david cushman

A great post, and a brilliant lecture…

July 27, 2008 By Dan Thornton

Two things I’m posting as much to have them handy for my own recollection as to share.

1: I often tell my friend and colleague Dave Cushman that I disagree with him, and I also tend to be the plain English version of his slightly more long-winded explanations. But he seems to be putting across his thoughts in better and better ways, and this is a great example.

2. I hadn’t heard of Randy Pausch until after his untimely death, and although his ‘Last Lecture’ got picked up by various media in the U.S., it was only via Twitter and blogs I heard about it. Probably one the most worthwhile, inspirational, and moving ways I’ve ever spent 80 minutes. And possibly the best advert for academia I’ve seen in years.
Do it justice and click on full screen mode…

It’s been a long – and wet – weekend

July 7, 2008 By Dan Thornton

It’s amazing how blogging guilt can motivate a post at 10.40pm on a Monday night, but I’ve been a bit lacklustre. Mainly because I had a great weekend hanging out with my baby son, playing a little Xbox 360 (Rainbow 6: Vegas 2 is still my game of choice), and generally staying off the laptop as I’d originally planned to start rebuilding my car. But as the rains came down, the only choice was to hang out in the dry – which I duly did.

Getting back online, I was reminded how much I actually enjoyed this blog in the gap between starting to write on this new url, and finally setting up Google Analytics. Because I had no way to tell if anyone was reading – except for the occasional comment – I suddenly started relaxing and writing for myself again. No pressure to hit keywords, or make sure I updated regularly, or to increase my audience. Hopefully I can carry on in that vein, despite my foolish registrations on Technorati, Feedburner, and even the Adage Power 150, to put myself up against a large number of quality blogs.

Related to that is my reaction to the news my colleague and friend David Cushman has started regularly contributing to Stowe Boyd’s /Message. In the old days, I’d have probably felt a bit jealous if someone got picked up by a bigger print publication. But now it’s a lot easier to be magnanimous – mainly because any link from either of the two blogs now helps me far more than before!

In all seriousness, the nature and power of an increased network means that building, maintaining and valuing the success of friends, colleagues and peers suddenly becomes a lot more important than cutting ties to anyone who dares move on to other things. You never know what opportunities it may bring, and who may end up following a link to Dave, and then to here. And suddenly it really does become more about the people within a team working collaboratively, rather than always competing – and despite the hippy sentiment, it’s easy to find the value that can bring to any business.

*In a wave of productivity, there’s also a new update by me on my new group blog, 140char.com, dedicated to all microblogging. And don’t forget to subscribe via RSS if you don’t want to miss any posts here.

Eight things you may not know about me…

March 10, 2008 By Dan Thornton

Normally I’m not a big one for chain emails or blog memes etc, but seeing as I’m embracing being more honest and open, this one hit at about the right time.

So here’s eight random (i.e. subconsciously chosen by me to reflect a certain identity) things you may or may not know about me. And to track the chain, it appears to have come via Frankie Roberto, Dan Hon, Thayer Driver, Chris Hambly, Eoan Pritchard, Neil Perkins, and then to the first name I’m intimately acquainted with, Mr David Cushman.

Make sure you’re sitting comfortably, as you may doze off before the end:

Despite currently existing on a diet of constant broadband, chocolate, cola, and Marlboro, I was actually a very athletic child and teenager. I played 1st team rugby and hockey for my school, studied judo and karate, and rang long distance (1500 metres up to half marathons). I was a bit of a gym addict for two years at uni, but eventually living in America broke me as I had to rebel against the superfit by smoking during soccer games and still doing OK!
Going to America was my first time on a plane, and my first trip abroad. And a part of me will always feel at home in the Pacific North West (Bellingham, WA) – more so than in the UK. Flying back for Christmas to Heathrow I ended up sitting next to a pretty Swedish girl. Almost 10 years later we’re expecting our first child!
I’m a closet librarian/collector. Over the years I’ve amassed huge collections of comics, books, CDs, retro videogame consoles, guitars, and other stuff that I’ll never have the time or energy to enjoy. It’s taken me years to stop adding to the collections, but I haven’t stopped arranging everything in alphabetical and chronological order.
When I was about 13, I had a letter printed in Motorcycle News, which my dad and I read religiously. 10 years later I was lucky enough to get my first full time staff writing job for www.motorcyclenews.com (Cheers Mr Cushman!). I’m still with the same company, having moved to marketing after 6 years and 11 months on MCN. Highlights include riding to Paris and back, doing 160mph on a private test track in Levis, and getting to speak to some of my childhood heroes.
I can’t stand tea or coffee. Even the smell of coffee makes me feel slightly queasy. But I still managed to get addicted to caffeine thanks to Coke and Pepsi.
I love history. Mainly the history of Japan, military history and pop culture history. An odd, and yet, consistently geeky, mix.
I’ve never liked being a passenger in cars, trains or planes, as I’m not in control. Yet I love storms, and quite enjoyed being awake to appreciate the recent UK earthquake. I always quite envied storm chasers in the U.S. (Strangely my uncle wrote a PHD thesis on ball lightning, it must run in the family).
I have a huge weakness for comedy movie mash-ups. So here’s my all time favourite:

And now I shall tag the following people:

Charlie

Ian

Maki

Pat

Sam

Ste Turns out Ste already posted his in a different chain….

