Moving to a new blog
Hi, all. Bit Player has changed locations. Since Aug. 18, I've been writing for the Times' Technology blog. Sign up for the RSS feed -- http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/rss.xml -- and get the work of seven great news reporters in addition to my lame posts. Such a deal! Alternatively, if you're interested only my windy commentaries about copyright law, DRM, secure pathways to the TV set and the like, you can check the index of new Bit Player posts periodically.
I've really enjoyed running this blog for two years (thanks again, Michael, for making it happen), but have known for some time that it worked best when it wasn't a solo gig. So although there are things I'll miss about this particular corner of latimes.com, such as the Now Playing picks and the eviscerating put-downs of commenter Dwayne Hoobler, I think everybody wins with the Times' having one unified blog covering this stuff instead of two separate ones. (Granted, there's still Web Scout....) Unlike erstwhile copyright-law blogger extraordinaire Bill Patry, I won't have to be talked into leaving my archives in place. They'll all remain here, at least until Sam sells the building.
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Hopefully, the new move will mean that even more people will get to read your tech rantings, but I can't say that I'm not a fan of the new format. 10 years ago, I read newspapers, but today I follow individual journalists and not being able to focus on my favorite writers will make it harder to stay tuned in. There are already a lot of sites that publish so many articles each day that it's worthless to try and sign up for an RSS feed. I understand why the Times would want to do this, but I can't help but think that this move is a little backward. At the very least, they should set up individual feeds for each author, so that their fans can continue to subscribe without getting bombarded by a bunch of stories that are well covered on other sites anyway. Even better would be to have all of your posts still syndicated through Bit Player so that you don't lose all of the hard earn subscribers that you've already got. Regardless of what happens, best of luck with the new gig and thanks for all or your great posts on Bit Player.
Posted by: Davis Freeberg | August 21, 2008 at 08:35 PM
I agree with the above poster. Your posts offered unique insight found in few other places on the web. The new tech blog is filled with me-too stories that I have no interest in, and I won't be signing up for the new food. Please provide an option to follow specific authors via the RSS feed. Otherwise, this wonderful blog will fall of the radar screen of many interested readers.
Posted by: Jake | August 25, 2008 at 05:54 PM
In further agreement with others before me, when your publisher finally confronts the idea that they cannot control the distribution of news nor who gets to read it (and how), they'll let you publish your own RSS feed.
Let me know when either that happens or you decide to publish your own RSS feed despite the delusions of your publisher.
Making life difficult for your audience does not increase it, nor endear it to you.
Have you learnt nothing from DRM?
Posted by: Crosbie Fitch | August 26, 2008 at 06:29 AM