Mike Butcher

Few people know this but The Feature, which comes across as some sort of independent commentator on the mobile industry, is in fact wholly funded and owned by Nokia. Under the site’s terms and conditions you will find: “3. Copyright. The contents of this Site are Copyright Nokia Corporation 2000.” I always wondered how they had the budget for Howard Rheingold. This would, of course, have implications for any writers appearing on the site who are otherwise supposed to be independent. What I really don’t like is the way Nokia is so quiet about its involvement – but then I guess they wouldn’t get the contributors, or the readers, they do.

“London Underground“, the version of the song Paul Weller wishes he’d written, and the reason I ride a Brompton in London. Very funny.

Ivan Pope has re-invented the term “social software” as “social media” – or “smedia” as he’s branded it. The short story is he thinks there is a business in blogging inside businesses as a form of knowledge management. He’s late to this thinking compared to the US (see corante.com for instance), but probably early in terms of the UK/European market.

Nathan Barley is a great idea for a show – the piss-take of the Hoxtonesque/London media-luvvy-come ‘web designer’. But there are a couple of problems with it. It could be about 4 or 5 years too late – all the really trendy web designers left Clerkenwell years ago after the crash. (Or perhaps that’s the point – the best ones left way back then, leaving the dubious ones behind?)

But my other point is this. Nathan’s “online tramp racing” is not very original – in fact it appears to be based on a story I wrote in 2003 for the Irish Times.

My last point is that the Dan Ashcroft character is just a rip-off from The Life of Brian – bewildered sane man gets followed and revered by a bunch of idiots.

.. but, as I said in 1999, the media battles of the future (or now even) are between Gates and Murdoch. Handily, I see the Guardian returned to this theme this week: “Gates and Murdoch are going head to head for mastery of the next generation of TV and telecom devices.”

Big party in London for all us new media types. Should be a blast. More info here and link to buying tickets here.

Yes indeed people. Who needs reporters, editors, fact-checkers and libel lawyers in the age of the new gonzo journalism! Just grab a blog and go! And while you’re at it, forget this lame explanation, and head on over to this handy guide to the New Journalism.