Off Topic: Teacher Salaries

Valleywag has a snarky and sarcastic post about a comment Google co-fonder Sergey Brin reportedly made about teacher salaries:

“Another important factor that nobody talks about is teachers’ salaries,” Brin said. “Teachers are among the lowest-paid professionals. At Google, we’ve been paying our teachers 25 per cent more, but even with that, they’re among the lowest-paid employees. I think it’s really important to have a living wage for teachers.”

Brin is correct. This is perhaps the most critical profession in society from a variety of perspectives but one of the lowest paid. Here is a snapshot of average US teacher salaries:

Roughly half of US K-12 teachers leave their jobs within five years (National Education Association, 2006). There are recruitment and other costs associated with replacing them. Why do teachers leave? They leave because of the challenges of teaching, the conditions in public schools and the pay in most cases.

The decline of public schools and the flight of affluent parents to private schools, which has been going on for years, is very negative. (Insert a long discussion on the value of public education for individuals and the society.)

Here’s my suggestion: The Gates Foundation (which presides over $38B) should take several billion dollars and set up a separate fund specifically for education. That fund would award the top 10% of US teachers (as measured by peer and student evaluations and class performance) a bonus at the end of the year (it should be tax free). According to the US Census Bureau there are 6.2 million teachers in the US. Ten percent of that figure is 620,000.

Doing the math, the numbers get pretty large pretty fast; you have to provide a meaningful financial incentive to teachers and that runs into the billions quickly. But there’s probably a way to do something like this to help reward and retain tearchers.

Debunking ‘The Long Tail’?

In a bit of schadenfreude, the Wall Street Journal writes about a Harvard Biz School prof’s rigorous debunking of the theories and conclusions of the Chris Anderson tome “The Long Tail”:

Prof. Elberse looked at data for online video rentals and song purchases, and discovered that the patterns by which people shop online are essentially the same as the ones from offline. Not only do hits and blockbusters remain every bit as important online, but the evidence suggests that the Web is actually causing their role to grow, not shrink.

The Harvard prof’s article in question examines the Internet’s impact on consumer behavior and consumption patterns and offers practical advice to businesses and retailers selling products online. The conclusion is that the Internet has dramatically expanded access to inventory — and obscure inventory — but that hits and blockbusters remain as important as ever.

Google in a way is a case in point: Search and YouTube are runaway hits, other services not so much.

Fake Quotes Attributed to Me

I suppose I should take it as a compliment. But lately I’ve been noticing more quotes showing up that are attributed to me, which are simply made up or incorrect paraphrases of something I wrote.

I do frequent press interviews but quite some time ago stopped chasing down or tracking the articles. I try to be accurate and careful about what I say in speaking to journalists. So it’s disturbing when I come across a fabricated quote or a sloppy paraphrase of something I said on my blog without correct attribution.

If I don’t read the stories how do I know this is happening? Well, for example, this morning I got a formal request to republish a quote attributed to me. It appeared in an obscure online publication. I went to the site and read the quote because of the request (and the fact that I didn’t recognize the publication). The quote was either totally made up or was some bastardized version of something somebody might have seen me say somewhere else.

There’s also a particular freelancer out there who routinely uses quotes allegedly from me that are completely made up, though they may bear some resemblance to something I’ve said on my blog. I’ve tried to get in touch with the particular writer several times unsuccessfully.

Given how busy I am it’s not clear how to police this. I’m not sure how frequently this is happening but it’s a funciton of lots of people publishing stuff online, with no background in journalistic ethics. There may also be some sloppy pseudo journalists who’ve decided it’s just easier to make up the quote than pick up the phone and actually call me.

___

I don’t mean in any way to suggest anything about freelance writers. I was a freelance writer for several years and am very sympathetic to the challenges of making a living that way. 

Is Google Making You Stoopid?

Here’s the provocative new Atlantic piece: Is Google Making Us Stoopid? It really is not about Google but about the Internet, Google’s just the marketing hook to sell magazines. It’s a good article that you should read if only to spark conversation and thought about the impact of sitting in front of a screen for 10 hours a day and not doing much else.

The name of this blog, Screenwerk, is kind of a joke. A few years ago a friend and I joked that “we’re all screenworkers now” because that’s all we “knowledge workers” do is sit in front of screens. Our lives are dominated by screens: TV, the Internet and mobile (”the third screen”). There’s a huge cost, emotionally, spiritually and physically, to this kind of lifestyle.

My wife and I were in a used bookstore last night and I desperately wanted to find a new book to read (one of the themes discussed in the Atlantic piece is the challenge of reading now). But I couldn’t. Everything seemed boring or that it would require too much effort. But reading a novel, it strikes me, is an act of defiance now — almost a political act. The whole popular culture and certainly the culture of technology conspire against that in a way. They also conspire against depth and reflection, which are points made in the Atlantic article.

