If it looks like a bubble, and it feels like a bubble…
With deals like Facebook's $1-billion acquisition of the relatively tiny startup Instagram, some argue we are in another tech-stock bubble. But others in the venture industry say that while there is some froth in parts of the startup ecosystem, there are few signs of 1990s-style mania.
What is the purpose of a newspaper?
Newspapers find themselves at a crossroads: they need to generate more revenue in order to stay in business, but some of the ways they could do that might conflict with the public-interest aspect of journalism. How do they find a middle road -- or can they?
Should we be as worried about CISPA as we were about SOPA?
Critics say that a bill called CISPA, which has been passed by the House of Representatives and is on its way to the Senate, is just as bad as SOPA -- but others, including Facebook, support the legislation. Should you be concerned about it?
Journatic CEO: We are creating a better future for journalism
Journatic, a media startup that produces hyper-local content for newspapers, has been criticized as a "content farm." But in an interview with GigaOM, founder Brian Timpone says not only his model more efficient than that of a newspaper, but it can actually help produce better journalism.
Should the NYT charge for early access to the news?
Should the New York Times charge hedge funds or large financial institutions more for early access to market-moving stories like its Walmart exposé? Reuters blogger Felix Salmon says yes, but doing this would fundamentally change what the New York Times and its journalism are all about.
Is the Internet making us more lonely or less lonely? Yes.
Some critics have raised the question of whether Facebook and Twitter are making us more lonely and disconnected from one another. But the Web and social media are just tools: They can be used to create connections or to create distance, just like any other technology.
PRO: Google doesn’t like walled gardens — except its own
Google-co-founder Sergey Brin recently said he believes the future of the "open Internet" is at risk. Then why is the company trying to build its own closed network? Because the open vs. closed debate is more complicated than it first appears when it comes to Google.
So can we stop talking about bloggers vs. journalists now?
The Pulitzer Prize win by the Huffington Post has been hailed by some as the first win by a "blog," but the reality is such terms have become increasingly meaningless. All we have now is media, some of which is journalism and some of which isn't.
Apple slams Amazon for behaving just like Apple
Apple says it had to cut an agency-pricing deal with publishers in order to weaken Amazon's monopolistic control over the e-book industry. But wait -- didn't Apple behave exactly the same way towards the record labels as it is accusing Amazon of behaving towards book publishers?
What we can learn from a young boy’s cardboard arcade
The viral video of a nine-year-old boy who built a magical arcade out of cardboard at his father's auto-parts business in Los Angeles has a lot to say about the spirit of entrepreneurship and creativity that fuels much of what we write about at GigaOM.
Why you should have comments, even when they are bad
Critics of reader comments often argue that they are worthless because they are filled with trolls, and not that many people read them. But despite these flaws, building community through comments and other social features is more important than it has ever been for online media.
Nick Denton wants to turn the online media world on its head