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The API study is fine as far as it goes; but reflects general=20
journalism business perceptual problems, and particularly those said by
some to be plaguing the newspaper industry as a whole.  The degree of
technology and technical business sophistication is entirely different
in the press, and in the decidedly more technology-driven, new-media
news and information delivery organizations sprouting up,  such as the
major portals or even firms such as Amazon.com        The problem
exists in broadcasting too, but perhaps not quite so severly.


Some blame the artifical walls between circulation and editorial for a
big slice of this operational and conceptual inefficiency.....a
selctive blind spot....=20


Let me cite one example.  The API study says that recent non-newspaper
classifieds and auction businesses have not hurt the newspaper
classified business so far (at least on the basis of the data
used)......and the evidence is that revenue is growing--albeit more
slowly than in the past!    Ask yourselves, did revenue in the buggy
whip business grow between 1894 and 1902, due to generally growing
population, immigration, capital investment, and prosperity?  But then,
how may buggy whip makers had either gone bust, or transfered their
franchise to a different facet of the transportation industry by 1906?=20
.......


The human capital in the analog media field is of a different cast, in
terms of business outlook, expectations, technology change, generally
speaking, than in the newer firms, such as Yahoo, Lycos, Excite,
Amazon.com, Agency.com, AOL, SNAP, CNET, etc....  The people on
online-news seem to represent a cross section of the most advanced of
the technology advocates in the formerly all print media....but they
still, for the most part, and there are exceptions, do not embrace
galloping change to the intense competitive degree that, for example,
the portal firms or Amazon.com appear to.....


For the older media, competition seems largely defined in terms of
content alone, "scoops', not delivery style, schedule, or context. =20
The excessive contempt (defensiveness?) for phenomena such as Matt
Drudge is one symptom of this.  Another is the reluctance to fund the
web sites adequately, or experiment with newer business models such as
transactions. =20


Below are two edupage articles on developments in human capital markets
today...see the relationship between them..?..and the tie-in with
divergent business cultures, and underlying changes in the new and old
media classified business?  Newspaper classifieds will become the sales
media of the technology have-nots, a decidedly less affluent and
capable tier, cut off from the more efficient techniques that increase
market mass. =20


One of the more innovative notions I have heard of in a while to
increase worker satisfaction while increasing technical literacy both
generally and among people close to the parent organization, is actions
by medium and larger firms to offer their workers' children computer
enrichment education, at little or no cost, after school and on
weekends, using company surplus (slightly outdated) machines, and
rotating parent volunteer labor alongside professionals.  At the
primary level this is mostly educational day-care.  BUT,...At the
secondary level, these mostly-college bound kids, trained by IT pros,
can become a source of part-time skilled labor for routine sysadmin
jobs after school and on weekends.  This approach can both cut costs
and improve technical operations standards and literacy across an
organization.  =20


And if college, for whatever reason, is not immediately in the cards
for some of these kids, they can get well paid jobs right out of HS, to
save for their future degree programs and gain more working experience.
 This opportunity may be particularly important for the children of
clerical and administrative support workers......who may not be able to
afford computers at home. =20

=20

The number of HS kids working part-time routine sysadmin jobs in the
northern Virginia area near DC has doubled in the past 24
months.....and the trend is focusing attention locally.   If bright
kids from the inner city can get the same type of enrichment when they
are 10-15, they can take these jobs too, not just the kids from
affluent suburbs....


Investments in human capital are too important to be left purely to
antiquated local school administration, especially elementary and
secondary schools.  In a time of intensifying skilled-labor shortage
(you know how expensive it is to hire html and UNIX or NT proficient
people, who can also write well), firms of a certain critical mass can
inexpensively train PT selected youngsters in-house as a service to
both their equity ownership and their workers......


CLINTON MAY VETO BILL TO INCREASE VISAS FOR HIGH-TECH WORKERS

The White House predicts President Clinton will veto a bill that
would

increase the number of temporary, long-term visas available for
foreign

"specialty" workers -- a measure supported by most high-tech firms,
which

cite a dearth of skilled workers available to fill the jobs they
offer.

White House Press Secretary Mike McCurry says that while the president

supports efforts to fill these jobs, he'd prefer to see an increased
number

of training programs for U.S. workers and wants assurances that
companies

will seek to hire U.S. citizens first, before turning to foreign
laborers.

(Wall Street Journal 17 Jul 98)


0000,0000,FFFFTAPSCOTT URGES COMPANIES TO
FUND HOME COMPUTERS FOR WORKERS

Technology guru Don Tapscott, author of the new book
"Growing Up Digital,"

says that one step that responsible corporations should take to close
the

"digital divide" between the information haves and have-nots is to
provide

all of their employees with computers at home:  "This proposal is not
na=EFve.

It makes good business sense to increase fluency of human capital in
the

knowledge economy."  (Exec Sum 98)





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