EDITOR'S NOTE:
Fresh Start
by Barbara Brynko
Bonne année, ein gutes neues Jahr, mwaka mzuri, feliz año nuevo! No matter where you call home across the globe, the message translates the same good cheer: Happy New Year!
As we enter the first days of 2012, we’re all interested in the new innovations that will emerge this year (check out a few on p. 10). So, for the first issue of the year, we’re taking a look at a few major content aggregators and how they are responding to the new breed of users … savvy and demanding with big expectations.
While 2011 was awash in ebooks, apps, and iPads, the industry is eager to keep the user experience (UX) and the mobile experience as fun as it is functional for multiple devices wherever users roam. Our three features this month focus on the evolving user market for content aggregators from a variety of angles. In “Building a Better User Experience,” several enterprises disclose the innovations they are implementing (and the challenges they are facing) to accommodate the changing needs of today’s users. Then, “GPO Is in Business” takes a look inside the Government Printing Office and how the advances in its digital initiatives are shaping up, from embarking on an ebook partnership with Google to coping with federal budget cuts. And then, we’ll take a look at search innovator Vivisimo from president Kevin Calderwood’s perspective to explore the company’s push for information optimization to keep the groundswell of Big Data in check.
We’ve packed this issue with news, trends, and plenty of insights and commentary from our experts in the field. And if this issue is any indication, we’re in for a great year of innovation ahead of us. Meet me back here at the beginning of 2013, and we’ll compare notes.
Here’s to a safe, healthy, and prosperous new year!
— Barbara Brynko |
