Directions: Digital Content Can Be More Intelligent

When new communications media emerge, the typical pattern has been to simply put old content into the new format. The filming of stage plays in early cinema or the reading of newspapers over the radio are two oft-cited examples.

However, I would argue that the most effective use of any medium is achieved only once the unique characteristics of that medium are fully grasped. This process takes time—but when the uniqueness of a medium are understood and exploited, a profound shift takes place.

Reporting On The Hindenburg

A shift also occurred in radio when broadcasters realized the medium could do more than transmit the voices of announcers in a studio and took the microphone out into the world. The live report from the site of the Hindenburg disaster demonstrated the powerful experience electronic media could provide.

Publishers who have traditionally focused on the delivery of books on paper are in the midst of a similar shift. While publishers are grateful for the additional revenue the ebook market contributes, most also acknowledge that they are essentially treating this new medium as the old: single book titles are sold in (digital) stores, and read on devices and applications designed to emulate the traditional book reading experience.

Book publishing today is analogous to early cinema. Today we have a new digital, mobile, connected medium but we have yet to discover how to fully exploit its unique capabilities for customers. One way that publishers (along with their development and distribution partners) can break new ground and create additional customer value is to harness the computing power available to them and make their content delivery offerings more intelligent.

The Connected-Mobile Platform
The digital media delivery platform that has emerged over the past five years has been empowered by: