Ken Schafer: 8 posts from February 2004

8 posts from February 2004

John Battelle's Searchblog: Google's Brin on AdSense; Watch DCLK

Spot-on analysis from John Battelle on the reasonableness of Google using search created context to serve up image-based ads as well as text ads across AdSense sites:

"In other words, it won't be long before Google combines the contextual relevance of AdSense text links with more brand-driven, rich media ad units. And that means they start becoming a major ad serving service in the vein of Doubleclick and its kin."

Feb 18, 2004 at 10:28 PM | Permalink

Targeted Email Newsletters Show Continued Strength (Jakob Nielsen's Alertbox)

Jakob Nielsen's latest Alertbox is "Targeted Email Newsletters Show Continued Strength":

"E-newsletters that are informative, convenient, and timely are often preferred over other media. However, a new study found that only 11% of newsletters were read thoroughly, so layout and content scannability is paramount. "

Feb 17, 2004 at 11:12 AM | Permalink

Apple - RSS Information

Want to see the future of business communication? Check out the Apple RSS Information page.

Feb 17, 2004 at 10:13 AM | Permalink

Wired News: Webmonkey, RIP: 1996 – 2004

Wired News: Webmonkey, RIP: 1996 - 2004:

"They finally pulled the plug. Webmonkey, the site that turned humble Web developers into attention-grabbing authors, said last week it is closing down following a round of layoffs in the U.S. division of its parent company, Terra Lycos (also the parent company of Wired News). Judging by blog posts and e-mails, the site's fans aren't surprised. Still, they're sad to see the end of an era."

Feb 17, 2004 at 10:06 AM | Permalink

Should Spanking Still Be Legal In Canada?

Should Spanking Still Be Legal In Canada? I think not. Alyson's article explains why.

Feb 13, 2004 at 01:38 PM | Permalink

Puretracks chalks up one million downloads

I'm very happy to see that Puretracks has chalked up one million downloads:

"The move comes as Puretracks - with a catalogue of more than 250,000 tracks - announced that it has crossed the one-million download threshold after roughly four months of operation. By comparison, Apple Computer Corp.'s iTunes service crossed the four-month mark with 10 million downloads, although that service's U.S. customer base is also roughly 10 times the size of the comparable market in Canada."

I would also note that Puretracks has Canada's higher broadband penetration in its favour and greater proclivity to use file-sharing networks against it. So on the whole, Puretracks is doing as least as well as iTunes all things being equal. And given that they had a previously unknown brand while Apple had 20 years of headstart as a brand, I'd say they are doing pretty darn well.

Feb 11, 2004 at 04:44 PM | Permalink

Technorati: Top Products, with context

As requested: Technorati: Top Products, with context

Feb 10, 2004 at 10:16 PM | Permalink

Forrester's George Colony on Google

George Colony, Chairman and CEO of Forrester has done a spot on analysis of why Google has fundamentally changed the Internet, but won't be the stellar IPO that everyone seems to think it will be.

Read Colony's My View: Googlescape to find some solid analysis.

Feb 10, 2004 at 07:59 PM | Permalink

About Ken Schafer

Widely seen as a pioneer of the Internet in Canada, Ken has tirelessly promoted the Net as a significant force in business and culture.

Ken conceived and oversaw Sony Music Canada's early online initiatives. From their first site in 1995, Ken's team built a global web presence for 25 Canadian artists, by pioneering viral and e-mail marketing, rich media, and community building long before they had become buzzwords.

In 1996 he co-founded (AIMS) where as President he helped it become Canada's largest organization for Internet decision-makers. In 1997 he co-authored the online portion of the Canadian Marketing Association's Code of Ethics.

Ken's volunteer work was recognized in 2002 when he was named a finalist for "Volunteer of the Year" at the Canadian New Media Awards.

More recently, Ken developed the curriculum and taught the 14-week CMA's Certificate in E-marketing program.

Today, he is VP, Marketing & Product Management for Tucows and a contributor to One Degree, Canada's leading web site for Internet marketing professionals.

Ken received his degree in Mathematics from the University of Waterloo and lives outside Toronto with his wife, parenting expert Alyson Schafer, and their two children.

Recent Non-Fiction

Gary Hamel: The Future of Management
I found this very inspiring. We're working through a lot of these issues at Tucows and a few of us have now read this book. Really thought provoking and more pragmatic than I was expecting.
James Surowiecki: The Wisdom of Crowds
I can't believe how long it too me to get to this "must read" for the social media cognoscenti but it didn't disappoint.
Walter Isaacson: Einstein
Isaacson provides a comprehensive study of the great man, intertwining his personal and scientific lives effortlessly.
Chip & Dan Heath: Made to Stick
A fantastic resource for anyone who needs to clearly communicate anything. Probably my top business book of 2007. A must read.
Steven Pinker: The Stuff of Thought
Getting through the grammar lessons in the early chapters was a bit of a challenge but the sections on why we swear where absolutely worth it!
Nassim Nicholas Taleb: The Black Swan
While Taleb's ideas are VERY important I have a hard time recommending the book to the average reader as it does delve pretty heavily into statistical and probabilistic thinking at times. If you don't mind a bit of hard work in the later chapters this will reward with some great insights into how much we are ruled by randomness.

Recent Fiction

Khaled Hosseini: A Thousand Splendid Suns
The history of Kabul Afghanistan disguised as the harrowing stories of two women as they deal with oppression and injustice while finding time to love and learn.
William Gibson: Spook Country
I enjoyed this far more than I was expecting. I tried Neuromancer ages ago and couldn't get into it, but Spook Country was very much a page turner - heavy on plot, set in a futuristic "near past" (2006). Highly recommended.
J.D. Salinger: The Catcher in the Rye
Getting around to reading classics I should have read much earlier in life is a big goal for 2008. Finally meeting Holden Caufield was a great start.

You can see why the book was radical in its time - in content and style, but it seems pretty darn quaint these days. Is it still banned anywhere?
Cormac Mccarthy: All the Pretty Horses
A cowboy gothic starting and ending with a funeral. In between we get minimalist dialogue, pages of apocalyptic odes to equines and Mexican desert landscapes. Brilliant.
Cormac McCarthy: The Road
Incredibly powerful - probably one of my all-time favourite books despite the relentless bleakness.
Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird
Just wonderful. I've seen the movie many times but reading the book was a revelation.