Comments on: Guess we’re lucky we have cars and electricity http://johnwilker.com/2009/04/guess-were-lucky-we-have-cars-and-electricity/ Books, Community, Entrepreneurship, Technology Sat, 19 May 2012 09:53:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: John Wilker http://johnwilker.com/2009/04/guess-were-lucky-we-have-cars-and-electricity/comment-page-1/#comment-1724 John Wilker Thu, 30 Apr 2009 20:58:45 +0000 http://johnwilker.com/?p=796#comment-1724 i agree a little. I've been a daily user of CA's Metrolink and the Light Rail in Denver, for commuting. I read a TON, for sure, and you're right, those scenario's reveal how many people do read (Too few in general, IMO, LOL). I've never once looked at someone elses book and wanted to read it or even been swayed to look it up later. I'll admit that may be a me thing, LOL. Very valid point about shirts, App Store, etc. Though again I think that's not the single biggest channel. I almost never look at the top paid or free apps in the app store. Those types of systems are not hard to game, and micro payments make it easy to test a fart app for a buck, LOL. I completely do not agree that eBooks will take off when the reader is software. Here's why. I've been trying to read eContent for years. I started around 2001 trying things out. Software is fine, but the medium sucks. Shiny screens, back lit, Stark white. Not at all conducive to reading. Setting aside batter life, i don't see someone sitting on a plane and reading on their iPhone for 3 hours. I'm sure plenty will do it, and when they're 60 and have piss poor vision, I hope they know why. :) eBooks will always be a mix of the content and the medium. If it was just software we'd be more ebook friendly already with netbooks, PDF, iTouch and iPhones, etc. i agree a little. I've been a daily user of CA's Metrolink and the Light Rail in Denver, for commuting. I read a TON, for sure, and you're right, those scenario's reveal how many people do read (Too few in general, IMO, LOL). I've never once looked at someone elses book and wanted to read it or even been swayed to look it up later. I'll admit that may be a me thing, LOL.

Very valid point about shirts, App Store, etc. Though again I think that's not the single biggest channel. I almost never look at the top paid or free apps in the app store. Those types of systems are not hard to game, and micro payments make it easy to test a fart app for a buck, LOL.

I completely do not agree that eBooks will take off when the reader is software. Here's why.
I've been trying to read eContent for years. I started around 2001 trying things out. Software is fine, but the medium sucks. Shiny screens, back lit, Stark white. Not at all conducive to reading.

Setting aside batter life, i don't see someone sitting on a plane and reading on their iPhone for 3 hours. I'm sure plenty will do it, and when they're 60 and have piss poor vision, I hope they know why. :)

eBooks will always be a mix of the content and the medium. If it was just software we'd be more ebook friendly already with netbooks, PDF, iTouch and iPhones, etc.

]]> By: JulesLt http://johnwilker.com/2009/04/guess-were-lucky-we-have-cars-and-electricity/comment-page-1/#comment-1723 JulesLt Thu, 30 Apr 2009 18:00:19 +0000 http://johnwilker.com/?p=796#comment-1723 I don't think anyone is so simple minded that they see someone reading a book, and buy it that day, but on the other hand if you travel in a heavy commuter environment (like the London Underground) it is really evident how many people do read while they travel, and book jackets do act as free advertising in that respect. If you see a significant number of people reading Philip Pullman's books, then it is, sadly, more likely to make you check them out. The same is true with music (T-shirts are adverts as well as income) or the iPhone App Store - being popular means other people will at least see what you are about, even if they then ignore you. What that is also ignoring is that people also make judgements based on how people look ('oh, lots of people like me are reading that book / using a Kindle / MacBook'). So basically we're over wholly towards 'people who bought this also bought' recommendation engines, which have their pros and cons. Whether the Kindle specifically will re-invigorate reading is another matter. As someone rightly said, ebooks will take off the day 'ebook readers' become software. . . as is happening with the iPhone. I don't think anyone is so simple minded that they see someone reading a book, and buy it that day, but on the other hand if you travel in a heavy commuter environment (like the London Underground) it is really evident how many people do read while they travel, and book jackets do act as free advertising in that respect.

If you see a significant number of people reading Philip Pullman's books, then it is, sadly, more likely to make you check them out. The same is true with music (T-shirts are adverts as well as income) or the iPhone App Store – being popular means other people will at least see what you are about, even if they then ignore you.

What that is also ignoring is that people also make judgements based on how people look ('oh, lots of people like me are reading that book / using a Kindle / MacBook').

So basically we're over wholly towards 'people who bought this also bought' recommendation engines, which have their pros and cons.

Whether the Kindle specifically will re-invigorate reading is another matter. As someone rightly said, ebooks will take off the day 'ebook readers' become software. . . as is happening with the iPhone.

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