A Yahoo with great lessons for media execs

It's not often someone at the top of one of the world's largest publicly owned companies speaks openly about skeletons within his own business. 

But Blake Irving, Yahoo's reasonably new chief product officer, did just that in addressing the company's "good, the bad and the ugly" at a recent gathering of Newspaper Consortium executives. The good news is Irving isn't a moaner, he's an energetic doer with a vision for Yahoo's success in a crowded digital media marketplace. 

I had a conflict and couldn't attend the consortium meeting but sat wide-eyed while watching this video of his presentation. It's long, but the first 35 minutes or so are highly recommended for anyone in the media business.

His fast-paced presentation touches on the sociology that drives digital behavior, product development and "shipping" strategies, the dangers of "boiling the ocean," brand focus, teamwork and much more. At times he comes across as condescending but he backs up that in-your-face confidence with a gameplan that clearly supports his case for focused business plans executed with relentless precision and passion. 

Be sure to spend time absorbing his version of the Table of Elements. I took a screen grab to ponder later and try to adapt to my own world. 

Enough hate for "The Daily" already

Updated on Wednesday, February 2, 2011 at 10:11 PM by Logan Molen

I don't get the hate that's already cropping up for Rupert Murdoch's planned tablet-only news product tentatively titled "The Daily." 

I get that Murdoch is evil in a lot of media circles. But what's the harm in letting someone try something that goes against the grain? In an age where there are no sure things when it comes to monetizing news online, shouldn't we celebrate someone with a big bag of cash funding an experiment that might work? Nope, at least among critics postulating recently at Fast Company, "This Week in Google" and more. 

What kills me is too many of these critics are basing their hate on the idea of a "newspaper" online. In fact, Murdoch is proposing a tablet-only product, which opens up all kinds of fresh opportunities in retooling - but not mimicking - the things that make newspapers authoritative and valued. The guys at "This Week in Media" said as much this week. Oddly, none of them have print backgrounds. Hmm. 

OK, a little background on the drama for newbies. 

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Is Godin coming or going?

've been a fan of marketing guru Seth Godin ever since I first downloaded his free "Spreading the Idea Virus" e-book onto my Palm V a decade ago. I've also read hardcover versions of "Tribes" and "Purple Cow," listened to an audio version of "Small is the New Big," and subscribe to his daily blog posts.

His work often leaves me energized and spurs me to bursts of creativity.

"Linchpin," Seth Godin's last traditional bookHis latest major title is "Linchpin," (whose Kindle version came bundled with a bonus e-book titled "Insubordinate"). Like many of Godin's recent books, there's little new content, just some fresh content weaved through a curated collection of previous blog posts. It's an M.O. that has worked well his past few books.

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