I have mentioned that a couple of weeks ago I took my geek shopping. I wanted him to buy a nice pair of shoes, but he wouldn’ t budge. When he refused to wear the Kenneth Cole shoes I wanted him to try on, I suggested a pair of brown Ecco shoes. He c…

http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2007_11_05.html#014307

Doc: Or perhaps, if it has any effect at all, VRM will make things even worse. The possibility should be considered.

=Drummond

Seth, agreed, except perhaps about VRM, which I’m not posing as a way to balance power between corporations and workers. I am posing it, however, as a way to balance power between vendors and customers. Different challenge. Should VRM succeed, it will probably have other effects. Perhaps the worker/corporation relationship is one of them, especially if customers sympathize with workers.

Russ, I have no idea if the strikers will make up for lost income. Not sure that’s the only issue, though. Or the deciding factor. Lots of strikes have gone forward in spite of grim prospects.

Crosbie, agreed. In the meanwhile, dramas play out so long as companies intermediate between first sources (in many or most cases, work or workers) and final customers. No doubt the roles of companies are changing. Some, perhaps, will be no more than ways of organizing work and routing paychecks. But I doubt that will be the case. There are many things only companeis can do.

Steven, I believe your points were supported by Paul Otellini of Intel in his talk at CES yesterday. interesting shift there.

As writers strike, the free user generated content factor looms larger: reality TV vs. scripted TV, actual people vs. actors. This whole loop then ties in with the Do It Yourself mentality, with open source tools and distribution channels enabling us to bypass the whole mess.

For example, I can make music with Audacity, add loops with Ambiloop, upload videos to YouTube, make mp3s (now m4as) via iTunes, host them on Ning and Garageband, distribute audio files via Pownce, etc. and thereby eliminate the need for recording companies.

While I sympathize with the writers, as I am one myself, I also see the bigger tide rolling in from user gen variations.

We are entertaining and informing ourselves now.

Many are turning off their TVs, avoiding the movie theatres, and watching their peers on YouTube.

When the customer disintermediates the corporation out of their relationship with the worker, then the worker has a simpler, less fraught relationship with the source of their income.

I’m not complaining, I’m just supplying feedback. I have only come upon your blog(s) recently, and I’m now checking in daily. I am really impressed by the breadth, depth and relevance of the topics you are tracking and linking to. The pictures are also gorgeous! Thanks!

Happy New Year!

It’s interesting to read that The studios want to define internet streaming video as “promotional”. This is similar to the position of both the entertainment industry and public radio in respect to podcasting. There is no effort even to collect a voluntary sum for downloaded podcasts. Instead, they are underwritten by sponsoring corporations.

The important point, however, in respect to the strike, is that money will be made with these goods, and the authors deserve their fair share of it.