Assessing value

September 16th, 2008 by james

Warning: this post takes a sharp turn, and probably goes downhill fast. I have lost my ability to think clearly.

I’m an avid Firefox fan, and couldn’t imagine life without a few mainstream plugins.

Well, that was before Google launched Chrome into public beta (for Windows only)…I downloaded it the first day it was available, and haven’t looked back. It’s fast—very fast. It’s not flawless, but it doesn’t bog down like Firefox. And all the necessary features are in the base install.

That said, it’s taken me a while to get used to the address bar. Doubling as a search box, the address bar suggests websites as I type (Firefox 3 does this based solely on browser history), revealing interesting patterns about the sites I visit.

For example, the Beehive is suggested simply by typing "f" (for fresnobeehive.com)—evidently, I visit quite often. Actually, I don’t read many news sites (especially local sites), but I do read several blogs. And I’m guessing I’m not the only one?

Which leads me to wonder why The Fresno Bee, which is hurting for ad revenue, doesn’t advertise on the Beehive. It’s their most active and interactive web property (Fresno Famous seems a bit stagnant lately); ironically, it’s also the cleanest design they offer. Would it be as popular if it were as ad-cluttered as other Bee sites? More importantly, is ad revenue the best measure of value?

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About James (R.) Collier

My thoughts are somewhat random, as I still don't know what I want to be, when I grow up (if you've got any ideas, I'm open for suggestions). For now, I'm resolved that somewhere inside of me there's an artist, suppressed by a fear of someone else's perception, unwilling to accept the thought of being unaccepted.