The evolution of media over the last two centuries (and a bold attempt at forecasting the next 10 years)

(First seen on Quinta's weblog)

Baekdal.com has a simple yet insightful interpretation of the role of media in history, challenges advertisers and PR professionals to look at the future...

«Ask yourself. Are you still trying to get journalists to write about your products? Are you still making websites? Is your social networking strategy to ‘get a Facebook Page'?»

...and attempts a forecast through 2020.

«In this article, we are going to take a little tour through the history of information - or more specifically where to focus efforts if you want get in touch with other people. It is really exciting time, because we are currently in the middle of the most drastic change since the invention of the newspaper.»

To put the current state of Italian media, you should probably have a look at 2002.

Yes, we can (Part X) - Starting from this

Domenico de Masi on Style (Corriere della Sera):

«The greatest threat facing our country [Italy] is not really public debt, GDP decline, insecurity in urban outskirts, or lack of integration of immigrants. It's rather the widespread perception of crisis that frustrates and makes us feel directionless, holding us from designing our future. When an entire nation stops imagining its own future, someone else will do it...against it.»

It reminds me of a great quote from Quinta's weblog (originally by Davide and Luigi)

«Too bad for the country that can't imagine that in 10 years' time, among its main corporations there may be some that today don't even exist.»

Any optimists out there?

Yes, we can (Part IX) - If we bear this in mind, too

(Video in Italian)

Intervista Doppia by Le Iene to an Israeli boy from Sderot and a Palestinian boy from Gaza.

[UPDATE: if video below is removed for copyright violation, click on Intervista Doppia above.]



They live only a few kilometers from each other and couldn't have lives that are more different, and perceptions of "the other" more distorted. I have the impression that if Daniel was born in Gaza he would say precisely what Abdalla says, and viceversa.

IMHO the way in which they generalise about "the other" is the biggest obstacle to peace. Summits and treaties are pointless, unless they are supported by hundreds of projects on the field like this that ensure that Daniel and Abdalla meet and learn about who "the other" really is.

On top of that, we need two leaders of nothing less than this stature to go to the summits, sign the treaties, and tirelessly promote reconciliation before, during and after that. It doesn't seem to me that neither Bibi nor Abu Mazen suit the profile, no matter how hard Obama will push them. Let them prove me wrong.

Yes, we can (Part VIII) - If we bear this in mind

That includes each and every one of us, and has to include our politicians, our parents, our teachers, our bosses.



Dedicated to those who will be 30 in 2050, probably in a world that for the first time since centuries will not be led by the Western Hemisphere?

Good luck to us.

Love (I) - Roberto Benigni

I had posted this some time ago. This is an even better version.

A true poet, and a great artist.

This blog's first anniversary...and its surprising audience!

This blog was started a little over one year ago with the tagline “Me about myself”, which has since remained the true spirit of this blog. (Nothing of interest to anybody other than myself, I thought at the time.)

A couple of months later, I wrote about the unexpected audience this blog was attracting...by now, this thing has gone completely out of (my) control!

• There's been 1.450 of you, unique visitors, of which 300 have visited regularly (typically once every 1-2 weeks, which matches how often I have posted something)
  
• You've come from 367 different cities, from Aachen to Zurich, from Nesseby (70°8'29" North) to Melbourne (37°48'49" South)...
  
• ...in 47 countries across the five continents, from Argentina to the USA, including pretty much every country in Europe, North America, Oceania and the Indian subcontinent...but also Tanzania, the UAE, Singapore, China, the Philippines, etc.
• Apart from the home page, your favourite content has been my contrarian position for Luca Luciani during the Waterloo incident (here), my congratulations to Beatrice Borromeo (vs Bruno Vespa, here), the pearls of wisdom from the Value Partners retreat @ Djerba (here and here) as well as Debora Serracchiani's speech (seen all over the Web, including here)

At this point, the question has to be: where should this go next?!?

The spirit won't change. It can't. But since I have an audience, I ought to listen! Write your comments and suggestions. What did you like? What did you think was irrelevant, inappropriate, misplaced? What can be done better? What else should this be, if anything?

PS Thank you Zampe for getting me to do this in a first place!

A reminder for the rest of the year

(Tonight, as every year, I was inspired.)

We as one...

In every generation, each of us must see ourselves as if we, ourselves, came out of Egypt, as it is written: And you shall tell your child on that day, saying, This is what God did for me, when I came out of Egypt. (Exodus 13:8)

...and humble

Had God brought us out of Egypt,
And not divided the sea for us,
It would have been enough!

Had God divided the sea for us,
And not provided for all our needs for forty years in the desert,
It would have been enough!

Had God provided for all our needs for forty years in the desert,
And not fed us with manna,
It would have been enough!

Had God fed us with manna,
And not given us the Sabbath,
It would have been enough!

Had God given us the Sabbath,
And not drawn us close at Mount Sinai,
It would have been enough!

Had God drawn us close at Mount Sinai,
And not given us the Torah,
It would have been enough!

Had God given us the Torah,
And not brought us into the land of Israel,
It would have been enough!

May this serve as a reminder for the rest of the year.

Italian media...online? Not here, not now (Part IV)

(from sergiomaistrello via manteblog, in Italian)

Estratto dagli Appunti da Perugia, dove si sta svolgendo in questi giorni il Festival del Giornalismo.

Non mi spiegavo gli scarsi risultati ottenuti fin qui dal giornalismo italiano su internet, nonostante la presenza di alcune professionalità eccellenti. Dopo aver seguito le prime sessioni dedicate ai new media concludo che in realtà il giornalista medio semplicemente non ha voglia. Aveva il suo lavoro, gli bastava quello. A qualcuno tocca fare il giornale online, ma il più delle volte non ha la motivazione, il talento, l’elasticità mentale. Qualuno coglie l’occasione per rimettersi a studiare, ma spesso studia le cose sbagliate oppure capisce proprio male. Chi ha le idee, il talento, la voglia, l’elasticità non è quasi mai nel posto giusto al momento giusto, oppure resta proprio fuori dal sistema. Oggi l’innovazione deve arrivare da fuori, all’esterno dei grandi gruppi editoriali, dove però non ci sono i soldi per costruire modelli che superino la buona volontà delle intenzioni e l’amatorialità dei mezzi.

Avevo avuto la stessa impressione qualche tempo fa, sia pur con qualche eccezione significativa.

In bocca al lupo, giovani giornalisti...ne vedremo delle belle.