In an effort to compete with the relatively new, tabloid-style Baltimore "Examiner", the Baltimore Sun has launched its own new paper, inexplicably called "b".

Its first cover story? "High Class Hooking," which--like all its stories--is about the length of a blog post and delivers the shocking insight that some women become call girls for--gasp!--the money! This is the COVER STORY. It makes the Examiner look like Pulitzer material. In fact, the paper even rips off the Examiner for other "scooops," rehashing that same old fraudulent parking ticket story.

Now, the article published by The Sun about this new venture (how's that for synergy for ya--advertise your new paper in your old paper!) says that the new paper is aimed at 18-34 year olds. Since I'm edging out of that desirable demographic, it may be that I'm just too old to understand why "b" is interesting--or even why anyone would call their paper "b". (I mean--b? How are they going to get any search engine traction with a name like that?)

But I refuse to believe that today's young people are really so shallow and pressed for time that they cannot read articles longer than two paragraphs, or that they're going to be fooled by b's
pandering (roughly every other headline in the paper has the word "sex" in it.) Of course, I've been wrong before--I thought the Examiner would fold within a year. I suppose there's no limit to what people will read--especially if it's free.

(I will be interested to see whether "bmore live"--a similarly empty-headed paper which looks exactly like "b" but which has been around longer--will sue the hell out of the Sun for ripping them off. But then, I guess the Sun's parent company has enough resources to swat any challenge that might come their way.)

With the most powerful position in the free world coming available, and the heated contest currently well underway between McCain, Hillary, and Obama, an unprecedented amount of attention is being paid not only to the candidates' messages, but to the marketing engines behind them.

These engines are remarkably well funded. I read this morning that the Obama campaign raked in over $40 million in March alone. Aside to Mr. Obama's unique position in time, remarkable stage presence, and skills as an orator, there is something else unique to his campaign.

It's Design.

Regardless of message, political ideology, or anything else, the visual presentation of his marketing materials campaign is just plain better. And in an increasingly media savvy world, people are recognizing that it matters. Enough so, that the graphic design story, and beyond that, typographic case study, has become an interesting little news item in and of itself.

Two interesting pieces. To the Letter Born in the New York Times, and Just Go to Helvetica in Newsweek speak to this.

Check these articles out. While it's always nice to see good graphic design put to use, it's nice to see it getting a little attention too.

There is something very heartening and refreshing in the notion that one of the most powerful companies on the planet not only still has a sense of humor, but a very good one.

If only Gmail Custom Time was real. It would really solve a lot of problems for me.

Real Life Multiple Undos is also high on my wishlist of development.

I really love the formula that was utilized to determine 10 allowed uses per person too.

This month Sean Carton is the guest blogger on the EduWeb Blog, a blog devoted to issues involving higher education and technology. This is a reprint of his first entry for April 1.

Just when most administrators and vice presidents are finally catching on to the importance of the web in recruiting new students, it turns out that they may be too late. Rather than embracing technology the way their Millennial predecessors have, today’s “GenRen-ers” (those born after 1992) have been turning away from technology in record numbers.

A new report from the PeeU Internet and American Life project (an ongoing research effort that tracks demographic trends in technology) has shocked the technology community by discovering that the majority of kids under the age of 16 aren’t all that interested in technology and are, in fact, turning towards medieval times (and even earlier!) for fun.

“It’s somewhat of an understatement to say that we were completely shocked by the results of our survey,” commented Dr. Basil P. Longfellow, Director of the GenProbeKidScan™ Longitudinal Study Project at PeeU. “While we knew that many pre-teens and teens had begun to be turned off by all the hype surrounding social networking, mobile technology, and gadgetry, we had no idea how far the backlash had gone. But the numbers don’t lie.”


So what are we as higher education technology and marketing professionals to do if we’re going to reach “GenRen?” It’s a tough call: we’ve already staked our careers on the fact that previous generations wanted more technology. Reaching a generation intent on rejecting technology will call for a retooling of our recruitment and communications methodologies. We can only ignore these trends at our peril. Here are some suggestions for reaching out to GenRen:

1. Move away from the “viewbook” and to the “viewscroll.” GenRen-ers see anything that’s printed as “old tech” and therefore “bad.” They value hand-crafted items as more “authentic” and more “honest.” “Don’t marketest to me!” seems to be the battlecry of this generation. To meet this challenge, try retraining your soon-to-be-obsolete technical staff as illustrators and scribes and have them hand-copy admissions materials onto vellum.
2. Ignore your web site. It doesn’t work anymore for a generation to whom turning on a lightswitch is seen as the ultimate “sell out.” You may want to maintain a separate “parents only” site for now and an intranet for your more elderly faculty, but begin plans to phase this out over time.
3. Be aware of the sights and smells of campus. GenRen-ers love open sewers, bonfires, and livestock running around in the open. If you can’t tear down your student housing to accommodate the the “Renners,” stop referring to them as “dorms” and start referring to them as “hovels.”
4. Email is out. “Campus Criers” are in. Don’t expect to be able to reach “GenRen” kids with email, IM’s, or even on their cellphones. Instead, send a member of the communications staff into the campus Commons every day to shout out the day’s announcements. This is also a good job for any retired faculty who need something to do. They can usually be found lurking around receptions, Commencement ceremonies, or anywhere else it’s possible to find free snacks.
5. Host “Faires” to attract new students. GenRen is a wary bunch and the idea of an “Open House” will probably spook them. However, if you can assemble a bunch of falconers, strolling minstrels, and fortunetellers to showcase your campus, you’ll be on the right track.
6. Rethink dining options. GenRen-ers seem to thrive on oversized smoked turkey legs, beef ribs, mead (non-alcoholic, of course!), and pretty much anything served on a stick.
7. Talk to the Athletic department about their offerings and be sure to insist on sports that involve blood, mud, and armor.
8. Odors matter! If the admissions staff smells too good they’ll be immediately dismissed. Institute a policy that all admissions counselors can only bathe once ever month.

These ideas may seem a little out there, but it’s vital that we all respond to the trends of today’s prospective students. Many of us missed the boat when the web came along and changed everything...we don’t want to make the same mistake again.