How Media Consumption Has Changed

Every month or so, I open my mailbox and have a letter from my parents. I appreciate every special message that I receive, especially the ones that contain newspaper clippings. My Mom’s an avid, committed ‘clipper’. Talk about old school. A real ‘Edward Scissorhands’ when it comes to sitting down with the daily newspaper.

Sadly, I don’t read the newspaper much anymore. I was a paper delivery boy for about 4 years, so a certain part of me wants this dying medium to survive. I give it a less than 35% chance to survive and stay relevant over the long-term. Scripps, Tribune, Washington Post Company and the other ‘old media’ companies have rough sledding ahead and must stay diversified and forward-thinking.

Who knows what I’ll ‘send’ to my kids; (some soon-to-be-discovered digital delivery method no doubt). One thing I do know is that I hope that they’ll appreciate the effort. I send Web links via e-mail to friends, family, and colleagues on a routine basis. (I haven’t jumped on the texting craze quite yet.)

If there’s one takeaway from all of this it is this: Stay connected with friends, family, and colleagues and send a ‘friendly-gram’ to them when you’ve found ‘content’ that you think they’ll appreciate. (Your choice on the medium of delivery: mail, e-mail, phone, or texting.) The important thing is just to do it.

Until next time,
Dan Naden
Naden’s Corner