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Back in 2006, CBC’s (@CBC) series “The End” explored the future of such media as print and television. Much of that exploration is still relevant. Print- and video-on-demand is a dominant force in the media choices of consumers. You’ll find these videos interesting background to the continuing revolution we’re experiencing in content production and consumption.

In multiple articles and videos, PBS’ MediaShift (@mediatwit) describes how digital technology is disrupting the book industry. “The rise of ebooks is poised to overtake sales of print books soon, and people are reading books on Kindles, iPads, Nooks and more. Plus, the equation for authors is changing, as they get more tools to go around traditional publishers and go the self-publishing route.”

In "Ebook Publishers Must Provide Flexible Access to Avoid Media Hell," Dorian Benkoil (@dbenk) says

Trying to consume an ebook can be an infuriating experience.

Consumers like me want to enjoy the digital version of a book when, where and how we want. We love to be able to read it from multiple screens, search it automatically, share annotations, even have the text read aloud as we drive or do dishes.

In theory that's the promise of the new world of book publishing. But in practice, we're blocked at many turns and end up looking for other solutions. For publishers and booksellers, that's not a good thing, and can even be quite costly.

Read the article in full.

Other articles in the series are:

• “The Book Publishing Industry of the Future: It's All About Content” by Felicia Pride
• “5 Reasons Ebooks Are Awesome, Even for the Very Reluctant” by Jenny Shank
• “How a Novelist Bypassed His Publisher and Raised $11,000 on Kickstarter” by Simon Owens
• “5Across: Beyond the Book - Ebooks and Self-Publishing,” a video roundtable discussion moderated by Mark Glaser
• “Is Amazon Short-Changing Authors?” by Jon Peters
• “Mediatwits #25: The 800 Pound Gorilla of Ebooks: Amazon,” an audio podcast hosted by Mark Glaser and Rafat Ail

See the “Beyond the Book” special report section.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you navigate the churning waters that are 21^st century publishing.

The Infographic below is from the report, Publishing in the Digital Era (pdf), by Bain & Company (@BainAlerts). From the introduction:

The written word — incised in clay, inked with a quill, printed on presses or transmitted as electronic bits in email — has always been at the heart of capturing and disseminating human knowledge.

Now it’s moving to dedicated e-readers, multipurpose tablets, and other digital devices that could be in the hands of 15% to 20% of the developed world’s population by 2015.

This new format will trigger a profound change in the publishing ecosystem and spark new trends in content creation itself....

Whatever the sector, the emergence of new reading devices suggests an interesting evolution in writing itself. Creating long-term value will not come from simply reformatting print content into digital words. Rather, the greatest opportunity lies in experimenting with such new formats as nonlinear, hybrid, interactive and social content, electronic modes that add motion, sound, and direct reader interactions through technologies [discussed in the report].

Read this report in full (pdf).

The above Infographic is by Visual Loop (@visualoop).

The International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church (IDOP) is this Sunday, Nov. 13.

Christian martyrdom is an ongoing worldwide crime. In too many countries, Christians face violence, imprisonment, and death for declaring allegiance to Jesus Christ.

According to Open Doors USA (@OpenDoors), the top 10 most oppressive countries for Christians are North Korea, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Maldives, Yemen, Iraq, Uzbekistan, and Laos. See the list of 50 (pdf).

To give biblical perspective leading up to IDOP, the following verses are taken from the Common English Bible (http://CommonEnglishBible.com) (@CommonEngBible, http://facebook.com/groups/CommonEnglishBible, http://facebook.com/LiveTheBible, http://vimeo.com/commonenglishbible):

“So we cried out for help to the LORD, our ancestor’s God. The LORD heard our call. God saw our misery, our trouble, and our oppression.” Deuteronomy 26:7 (CEB)

“The LORD is a safe place for the oppressed— a safe place in difficult times.” Psalm 9:9 (CEB)

“Sing praises to the LORD, who lives in Zion! Proclaim his mighty acts among all people! Because the one who avenges bloodshed remembers those who suffer; the LORD hasn’t forgotten their cries for help.” Psalm 9:11-12 (CEB)

Have mercy on me, LORD! Just look how I suffer because of those who hate me. But you are the one who brings me back from the very gates of death so I can declare all your praises, so I can rejoice in your salvation….” Psalm 9:13-14 (CEB)

“Let all those who are suffering eat and be full! Let all who seek the LORD praise him!” Psalm 22:26 (CEB)

“Speak out on behalf of the voiceless, and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.” Proverbs 31:8 (CEB)

[Jesus said:] “If the world hates you, know that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. However, I have chosen you out of the world, and you don’t belong to the world. This is why the world hates you.” John 15:18-19 (CEB)

[Jesus praying:] “I gave your word to them and the world hated them, because they don’t belong to this world, just as I don’t belong to this world. I’m not asking that you take them out of this world but that you keep them safe from the evil one.” John 17:14-15 (CEB)

