PM11: Mediascape

PRIME MONITOR today shares a few snippets on the important MEDIA LANDCAPE which is of special interest as Desi has been earning Bread&Butter from this field. Usig God's gift of wordsmithry. Thanks to the Almighty He doeth open many doors for Desi. Wooden ones also can as long as they add some kaya to the B&B!

I'm reserving COMMENTS at tye moment as I'm on the run for some moolah; see later if Time permits, I'd give my 3sen worth.

Meanwhile, EsteAmedReaders, add thy famous views. Notorious wan oso cun as long as take care of any lawyer's letter of demand/cmommand cometh blogsway!

Cheers, have a nice day and keep Da NURSE away from wedNURSEdie!

L'VE to AWE!:) -- with a warm goblet of teh-C!

From The Star, page B11:

Internet no longer niche media


WITH 10 million active users in Malaysia, the Internet can no longer be considered a niche media, said Universal McCann managing director Gaurav Bhasin.

“The scope and influence of the Net now offers fresh opportunities for advertisers,” he said in a statement. “There's an exciting dynamism in advertising, with bloggers, gamers, social networkers, and podcasters charting a new reality for brand building.'

A recent research study conducted by Universal McCann, based on a sample size of 4,670 respondents, revealed that 40% of Malaysian netizens (regular Internet users) spent more than three hours daily on the Net.


Of the Malaysian netizens, 31% click on video and animated banner advertisements, 27% participate in promotions, and 41% read sponsored pages at least once weekly.

And 42% of Internet users visit gaming sites (30% once a week or less, while 12% several times a week) and 46% visit social networking sites (20% not more than once a week and 26% several times a week).

The survey also revealed that 35% of Malaysian netizens are active bloggers with about one-quarter responding or writing about brands and services experienced.

“These bloggers can actually influence the fate of brands, and the growing number of passive bloggers who visit and read blogs of people they personally know is not small enough that they can be ignored,” he said.

The Universal McCann study showed that 14% of bloggers trusted brand reviews they read and were positively inclined to try a brand with a positive review.

More companies are now starting to weave brand messages in a relevant fashion within the games and sponsor content on popular gaming sites to deliver a higher level of consumer engagement.


From theSun webedition~~
Wed, 29 Nov 2006


SPEAK UP! :: theSun Says

What people expect of newspapers

When people pick up their newspaper in the morning, they have one thing in common - no matter what their personal interests and views may be. They want news and views.

They want to know what happened in the community they call home, and the larger world which the community is inextricably a part of.

They want to know about the decisions that are being made that could affect them, and the community and world they live in.

They want to know about the different views that exist and are being debated out there.

They want to have a say in these because they would be affected, directly or indirectly.

Even if they are not going to be affected, a vital part of the growth of an individual and society - a lifelong journey - is to have access to information and views that would help shape opinions and thoughts.

A newspaper's role then is to report the news, to recognise that there is a plurality of views on many of the issues that matter to society, and to present these different views in a balanced manner - not with any sinister aim to instigate trouble, but with the recognition that the press has a role to play in informing and empowering readers to form their own opinions and make their own decisions.

That is the role that this newspaper tries to do day in day out whether in our news pages or in our opinion sections - including this space.

We are very much aware that as no one society is homogenous, it is inevitable that some quarters will disagree with one another.

Any sincere effort to negotiate a common space respected by all would entail rational dialogue between all parties, with an openness to consider the different views out there before arriving at any conclusion.

It does not have to be a zero sum game. History has shown that trouble begins when the dialogue breaks down.

Any newspaper that wants to keep its finger on the pulse of society would need to be aware of this and report on all the different views - and not just on one view - and ensure the dialogue does not break down.

The task can be akin to treading on eggshells at times, especially in a multi-ethnic and multi-religious society where race and religion are deemed to be sensitive and at times, contentious, issues. And where, despite education, people often still act emotionally when it comes to race and religion. Newspapers and journalists are mindful of that and we know where the limits are. But it is no easy task. And we know there are some people who would prefer less discourse and less disclosure and want the government to have a tighter grip on the media. We therefore find comfort in the assurance given by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi at a mass media conference (organised by the Internal Security Ministry that regulates newspapers) on Tuesday that the government will not rush to act against the media everytime there is a complaint from a particular group. In return, he asked that the media use the freedom we have responsibly and accept that that freedom is not absolute.

That's a fair deal.

This newspaper will continue to play our part in reporting the news and articulating ideas and opinions that can help shape the direction of our country for the well being of all Malaysians. We will do this at the right time and to the best of our ability, which unfortunately is not limitless. And we will do so in a constructive and responsible way. We will lose some battles in our pursuit of more public discourse of the issues that affect us all but we know that this endeavour has no shelf life. Indeed, it is an endless struggle with its fair share of ups and downs.

DESIDERATA:

With time to spare (don't know about dime-lah since the ATM is quite unfriendly nowadays!) after tea-break on account of a friend who wanted a tutorial in Interneting, Desi has freshened enough to lend his 3sen, even 4sen, worth.

The first report just affirms the naturally expected -- that the Internet medium will grow, more slowly in third world countries than in first world, but nevertheless still grow, and advertisers and opinion makers have to adapt to this relatively "new" medium if they don't wish to be left behind.

In Malaysia, the Government is comitted expanding Internet access, even to the rural areas like Chong YK New Village and Kampong Anak Merleka and when critical mass is achieved, all the world is an oyster to the Netters!

And there is no excuse for anyone not knowing what a yahoo.com address is and my, oops, your own unique password!

On theSun's editorial, what more can Desi add?
Ah, genuine dedication to the ETHICS OF JOURNALISM in theory and practice, independent of the ownership of the Press. Is this realistic? Well, it's up to the media tycoons like Tiong and Lau, eh?