Being outside, socializing with people face to face and reading are activities that are in one sense very ordinary. But for me they’re very challenging to do because I’m working so relentlessly and I organize and evaluate my life and days in terms of “productivity” and “efficiency.” Being outside, reading a book (fiction) or having a frivolous conversation with a friend don’t fall into those categories, but they’re more of what I think I need — and maybe what you may need too?

Turn off that screen.

Yahoo Offers Local ‘Reuse Groups’ for E-Day

In honor of Earth Day, and in partnership with Freecycle, Yahoo has launched local “reuse groups” to exchange and recycle stuff rather than put it in the landfill:

Here’s more from the press release.

When I Left You I Was but the Learner…

Following the Google Q1 earnings release, I saw this article quoting Google CEO Eric Schmidt on working now with Yahoo! in paid search (in its effort to resist the Microsoft bid):

Schimdt had nothing but kind words to say about Yahoo — Google’s erstwhile rival recently turned potential business partner — during a conference call with investors following the company’s first-quarter results.

“It’s nice working with Yahoo and we like them very much,” Schmidt said of Google’s feelings towards its crosstown rival.

Yahoo!’s adoption of Google (booting Inktomi in 2000, which it later bought) was instrumental in Google’s rise to its current dominant position in search.

So when I read the article above, I couldn’t help thinking of the iconic (if awkward) line in the original Star Wars where Darth Vader prepares to fight his old mentor Obi-Wan: “When I left you I was but the learner, now I am the master…”

America’s ‘Fastest Dying Industries’

I was sent a link this morning to a Forbes story discussing what it considers to be “America’s Fastest Dying Industries.” Print newspapers are there, yellow pages is not.

Here’s the list:

• bowling alleys
• music publishing
• laundry services
• beer production
• wired telecoms
• arcades and entertainment complexes
• tobacco farming
• newspaper publishing
• videotape and dvd rental
• footwear manufacturing

NY Times on Blogging: ‘Unsustainable’

The NY Times has a piece on blogging (”In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop“) and the deaths and ailments of various bloggers, including Om Malik who surved a heart attack and lived to tell about it.

It’s a cautionary tale:

Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack. In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.

Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet.

To be sure, there is no official diagnosis of death by blogging, and the premature demise of two people obviously does not qualify as an epidemic. There is also no certainty that the stress of the work contributed to their deaths. But friends and family of the deceased, and fellow information workers, say those deaths have them thinking about the dangers of their work style.

Quoted in the article uber-blogger Michael Arrington characterizes his blogging as “unsustainable.” I identify. I feel both the relentlessness and the compulsion myself.

But the culture of blogging that drives people and is described in the NY Times piece is true of the larger Internet culture and economy as well. Blogging just brings it into more immediate and higher relief.

It’s a dysfunctional work culture where the demands are often so extreme that ten hour days are a kind of baseline. It’s rare in fact that I don’t work 12 hours per day and often 14. The sad thing is that as long as one is involved in blogging and the Internet there’s little to be done about it.

Somewhat Off Topic: Google vs. Apple

I’m fascinated by the culture of companies and how that culture may help or hinder success in the market. Google’s culture has been celebrated (including by me).

But this interesting Wired article argues that Apple has thrived by, in a way, being the cultural anti-Google and doing everything against the “the standard touchy-feely philosophies of Silicon Valley.”

Pew Finds Ambivalence about Online Shopping

The latest Pew Internet report (n=2,400) about online shopping finds that Americans increasingly are using the Internet for product research and buying things online but not without fear or ambivalence about security. Below are a few highlights; the full report is here:

• 78% of internet users either agree (53%) or agree strongly (25%) with the proposition that shopping online is convenient for them.
• Yet, 75% of internet users either agree (39%) or strongly agree (36%) with the proposition that they do not like giving out their credit card number or personal information online.

Regarding the experience of online shopping the report says the following:

• 81% of internet users have used the internet to do research about a product they are thinking about buying, with 20% doing this on the typical day.
• 43% of internet users have been frustrated by the lack of information they encounter while using the internet to find out about or buy goods or services.
• 32% have been confused by information they have found online during their shopping or research.
• 30% have felt overwhelmed by the amount of information they have found online while doing online shopping or research.

So, paradoxically, there’s both too much and not enough information for consumers. That probably goes to where they are in the mythical funnel. At the highest levels of early research (e.g., search results) there’s too much undifferentiated information. But then, closer to purchase, in verticals or directories, there’s not enough to help them make decisions. I’m of course drawing inferences here. Do you agree or disagree?