“We even take pride in our problems, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance produces character, and character produces hope.” Romans 5:3-4 (CEB)

“Who will separate us from Christ’s love? Will we be separated by trouble, or distress, or harassment, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword?... But in all these things we win a sweeping victory through the one who loved us. I’m convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love in Christ Jesus our Lord: not death or life, not angels or rulers, not present things or future things, not powers or height or depth, or any other thing that is created.” Romans 8:35, 37-39 (CEB)

“In fact, anyone who wants to live a holy life in Christ Jesus will be harassed.” 2 Timothy 3:12 (CEB)

“You know that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” James 1:3 (CEB)

“Those who stand firm during testing are blessed. They are tried and true. They will receive the life God has promised to those who love him as their reward.” James 1:12 (CEB)

“Look at how we honor those who have practiced endurance. You have heard of the endurance of Job. And you have seen what the Lord has accomplished, for the Lord is full of compassion and mercy.” James 5:11 (CEB)

“You have shown endurance and put up with a lot for my name’s sake, and you haven’t gotten tired.” Revelation 2:3 (CEB)

“Pray continually.” 1 Thessalonians 5:17 (CEB)

For a media review copy of the Common English Bible and to schedule an interview with its associate publisher, Dr. Paul Franklyn, please contact Audra Jennings, ajennings@tbbmedia.com or Diane Morrow, dmorrow@tbbmedia.com, at 1.800.927.1517.

Last week, Nokia (@nokia) demoed a mindblowing prototype handheld device that lets you bend and twist the screen to complete actions like scrolling and zooming.

Meanwhile, Samsung (@Samsungtweets) said on an earnings call last week that it expected to debut phones with flexible displays in 2012 and that flexible tablets would follow.

The advantages of flexible displays are obvious: They're more durable, and they pave the way for new input methods, such as bending the display to zoom.

I think this technology will lead to the biggest breakthrough in mobile devices since the touchscreen. In fact, the next innovation in screen technologies may be an even bigger leap forward than touch displays.

Think not of a bendable display but of a foldable one.

Read this in full.

See Somersault’s previous blogposts “Revolutionary New Paper Computer Shows Flexible Future for Smartphones and Tablets” and "Flexible and Dual Computer Screens to Prepare For."

How will you prepare your publishing agenda for the advent of flexible screens? Let Somersault (@smrsault) help. And stay informed about the news of the future with the Future tab of RSS feeds and resources on SomersaultNOW.

Barna research findings about young Christians abandoning church are included in a new book by David Kinnaman (@davidkinnaman) titled You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving Church and Rethinking Faith.

The research project was comprised of 8 national studies, including interviews with teenagers, young adults, parents, youth pastors, and senior pastors. The study of young adults focused on those who were regular churchgoers Christian church during their teen years and explored their reasons for disconnection from church life after age 15.

No single reason dominated the break-up between church and young adults. Instead, a variety of reasons emerged. Overall, the research uncovered 6 significant themes why nearly 3 out of every 5 young Christians (59%) disconnect either permanently or for an extended period of time from church life after age 15:

·         Churches seem overprotective.

·         Teens’ and twentysomethings’ experience of Christianity is shallow.

·         Churches come across as antagonistic to science.

·         Young Christians’ church experiences related to sexuality are often simplistic, judgmental.

·         They wrestle with the exclusive nature of Christianity.

·         The church feels unfriendly to those who doubt.

Read this in full.

The above Infographic is by Visual Loop (@visualoop).

According to a new survey of social consumers, marketers who create highly sharable online content – video, audio, and photos consumers want to share with friends and colleagues – significantly boost their brand’s online presence and are more likely to increase sales.

The Science of Sharing study, conducted by M Booth (@MBoothPR) and Beyond (@beyond), two communications agencies in the Next Fifteen (@Next_Fifteen) global network, examined US consumer engagement with products online across a dozen brand categories. According to the data:

·         more than half of consumers (53%) say they interact with brands on Facebook

·         4 in 10 (42%) have written a product review online

·         a third (33%) have written an online post about a product.

·         1 in 5 consumers are “high sharers” and are 3 times more likely to make a product recommendation online. They tend to be younger, brand loyal, own multiple Internet devices and are conducting online research that requires minimal emotional or monetary investment.

·         “Low sharers” tend to be older, put a premium on quality, are less brand loyal, and are researching products online that cost more and involve more consideration.

When it comes to influencing consumer decision making, search is the most powerful online gateway (seo is a vital marketing element) followed by digital word of mouth and recommendations made by friends and family. The most common products that people recommend online are from the beauty, electronics, fashion, and music categories.

Read the news release in full.

Read the whitepaper (pdf).

See the Infographic (pdf).

See the Infographic (gif).

See the SlideShare presentation.

Let Somersault (@smrsault) help you reach your brand’s digital consumer.