Pearltrees visualization tools add power to search and discovery

Nearly four years ago, I spent a week at a multimedia bootcamp at UC Berkeley put on by the Knight Digital Media Center. It was a wonderful experience, not only because of the practical skills I picked up but also because my team was assigned to interview Jeff Heer, then a graduate student studying data visualization. Our finished multimedia package was rough around the edges, but had some great visuals and detail on Heer's quest to help people understand the power of social relationships on the distribution of information.

I immediately thought of Heer when I started poking around with a new social-visualization tool called Pearltrees that's currently in beta. It's a completely different way of organizing content, a mix of old-school bookmarking and drag-and-drop organizing to fit the new, flexible world of Web 2.0 and 3.0. Here's a snapshot of content dealing with Android software.

As we create more and more data, search becomes more and more important. Textual search is only the beginning -- visualizing online searches are becoming more important because social connections behind the data can add new layers of trust and relevance. That's because you might be more likely to trust information created or vetted by people you know rather than the masses. Google gets this, and is just starting to introduce social search at the bottom of its results pages. As time goes on and the quality of searches is refined, we'll see that presentation gain more prominence, and perhaps offered as an alternative UI. 

In the meantime, it's fun to tinker around with tools like Pearltrees that place a sense of "discovery" front and center. It's hard to describe the concept with words, so I've attached a lengthy but detailed video to guide you through the possibilities. But, knowing 30-minute videos are too long for most people, I'd encourage you to just jump in and start playing.

Bakersfield Voice expands, Bakotopia evolves

Way back in September, I discussed The Bakersfield Californian’s evaluation of printed versions of its Bakersfield Voice and Bakotopia products, and our commitment to niche local websites and community journalism. At that time, deep in the recession, we were reviewing the performance of those products, something smart companies do in tough economic times.

We have since made changes to both products that increase advertising revenue and reduce costs in ways we hope will position them for success now and down the road. Bakersfield Voice will relaunch Sunday with a new print design and strategy, while we recently put the biweekly Bakotopia print magazine on hold after two years. We will continue to operate the websites for each brand and are working on other tools to increase their reach in our community.

Bakersfield Voice

The printed version of Bakersfield Voice has a new look that will debut Sunday and will be delivered weekly to 146,295 households in the Bakersfield area. The Voice will be delivered to non-subscribers of The Californian, and for the first time, on the east side of Bakersfield.

The Voice initially was created to serve the fast-growing northwest portion of Bakersfield (hence its initial name, Northwest Voice), but a year ago was merged with its sister publication Southwest Voice and renamed Bakersfield Voice to better reflect its readership.

While the different incarnations of the Voices had enjoyed good readership, we struggled to maintain initial advertising success and keep the hyperlocal ads that had not been a part of the daily Californian. We tried different pricing, packaging and distribution, but couldn’t find a formula for profitability.

The new Bakersfield Voice is printed on a 54-inch web and on thick stockBy dramatically increasing our circulation and using Bakersfield Voice as a “jacket” for preprint advertisements, we believe we’re better positioned than ever to ensure the Voice's success in increasing advertising, readership and engagement with our community.

The new distribution more than doubles Bakersfield Voice's previous circulation, and is nearly six times that of Northwest Voice at its peak. We’re hoping that increased print distribution will increase activity on BakersfieldVoice.com as a central location for hyperlocal user-submitted news throughout our market.

The look of the printed Voice is changing too. A 54-inch broadsheet has replaced the long-standing tab format, and we’ve placed a greater emphasis on long-term advertising contracts with local retailers (with a strong focus on coupons) and national preprint advertisers that we think will ensure profitability. News content remains 100% user submitted through BakersfieldVoice.com, but in order to control newsprint costs and gain profitability, we’re limiting content – at least initially -- to 25% of newshole. Stories in Sunday's edition include staples like pets, school activities and local arts.

The Voice will be a work in progress moving forward, but we’re excited about the prospects.

(Disclosure: My wife is a Voice contractor, coordinating content for publication).

Bakotopia

The second niche product undergoing changes is Bakotopia.com, an edgy alternative to The Californian that launched five years ago as a competitor to Craigslist, and which later evolved into a local social network centered around local arts and music. Bakotopia magazine's last issue before going into hibernation. The dress is comprised of issues of Bakotopia magazineTwo years ago, we spun off a biweekly print magazine titled Bakotopia featuring a mix of staff and user-submitted content from the website. The magazine (here's an e-edition sample) generated new revenue from mostly small advertisers -- with occasional full page ads from national companies -- and brought us readers who wouldn't touch The Californian. Despite those positives, we were unable to cover our costs.

The recession sapped our ability to absorb those losses, so in late December, we put the magazine version of Bakotopia on hold, with hopes of returning when the economy rebounds and we can rebuild the ad base.

Matt Munoz, the longtime face of Bakotopia in print and online, has since focused his time on feeding the website, coordinating sponsored events and launching a new weekly “Bakotopia Radio” show on local rock station KRAB. It’s proof that Bakotopia is evolving but full of more life than ever.

In the coming weeks and months, we’re planning to migrate Bakotopia.com onto a Drupal platform, launch a cool and long overdue website redesign and create a new digital version of the magazine using our home-grown Printcasting tools. We're also tossing around ideas on how to weave some Bakotopia content into The Californian.

Stay tuned.

Take Our River Back

Anyone who has lived in Bakersfield for any length of time expresses frustration with the dry riverbed that runs through the city.

Download and sign this petition if you would like to restore water to the Kern Riverbed through BakersfieldThe mighty Kern River -- home to some of the most daring whitewater rapids in the West -- is tamed by canals in and around Bakersfield and diverted from its natural flow through the heart of the city. Only when we get heavy rainy seasons do we see the true Kern River at play within Bakersfield. And what a difference that water makes in recharging our acquifers, attracting wildlife and generally giving us a visual and psychological lift. Who can resist a ride or walk along the 26-mile-long Kern River Parkway when it's in its natural state, something beautiful that's a magnet rather than a repellant?

That's why The Californian is encouraging all local residents to sign a petition urging state officials to permanently grant the city of Bakersfield a disputed share of Kern Rever water rights, a move that would ensure water flow is restored.

Californian columnist Lois Henry has been pushing for change for years, and explains her reasoning and the urgency in getting the public to lobby for this change. Our publisher, Ginger Moorhouse, shares similar reasoning.

If you care about quality of life in Bakersfield, please read their opinions. If you agree with them, please take a few moments to print out and sign a PDF version of the petition, and then mail it to state officials so they can introduce your support in the public record. But hurry, all petitions must be received in Sacramento by Feb. 9 or they won't be considered.

Your support is critical to driving this change, which would have enormous benefits to the city for years to come.