[FYI] Content is Not King

["Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>]

[Weiss jemand neuere Statistiken ueber den e-Mail-Gebrauch?]

http://firstmonday.org/issues/issue6_2/odlyzko/index.html

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Content is Not King 

by Andrew Odlyzko

The Internet is widely regarded as primarily a content delivery 
system. Yet historically, connectivity has mattered much more than 
content. Even on the Internet, content is not as important as is 
often claimed, since it is e-mail that is still the true "killer 
app."  

The primacy of connectivity over content explains phenomena that have 
baffled wireless industry observers, such as the enthusiastic embrace 
of SMS (Short Message System) and the tepid reception of WAP 
(Wireless Application Protocol). Combined with statistics showing low 
cell phone usage, this also suggests that the 3G systems that are 
about to be introduced will serve primarily to stimulate more voice 
usage, not to provide Internet access.  

For the wired Internet, the secondary role of content will likely 
mean that the dangers of balkanization are smaller than is often 
feared. Further, symmetrical links to the house are likely to be in 
greater demand than is usually realized. The huge sums being invested 
by carriers in content are misdirected.  

[...]  

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