Re: Age-Verify Users Before They Visit USA Today.com?

Carlos Tabora — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 07:21:42 -0000

It's interesting that you wrote this entry, because I understand many sides of the issues you address. Regarding publishers, I just recently left my position as head of marketing for one the largest enthusiast publishers in the world. With the immense popularity of social media and user-generated content, publishers who have traditionally been purveyors of expert-driven content find themselves in a confusing situation. Publishers continue to lose subscribers and advertisers as more companies redirect their ad dollars to the web instead of traditional print media. The two biggest assets publishers have are their expert content (my previous employer has more than 40+ years of expert content) and their subscriber base. They can't offer their content for free on the web because it would completely devalue what they've built up over the years. However, I believe that everything goes in cycles. People will eventually be over-burdened by the vast amount of user-generated content on the Internet and will be more receptive to long-time trusted sources for expert advice. The publishers that can create the right model of expert content and a loyal and passionate community that feels their contribution is important too will win in the long run.

Now, regarding DOPA, PCDOPA and ILLDOPA, I have recently launched a web site called Social-Legislation.com to provide a place to discuss all of the U.S. bills to regulate social media. This site is an extension of my interest in social media and the Save Your Space petition that I created last year opposing DOPA. Please feel free to stop by both sites and express your views there too.

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Re: Age-Verify Users Before They Visit USA Today.com?