The King is Dead? Long live the King!
The King is Dead? Long live the King!
by: Ephraim Gadsby – contributing author
We live in wondrous times… The Internet is becoming a staple of life and the common man is now able to go to space. The times are changing and the old standards are becoming obsolete. The Internet is replacing old line B2B print media and privatization of space is becoming a reality.
What has this got to do with LIMS?
Well… nothing really, at least not directly. It does have to do with how we all get our information about LIMS and the laboratory industry in general. Prior to the Internet, not so long ago, all of us in the laboratory industry were confined to finding out what was going on by way of trade shows and the printed media. The problem with trade shows like Pittcon is that they only occur once a year so they are not useful as news sources but they offer something that cannot be matched by any other source… Face-to-face contact. This very feature is hard to be replaced by the Internet or printed media. However, the Internet can offer virtual trade shows that are on-line but print media has nothing to offer.
The old King is print media and the new King is the Internet. I contend that the old King (print media) is dead as a door knocker. I am not really referring to things like newspapers and magazines like Better Homes & Gardens. These print media are consumer oriented and they still have much to offer both consumers and advertisers. The dead King is Business-to-Business (B2B) print media. What does it have to offer these days?
- Out of date news
- Tons of advertising (sometimes quite interesting)
- High cost of advertising
- Nearly impossible to track advertising results
- Can be read in the bathroom
- Eliminates a considerable number of trees
- Can be used to adjust wonky tables and chairs
- and so much more…
Unfortunately, very few of these features of the printed media is of use to you the reader (or for that matter, the advertiser). However, there are 2 useful features listed above… Can you find them?
The Internet has a profound affect on old media, jus ask Dan Rather
We have all heard about how blogs helped bring the illustrious news anchor, Dan Rather, down a notch or two. Internet based media is doing it in spades to old line B2B print media. Just look at how much time you spend in front of the computer at work versus how much time is spent reading the numerous magazines that cram your desk’s in-box. I would venture that you spend more time reading a site like www.LIMSfinder.com or www.Bio-ITworld.com than you do print magazines like Scientific Computing and Instrumentation.
I think that the print media companies recognize this fact. Both SCIMAG and Bio-Itworld are now releasing their print magazines electronically through the Internet as a PDF file. This really is quite a silly activity. Again it takes the tact of removing all of the good features of the Internet and turning into a flat, one way street. Where is the interactivity? Where is the up to the minute news, jobs, bid opportunities, etc? They really just don’t get it. However, in their defense, how else can you get obscene advertising rates if you embrace the Internet. Internet advertising is a fraction of the cost of print and is many times more effective. This key point is the death signal for B2B print media that does not transform itself to a pure Internet based media.
So, what is your opinion?
The basic proof of my point comes from the question posed above. This is not an option for print media; it cannot offer interaction. Print media is a one way street with no feedback.
I would like to hear everyone’s comments on this topic. I would like to hear from readers as well as suppliers. How do you feel about the use of the Internet as your information resource as compared to traditional print media? For suppliers; which media gives you the best total results and which gives you the best bang for the buck? Your opinion counts and there are no bad opinions. Join the site or if you are already a member, login and post your comments to this article.
Sincerely,
Ephraim Gadsby – Bertie’s alter ego
