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It’s a digital world, after all

Al Gibes
September 23, 2010 - 12:50 pm
 

A trio of stories in today’s news illustrate the importance of all those zeros and ones that make up the digital world. They’re forcing companies to shift their strategies to keep up with the times.

Blockbuster Inc., the one-time video-rental giant, filed for bankruptcy protection today. The company plans to reinvent itself, according to a Reuters story posted on Yahoo News.

Blockbuster made the transition from videocassettes to digital video discs, but lagged behind the curve as home broadband connections spread and more people began downloading video entertainment directly from the Web. There's no longer any need to visit the store; viewers can buy or rent movies and television shows from companies like Netflix or Apple.

See story on Yahoo news:
Blockbuster seeks turnaround in bankruptcy
http://yhoo.it/YNblock

Meanwhile, to make the best use of retail floor space, Best Buy today said it will reduce the store space devoted to recorded music and videos. I still cling to my CDs, but they now are relegated to boxes stacked in a closet. They're the ultimate backup, I guess.

I wonder how long that precious space, which will shift to gaming gear, will remain. I see the day when all the games are either downloaded or played via the Internet. Yes, there will be new hardware (game consoles, controllers and the like), but I believe these will be incorporated into other video components in the future.

See story on AOL Finance:
RIP, CD: Best Buy to cut CDs, DVDs as Google, Apple prep for music war
http://bit.ly/BBcds

Finally, The Walt Disney Co. has launched a site devoted to its fans who share photos, videos and other user-generated content. It's a social media strategy that should build a quick and large audience around Mickey Mouse and his pals. (M-I-C ... See you really soon, on the Web. K-E-Y ... Why? Because it’s the future. ... M-O-U-S-E.)

Visit the Let the Memories Begin site:
http://www.DisneyParks.com/Memories

See story on Yahoo news:
Disney launches website for user-generated content
http://yhoo.it/YNdisney
 

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