Doc Searls: What's Around the Bend?

Doc Searls is on a panel (Public Media 2008) titled Technology and Trends: What's Around the Bend? From his list of ten, here are three I found interesting:

• Cell phones will be the new radios and televisions. This will start to happen in a big way the minute Apple opens its iPhones to independent developers of native applications (rather than just ones that run in a browser).

• Websites will become as inadequate as transmitters. That is, both will remain necessary but insufficient means for reaching listeners and viewers, and for relating to them. "Live Web" methods such as streaming, file sharing, social networking and "rivers of news" will all play roles as well.

• Archives will be the ultimate killer kontent. Stations and networks will come to value not only their own archives, but will work to make those archives as easy as possible to find, consume and otherwise use — and to open CRM systems for VRM tools to make it as easy as possible for listeners and viewers to voluntarily pay for the privilege. Bigger inventory, bigger income.

I couldn't begin to guess the number of hours I've spent archiving material (I think Doc hates the term "content"). MissouriDeathRow.com; Legislature.com; Missouri Supreme Court oral arguments; and --once upon a time-- Missouri State Highway Patrol accident reports. We saved damn near everything but I can't say that I noticed a huge appetite for that archived material and I was never smart enough to make any serious money with it. But we've got it.