The End of Books?
Seth Godin has recently sparked an interesting discussion about the fate of the paper book. In a recent interview with Mediabistro he stated:
“I really don’t think the process is worth the effort that it now takes to make it work. I can reach 10 or 50 times as many people electronically.”
This got me thinking. Do we NEED paper books anymore. Certainly there is a nostalgia in walking into a room full of books, the smell of a library, or in the art that is publishing. However, as Seth asserts, is it all just a bit outdated now?
This story may seem like an old one; people have been predicting the end of traditional publishing for years now. What makes this different is that Seth Godin is more than just another blogger or pundit. He is a best selling author with more than 12 books to his name. He, if anyone is a person you would expect to be supporting the traditional print media industry. Instead he has come out and been soundly supporting a move towards a digital future for the publishing industry and for authors.
As Seth states:
“I like the people, but I can’t abide the long wait, the filters, the big push at launch, the nudging to get people to go to a store they don’t usually visit to buy something they don’t usually buy, to get them to pay for an idea in a form that’s hard to spread. “
And I certainly can see his point, books are not easy. They take a huge amount of time to publish, they are not something that one can do overnight or in a few hours. With the way the world is today, we need overnight. It is a side effect of the digital age, information can be updated and changed on a moments notice. Ideas and information a few hours old can already be out of date. This is exactly the reason that people like Seth are now signaling the demise of the traditional book.
New technology such as the Amazon Kindle and the Apple iPad among the other e-book readers, which have made great leaps in usability and content have only increased the pressure on traditional publishing. It is impossible for me to ignore the impact being made by these devices when I ask the same questions that Seth seems to be asking about the future of the paper book.
So the question to you is, are hardcopy books a thing of the past? Do you agree with Seth Godin that we are moving to a society without traditional publishers? Are you already a part of the digital publishing revolution?
To hear more from Seth Godin including a review of his book – Tribes, tune into Getting Social with Schwabe for his interview with Walter Schwabe this Saturday at 7:00 am on TEAM 1260, or if you prefer to listen now, as a Podcast here on our site or on iTunes.
Getting Social with Schwabe – Episode 3
Retail is an incredibly competitive landscape, in this episode Walter Schwabe speaks with Jay Myers, Lead Web Development Engineer out of Best Buy headquarters in Richfield Minnesota about the Semantic technologies he and his team have embedded within BestBuy.com to improve your online shopping experience. Retailers of all sorts and sizes won’t want to miss this interesting show about how the retail industry is changing as a result of the social web.
Getting Social With Schwabe – Episode 2
Episode 2:
Exploring how associations use social media, Walter Schwabe speaks with Maddie Grant from Social Fish, a social media consulting firm specializing in working with associations. Also, interviewed is Lina Hoffbauer, Project Coordinator with Alberta Senior Citizens Housing Association.
Getting Social With Schwabe – Episode 1
Episode 1
The inaugural show of Getting Social with Schwabe covers off some interesting points and includes great interviews with Chris Moore, Chief Information Officer for the City of Edmonton, and Chris Heuer, Founder of the Social Media Club in San Francisco. There’s also My Big App with Evan Adnams who reviews a new indie game called “Funnergunner” by Fluik Entertainment, and the Internutt who provides his take on “fails.”
Our thanks to our sponsor Yardstick Software
Please provide us with show ideas and feedback by sending us an email: radio@fusedlogic.com
Thanks for listening.
PR- SOCIAL MEDIA INNOVATOR LAUNCHES RADIO SHOW
“Getting Social With Schwabe”, a radio program focused on social media debuts Saturday, August 7th, on The TEAM 1260 in Edmonton with host, Walter Schwabe, Chief Evolution Officer of fusedlogic
“We wanted to create a program about social media that everyone could relate to — a show that informs, educates and entertains”, says Walter Schwabe, the show’s host. Guests on the debut show include Chris Moore, Chief Information Officer of the City of Edmonton, and Chris Heuer, founder of the Social Media Club out of San Francisco. The show will also be archived and streamed from www.fusedlogic.com.
Yardstick Software, a leading provider of online training and testing systems in North America, stepped up to sponsor the first 6 shows, which will air through September. “ We liked the premise and thought that there was a nice fit for Yardstick in the program. We’re very excited”, says Greg Kurelek, Yardstick’s VP of Sales and Marketing.
For inquiries, please contact Walter Schwabe at radio@fusedlogic.com 780-640-9339
