One of the better services for technology journalists, sourcewire, which has been providing an excellent way to get hold of press releases, company information and industry contacts, has now branched out to cover other industries. The best part of the service (www.sourcewire.com) is the option for journalists to send a request through the site to the many PR and other marketing people who subscribe. Your request is e-mailed to them and then you wait for a response, which is often very quick. The new Response Source (www.responsesource.com) covers areas including health, women’s interest and travel.
Everybody is wondering how newspapers and magazine publishers can make money out of charging for content on websites. My idea is for them to put a unique code on the cover of their publication. The reader then gets access to, say, a seven-day or previous-issue archive and, when the code is activated online, invited to subscribe to an enhanced store of content that goes further back. What are your thoughts on cracking the code for getting consumers to pay for online content? Let me know.
Amnesty International is expanding its online service to make it easier for journalists and broadcasters to access information from its site. The new www.news.amnesty.org service aims to provide comprehensive resources including video footage, features and access to its database of reports.
Expect to see some restructuring going on at sports site Sportal as it seeks ways to reduce costs. In August it received further funding to help it maintain its network of sport-related sites. Now, with a downturn in advertising across the industry and talk of consolidation of sport sites, Sportal is looking to see where its future is.
One of the best ideas in recent years is the C-Pen from Swedish company C Technologies. This clever gadget allows you to scan text from newspapers, magazines or any print source and then transfer it direct to PC. I have a top-of-the-range C-Pen 800C worth £199 (inc VAT) to give away. Simply answer this question with your name, address and phone number: The Pen is mightier than thee (A) computer; (B) sword; (C) printer. Send you answer to: compy@bunder.com – please note only one entry per
e-mail address and postal address. The first correct entry drawn after the 14 November wins.
Leslie Bunder
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