Battle for the Red Zone

Some research bods working on project called Eyetrack managed to chart eye movement when a web page is loaded up. They discovered a pattern that enabled them to prioritise areas of a website – a graphical representation of which is below.


The creation of a Red Zone has kicked off a battle between advertisers and editors.

To an advertising manager of a site, that Red Zone is his top selling place. Armed with the weaponry of Eyetrack, he could lay seige to companies and legitamately demand large wads of cash. They are paying for the 'in' spot on the site after all.

But then you have the editor. He's looking at that Red Zone thinking it is the best place to showcase his top talent, his leading story. He's thinking that if this is the place they look first, then it is the best chance you have of keeping someone on the site.

Hence, a battle ensues between the money and ideas. Can ideas survive without money? Is an idea worth anything if it cannot be communicated due to lack of funds?

Many sites seem to have found a comprimise. SkyNews shares it's Red Zone out between the content and the ad's quite effectively. The ad man gets his money and the editor gets his content across. Sure they'd rather each other wasn't there, but that's compromise (the world could learn a thing or two from the internet). So rather than the Red Zone being a battle ground, it is more the ecosystem for a symbiotic relationship between the main players on the internet.

Iain Dale: Manipulator or Moderniser?

I came out of Birt Acres irritated. Iain Dale was arrogant and shamelessly self-promoting. Then I remembered he was a would-be politician, and that arrogance and self-promotion were part of the make-up. With irritation justified, I actually thought about what he was doing.

Dale has his own mini-media empire with his blog and the Internet TV channel, 18 Doughty Street. Understandably, then, he made some interesting points about blogging and attacking the monopoly of the establishment.

But his speech was a bit too contrived. Like Cameron's attempts to web cast, Dale’s "I think therefore I blog” was more Alan Partridge than Rupert Murdoch.

I think Dale’s embrace of New Media is a carefully planned image choice. With New Media comes connotations of democratic fervour, of people power, of genuine care for the “little guy”, of a modernity embracing mind ready to adapt to the rigour of the future.

In this he has been very astute. Blogging for Dale is a free party political broadcast, his television channel an opportunity to influence debate to his way of thinking. Also, he has identified that embracing new media makes him a very marketable commodity both within his party and with the public.

Whether Dale genuinely believes citizen media, blogs and Internet telly are the future is really inconsequential. What is crucial is his recognition that the same manipulation of traditional media can be applied to new media, and he is doing it very successfully – it’s probably what earned him the Tory A-List inclusion.

Ken Raven, Like The Bird

I interviewed a guy called Ken Raven who was an absolute legend and knew lots about Cardiff and its history. If you find this man utilise his skills.

Making an impact in 0.82 minutes

Amanda Powell, editor of BBC Wales Online, came to talk to us and she revealed some ego-crushing statistics. On average, a person will spend 3.12 minutes on the BBC news website and 0.82 minutes on an individual story.

Making your point in the online world, then, is much more time demanding than in print journalism. A lead story in a paper can take several pages oF analysing, facts, and pictures to convey its point. It is Roast Dinner Journalism - everything is on the plate and you take your time to digest it all properly. Online journalism, however, seems to be very much about getting the message out succinctly. It is Microwave Ready-Meal Journalism - the dinner has been processed for you, and you are left with a concise and neatly packaged product that is easy to consume.

This is not to say that one is more creative or skilled than the other - writing a story in three paragraphs is as difficult as writing it in three pages. It is just that the two platforms have different things expected of them. The print media can afford to take their time, as they know their audience will also take their time when reading the paper. The culture of the internet, though, is one of speed and of instant access. It is a world of promiscuous punters who will not wait for you to labour a point. They want the information but they want it quickly - they have a world to see after all.

Blog of the week

My blog of the week is by a man who used to work on a paper but is now writing a blog. He is a funny man and he makes me laugh and hopefully he will make you laugh because laughing for five minutes each day can extend your life by five minutes (possibly). The site is by kirk elder of Peebles

I hope you enjoy it.

Hello world...(or more likely diploma students)

Hello world

This is my first blog. Some people have said my blog should have a more imaginative name than 'Severs' Blog' but i am feeling neither witty nor imaginative today as it is 16.02 on a Thursday and i haven't got used to 9-5's yet (and incidently i am beginning to doubt i ever will get used to it). No matter, if i get inspiration at some later date i will change it. Until that day this domain will remain Severs' Blog.