Holtz Communications + Technology

The more services I see roll out that aggregate content from “the edge,” the more convinced I become that this represents a considerable shift in publishing models that will become more and more common. The idea, if it’s new to you, is simple. Rather than send your content to someone else to publish—such as a classified ad in a newspaper—you publish it on your own site and tag…

Flickr is a treasure trove of material; it’s remarkable what people will take pictures of. For example, people shoot pictures of letters they find on signs. Some folks with a knack for programming have put together a little application that lets you type in the letters you want, then snatches those letters from Flickr and assembles them in your order. Don’t like one…

Companies that listen to bloggers have a unique opportunity to improve their reputations and win converts to their business models. Listening, after all, is a critical element of communication, but one that most organizations employing traditional communication practices often ignore.

A case in point arises from an item I posted to this blog earlier this week. In that post, I complained…

PRNews wants to get its audience to take a look at its newly redesigned website that features content from its newsletters and other material, most of which is accessible only to paying customers. The enticement? I received an email from PRNews inviting me to their “open house” from today through Friday, with all content freely accessible.

At least, that’s what the email says. When I…

I couldn’t get the first public beta release of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer version 7 to install on my PC. I got an error that, evidently, was shared by enough others to warrant a notice on Microsoft’s site that the problem would be dealt with in the next release. It was, so when public beta 2 was released, I installed it. I was cautious at…

CBS MarketWatch’s Frank Barnako makes an intriguing observation in his blog post exploring some

new research (PDF file) from the Pew Internet & American Life Project:

The share of online Americans who say the Internet has “greatly improved their ability to do their job” has grown to 35%. Just about the same percentage says the Net’s “greatly improved” their abilities to buy stuff and pursue hobbies and…