Also this was interesting from the report:

Some 24% of American adults said they had used classified ad or sites such as Craigslist in [the] September 2007 survey. This compares to 14% who said this in February 2005.

Compare this January, 2008 Nielsen data:

• 85% of the world’s online population has used the internet to make a purchase
• Most people return to shopping sites they are familiar with, with 60% saying they buy mostly from the same site.

In the US that’s mainly Amazon and eBay and branded retailer sites. Indeed, the latter point illustrates the importance and role of “trust” (read: brand) in online shopping.

Taken together all this data reflects that consumers want more specific and helpful information from sites they can trust. If they find those sites they will be loyal to them. That’s about user experience and brand.

Watch Election Returns or Google Maps

Super Tuesday Google Maps with Twitter: Just watch this for about five minutes; it’s kind of amazing. And it’s global:

Amazingly some of the posts are responding to one another.

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Marchex’s Matt McGee has a detailed post (using Hitwise data) about the growth of Google Maps.

700MHz Auction Proceeds Support 36 Days in Iraq

I was writing about the results of day two of bidding for the 700MHz spectrum at LocalMobileSearch and this line struck me from a Reuters article: “the … auction … is eventually expected to net the federal government at least $10 billion.”

I thought . . . $10 billion: I wonder how quickly that would be spent in Iraq? There are various figures and estimates on spending in Iraq but put it at about $275 million per day.

If the FCC gains $10 billion from the auction and it were transferred to the Iraq war/reconstruction/security/whatever effort, it would support just over a month of spending.

Nice.

Google, Wikipedia Have Changed Things

This MediaShift article is long and explores a range of issues related to the infiltration of Google and Wikipedia into daily life. It discusses many areas. In particular, however, it nails the process and paradox of local search (including mobile) — and the very mixed blessings of so much information:

Daily Tasks Then
I still can — though barely — remember a time when I used the Yellow Pages for finding businesses to patronize for everyday activities. A good example is finding a pizza place that delivers to my home. In the old days, I’d open up the big yellow book, look under pizza, and simply find the location closest to me. Then I’d pick up the phone, manually dial the number and place my order.

Daily Tasks Now
Now, the more “convenient” way is actually a lot more involved, with a 5-step process that includes hints of paranoia. Of course, the new way usually leads to a higher quality experience.

Here’s the way it normally plays out:

1. Pick up my smartphone.

2. Use Google Local Search to find the closest pizzeria that delivers. Look at the star rating (if applicable) and narrow the selection down to pizzerias that have received at least 4 stars from users. Check to make sure the ratings are relevant, because if only a couple of users have rated, the score is probably not reliable.

3. Go to Yelp.com to quickly check the ratings. If I see a low star rating, the pizzeria is immediately eliminated from the running. If it’s borderline, read a few reviews to see if they sound believable and if I can give the pizzeria the benefit of the doubt.

4. From the Yelp.com mobile page, click on the phone number and automatically call to place my order.

5. If I’m feeling especially paranoid, I might check CleanScores to see if the place I’m ordering from has scored well on health inspections.

This scenario is repeated time and time again in a variety of everyday situations. Before, if I needed a dentist, I’d ask my friends for recommendations. Now I rely on the collective intelligence in Google search results, directory sites (where even dentists become stars) and blog posts.

Isn’t this the way it is for most of you now too?

VCs May Prop Up Startups in a Bad Economy

Whether we’re now in a recession technically or not is, literally, academic. The economy is not doing well in most sectors (save exports bolstered by a weak dollar). However, continuing VC investment may help soften the blow to the Internet or at least the startup segment of the Internet.

According to AP:

Although many experts believe another recession is imminent, venture capitalists say there is little reason to believe their investment pace will slacken this year.

In a show of confidence, venture capitalists raised $34.7 billion for future investments during 2007, a 9 percent increase from the previous year . . .

Internet startups also appear better positioned to weather any economic turbulence because the advertisers that generate most online profits appear likely to keep shifting their spending from television, print and radio to the Web even if there is a recession.

That latter point is somewhat debatable except for the largest or highest traffic sites. In addition, a climate of ongoing M&A activity may continue to provide money to Internet entrepreneurs despite a flagging economy. The final point is that in a bad economy there may not be many good places to put money so the Internet may benefit for that reason as well. 

Regardless, we’ll soon see how all this plays out and how the Internet is affected vis-a-vis traditional media.

