other places, but Recipe Comparison also wears the hat of a data aggregation portal. Link blogging you see enough of, actually classifying and sorting data, not so much. And, in what continues to be a running thread, Recipe Comparison is another boostrapped site built on free/open source software without outside funding. We had an opportunity to converse with co-founder and CEO, Tom Carter (no, not the Bears cornerback from ‘97-’99, the other Tom Carter). (more…)