Tim

Trevor (Replacing Ste)

Will

The Long Tail: Inspiration and Context…

October 22, 2007 By Dan Thornton

Developing my ideas about the missing piece of The Long Tail theory has taken a surprising turn, as a rather hopeful email to Chris Anderson, The Long Tail author and Wired Editor-in-Chief was met by a prompt and thoughtful email helping me to crystalise some of my ideas… Just goes to show that the connectivity of the internet is more than theory – it’s reality. And also helping are my constant discussions, disagreements and challenges to blog chum Dave Cushman from Faster Future…

As I said previously, Chris does a superb job of reminding readers that the new culture of niche interests in the internet-accessible long tail does not mean the end for big entertainment companies producing hits aimed squarely at the short tail. But the justification for this is left implicit, understandably, as it’s the Long Tail which is the radical new idea. Just a shame then, that a surprising amount of people manage to completely miss the point and go straight to proclaiming all mass media dead.

But there are reasons for these big companies to survive, as they transform into agents of the new prosumer, rather than content creators.

A step towards furthering The Long Tail

October 22, 2007 By Dan Thornton

As I said previously, the excellent Long Tail theory implies how major media companies will continue to co-exist with the long tail of prosumers, but doesn’t justify their continued existence.

That posed me with enough of a problem to email the author (and Wired Editor-in-Chief) Chris Anderson, who inspired me to continue with a thoughtful response. And to discuss the concept further with fellow blogger Dave Cushman from Faster Future.

Although I see major media companies forced to adapt to become agents for content creators, rather than creators themselves, there are some good reasons why we need these big players to continue, rather than fading away, or choosing to plug-in unpaid user generated content rather than backing artists with significant funding.

One major reason is Context. As much as we want increasingly more personal relevance from our niche entertainment, we still want to be indentifiable to larger groups. Tagging yourself with your favourite films on a site like Facebook is an art in itself, as you move between common signposts (Star Wars, Titanic, etc), and more obscure arthouse or indie movies. As much as the watercooler discussions about the latest hits have diminished, they’ve migrated to online debates on forums and message boards, and the cult of celebrity is as strong as ever.

Much of the current crop of user generated content is also based upon these reference points, whether it’s a mash-up of famous films (my favourite, here), a parody, or fan fiction based upon these titles. It can be much easier to gain popularity for an unknown prosumer by referencing these common cultural signposts than to begin with totally original material. How many film fans wouldn’t recognise the sound of a lightsaber being drawn in Star Wars?

Another main reason is Inspiration. Whilst the likes of Speilberg, Lucas, Cameron or Kubrick made interesting student films and could doubtless do wonders with the technology available to home users at the moment, there are still differences in what becomes available when you have several million or more to spend. And while OK Go can inspire a certain time of fan film for Youtube, there are doubtless many amateur filmmakers who aspire to making Schindlers List, or 2001.

The final of the trio of reasons in Financial Aspiration, often sidestepped in studies which proclaim prosumers just do it for the love of it and the recognition.
Many people do co-create and share to exchange knowledge and ideas, and to simply get their voice out there. Any audience they receive is valued and appreciated, and they fit their creative sides around their day jobs.

But that isn’t the total picture. Many amateur musicians, film makers and writers would give various body parts to ‘make it’ in ever bigger arenas. Partly for financial reward, and partly because, if you strive to do something better, it takes more time and effort. And the demands of a 9-5 job might not stop you from achieving your dream, but they complicate it immensely. Lauded indie directors such as Kevin Smith and Richard Linklater made their names with tiny budgets but certainly didn’t hide from major studios when they got the chance. Partly the old methods of film distribution made it a neccessity, but partly it meant they could get paid, use studio lots, and get access to a whole world of professional film casts and employees.

Writing, making music, or making movies isn’t easy. There are those who are naturally talented, and there are more resources than ever online to help guide aspiring talent. But in order to reach a reasonable level of quality takes time and practice, especially to hit that level consistently. If hopeful artists can’t aspire to paid employment then there is no opportunity for university, for example, which gives many people the time and space to find their voice, or for any further training, without indulgent and wealthy parents.

Artistic endeavour has always been interlinked with financial reward, since the first wandering minstrel received a meal and a pint of ale for producing entertainment.

I’d be very interested to hear how these ideas stand up, especially as I fully intend to use them the next time I hear the cry that big companies are now dead, or that we can cull all our paid staff because users will just churn out endless reams of content without any input. So as ever I welcome all comments and feedback, good or bad. Whatever happens, it’s an interesting time, especially for someone who works for a major media company 9-5.30pm at www.motorcyclenews.com, runs a publication which aspires to make money at www.disposablemedia.co.uk, and blogs purely to have a voice. Three sides of the same coin…