The ‘Craiglist Professor’ of New Media

Craigslist has endowed a faculty chair in “new media” at UC Berkeley:

The University of California, Berkeley, today (Thursday, Jan. 17) announced plans to establish the first endowed faculty chair at the Berkeley Center for New Media with a donation of $1.6 million from craigslist, one of the most popular Web sites in the world.

The donation, which will support research, symposia and lectures, will be matched with $1.5 million from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation for a total of $3.1 million. The matching funds come from the foundation’s landmark challenge grant, announced last September, that it gave to UC Berkeley to create 100 new endowed chairs. The new chairs are designed to help the public research university compete with private institutions.

Said Craigslist CEO Jim Buckmaster:

“We’re thrilled to support UC Berkeley at a time when unprecedented wealth is being lavished upon private institutions,” said Buckmaster. “Berkeley’s academic excellence and history of challenging convention mean a lot to us at craigslist, and we rely upon technological innovations from the UC Berkeley community every day. We’re excited to partner with the Berkeley Center for New Media, as it is uniquely positioned to change the very way we think about new media.”

Buckmaster will be a founding member of the Berkeley Center for New Media’s executive advisory board.

Get Well Soon Om

I have met Om Malik on several occasions and like him very much. I respect his writing and analysis (and sense of humor) and was alarmed to hear that at 41 he’d had a heart attack last week.

Being an entrepreneur and blogger is incredibly stressful and challenging in an Internet culture that seems to continue to accelerate. I’m trying to make 2008 a year of more “balance,” whatever that means exactly. Om, out of necessity, must do the same.

These kinds of health events, if properly addressed, can ultimately save us because they get us to pay attention to more important issues and make necessary changes. But those changes in behavior are very hard to make.

Weather the Top AOL Search Term of ‘07

The myriad 2007 top searches lists have been coming out:

• Google
• Yahoo!
• Ask
• Lycos

And now AOL. Here are the top ten search terms from 2007 for the portal:

1. Weather (local)
2. White Pages (local residential or business listings)
3. Games
4. Dictionary
5. Music
6. CNN
7. Maps (local)
8. American Idol
9. ESPN
10. WWE

Three of the top 10 terms are local (and the #1 and #2 terms). If you look at all these lists they vary pretty dramatically, which is based on the fact that the engines all clean them up and also they’re using different methodologies to determine the top terms.

Outside.in Taps Maponics Neighborhoods

There are two providers of neighborhood databases: Maponics (which bought the capability from HomeGain) and Urban Mapping. Outside.in has selected Maponics to provide more accurate neighborhood information for its hyperlocal news site.

Urban Mapping works with all the major search engines (I believe) and is now being integrated on the ad-targeting side of the house.

‘Locavore’ the Word of the Year

According to the New Oxford American Dictionary, “locavore” is the “word of the year” (tip courtesy of MediaSmith’s Bob Heyman). According to the discussion on the Oxford University Press blog:

The “locavore” movement encourages consumers to buy from farmers’ markets or even to grow or pick their own food, arguing that fresh, local products are more nutritious and taste better. Locavores also shun supermarket offerings as an environmentally friendly measure, since shipping food over long distances often requires more fuel for transportation.

Today Is Yelp Day Today in SF

Today has been proclaimed “Yelp Day” in San Francisco by Mayor Gavin Newsom. I kid you not. Here’s the text of the proclamation:

WHEREAS, San Francisco-based, Yelp.com acts as a sounding board for locals to publish candid reviews about local businesses and services with personality and humor, distinguishing it from many professional rating systems because of the site’s focus on “real people”; and

WHEREAS, Since its founding in 2004, Yelp has expanded across the country, transforming the way citizens approach finding local services, currently hosting more than 5 million visitors each month, and has amassing more than 1.9 million user-generated reviews; and

WHEREAS, Yelp offers patrons a myriad of reviews from “real people,” on anything from restaurants, to public parks, to mechanics; anyone can create an account, giving users an outlet to share experiences and opinions; and

WHEREAS, Yelp fosters a community mindset by encouraging San Franciscans to offer advice to one another, and to trust other users’ personal recommendations over professional reviews by creating profiles and identities, interacting with one another, and discussing their opinions about what San Francisco has to offer; and

WHEREAS, San Francisco’s rich culture is rooted in its history of diverse ideas and enterprises, and by promoting small businesses, Yelp helps continue this legacy by allowing viewers to search for top-rated venues within a specific neighborhood, allowing local businesses to compete with larger ones; and

WHEREAS, Yelp is also a resource for local events, helping users stay connected with the community by promoting festivals, performances, and fundraisers - including Yelp’s Third Annual Holiday Party held today at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts; now

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that I, Gavin Newsom, Mayor of the City and County of San Francisco, do hereby proclaim December 5, 2007…