"Many of you know that there is a growing class of weblogs that speak to each other through 'news aggregators;' the one you're reading right now is one of them. When I post an item here, some unknown number of other weblog authors read that item on a customized web page, from which they can post the item on their own weblog. It makes for a very fast and efficient way of disseminating news and opinion.

This strikes me -- in theory, at least -- as an excellent way for professional news gatherers to distribute information to paying clients. I know a ton of un- and semi-employed journos all over the world, and it would be an interesting exercise to get them filing real news for pay.

Here's what would be required to make that work:

• a multiuser weblog that
• allows for content categorization and
• which generates material for a news aggregator that
• can be kept out of the public eye.

An electronic commerce addition might be interesting too, so that sites could subscribe on a monthly or annual basis, or that casual readers could see an abstract and pay on a per-story basis. Given the prior lack of success for micropayments, I wouldn't expect anyone to rush to develop that last one. There are other ways outside the weblog mechanism to handle subscriptions, so this might be a blind alley." [Over the Edge]

I've had similar thoughts that are colored by my own bias - libraries. It makes perfect sense that the next generation of news aggregators should have an authentication mechanism built in. As with the web in general, your content had better be pretty damn good (or unique) if you expect people to make even the smallest of micropayments for it, but as we continue barreling down the road of focused markets (as opposed to mass markets), there probably are a few sites that each of us would pay a nominal fee to receive in our aggregators (based on individual preferences, of course).

Often, though, people just don't want to pay or the subscription fee is too high. That's where libraries could come in. Many libraries already provide remote access to their databases for their residents, and there's no reason that couldn't translate over into aggregators. Historically, remote access has been based on archives, but such a model could work for current issues, too. Lots of people still come into the public library to read the daily paper (especially seniors), so why shouldn't we be able to provide that same access in a personal aggregator? We subscribe to the Wall Street Journal and authenticate your library barcode number against our database, which in turn gets individual WSJ posts into your aggregator.

Or what about the library paying for a subscription to an online serial that makes it available to residents. Theoretically, a user with a valid library barcode would go to the library's web site, enter the barcode, and be authenticated through to the full version. But what if that journal provided an RSS feed? Abstracts are available to everyone, but if your barcode number is entered in your aggregator, when you click through on a link, you see the full story. Think about what a great service this would be for medical libraries to provide to their physicians!

Or here's another idea - what about an AP or Reuters made up of bloggers. Newspapers could subscribe to the service and pick up stories, and so could libraries. In a way, the concept isn't that far removed from NewsIsFree, to which the library would then subscribe.

I know we're not at that point yet, and most folks won't pay to view blogs, but if there's any future there, it's in the aggregator. Once you're hooked reading blogs and serials (magazines and newspapers) online, you reach a point where an aggregator becomes a necessity in order to keep up. That's why I believe they'll play such a big part of our information lives in the future, especially as we become more and more mobile. As with the print world, libraries can be a major player in providing access there, too.

I haven't read through the full decision yet but based on what Doc and Mary Lu are saying, it doesn't sound good in regards to webcasting rates. Mary Lu has a full copy of the decision and the table of costs, while Doc is collecting reactions.

<sigh> Adam, can I still get a hug?  </sigh>

Addendum: The New York Times has a story on this now.

"The government on Thursday decided that songs delivered online by Internet music broadcasters will be charged royalty fees at a rate that is half of what was originally proposed by an arbitration panel....

The recording industry, which had sought higher royalties to compensate artists and music labels for using their songs, criticized the new lower rate....

Jonathan Potter, executive director of the Digital Media Association, which represents webcasters, called the decision a positive step away from a higher rate, but said 'there's still going to be a lot of pain in the industry....'

Opponents to Thursday's ruling can appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit within 30 days. The court could modify or set aside the decision if it finds the ruling was highly unreasonable.

If the decision is not changed, the first monthly royalty payments will be due in November. The fees are retroactive to 1998 and full payment of royalties from past years will be due Oct. 20."

So the Librarian of Congress understood that the proposed CARP rates were too high, so he cut them in half. That's good, certainly not as bad as it could have been. But it's not enough to help  smaller webcasters stay in business because the new rates are not structured to take into account the revenue actually coming in to the station. That's bad.

I imagine the webcasters will appeal it (as might the recording industry), so this probably isn't over yet. I'm still disappointed, but at least Mr. Billington wasn't reeled in on the recording industry's fishing line, netted, and hung on the wall.

"Welcome, Leah." [The Peanut Gallery]

Thanks to Rick Klau's article on LLRX about Personal KM and Radio, we've got an academic law librarian on board! Not only that, "I'm a retired Judge Advocate, I'm also interested in military issues and military law." Should be a great intersection of topics. Welcome to my aggregator, Leah!

Teachers Wanna Hold a Handheld

"Texas Instruments also hopes to expand its image beyond that of a graphing calculator for science and math classes to that of a handheld that can be used in other subject areas.

Many schools already use the devices and could download new applications onto them for use in other classes.

'We're not focused on doing PDAs for business,' said Tom Ferrio, vice president of education for TI. 'This is specifically designed for students.'

The company introduced a new, durable keyboard that is built to withstand the hazards of a backpack. It's packaged with a word processing software application so that students can take notes. Other new applications include customizable flashcards and multiple choice questions....

In the fall, TI will introduce a product called the TI Navigator, a wireless hub for teachers that can collect student work stored on the individual TI-83s, then move them to the teacher's computer to be evaluated." [Wired News]

What I don't think we're working enough on is the support from the school and public library for kids using these handhelds. Ebooks are the most obvious applicatiobn, but few implementations are even integrating them. Then there's wireless access to remote databases, bibliographies on-the-go, "ask-a-librarian" text-based chatting, integrating due dates into the calendar (yes, I know Innovative is working on this), and other mechanisms the library could support.

Maybe we can convince TI to help us develop some library apps for PDAs.