Infovalet

[The Information Valet Project]

The Information Valet Project:
Building a collaborative, shared-user network
to sustain the values and purposes of journalism

PRIVACY . . . ADVERTISING . . . COMMERCE . . . PERSONALIZATION

INFOVALET AT REYNOLDS JOURNALISM INSTITUTE . . . ABOUT THE NEW(S)SOCIAL NETWORK . . . INFORMATION VALET PROJECT BLOG . . . . RSS FEED . . . OTHER LINKS/COMMENT . . . TAGGED PHOTOS . . . VIDEO RESOURCES

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RJI PICTURED

THE RJI VISION

This page describes research by Bill Densmore at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute which has spawned a business and a vision for a shared-user network for the web that addresses, privacy, trust, identity and information commerce.

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READ THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL / EVENTS/LINKS

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*THE PRE-QUEL: READ: "From Paper to Persona" white paper"

The vision: New revenues for news

To earn new revenue, news organizations need to quickly migrate their historic role as the most-trusted source of information from the product-oriented print world to a service-oriented digital “ecosystem.” The Information Valet Project at the Reynolds Journalism Institute is organizing an information-industry collaborative to build, own and operate a shared-user network layered upon the basic Internet. The Information Trust Assocation network will:

• ADVERTISING -- Advance the role, effectiveness of, and compensation for online advertising and marketing services via the ability to deliver targeted, interest-based advertising to individual, known consumers.
• PRIVACY -- Allow end users to own, protect — and optionally benefit by sharing — their demographic and usage data, with the help of their competitively chosen “information valet” – such as their local newspaper.
• SOCIAL NETWORK -- Provide a platform for customizing, sharing and personalizing the end-user web experience – a “news social network" with one ID, one passworld, one account and one bill.
• TRANSACTION -- Allow online users to easily share, sell and buy content through multiple websites with one bill, one account, one ID and password which work at a plurality of participating websites.

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• VIDEO: The InfoValet Project in 12 minutes (May, 2009)
• HEAR OR READ A Q&A EXPLAINING THE INFOVALET VISION
• WATCH A 20-MINUTE PRESENTATION taped March 23 at Washington Univ., St. Louis
• LISTEN TO A SIX-MINUTE PRESENTATION
• VIEW A 12-FRAME SLIDE SHOW
• DOWNLOAD A POWERPOINT PRESENTATION

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“We’ll start creating frameworks in law, governance, marketing, advertising, technology, user identity and transactions for the Information Valet Economy,” says Bill Densmore, IVP project researcher. “It should be a place where companies compete to provide personalized service to users, yet share those users, and where they make money referring those users to content — and advertising — from almost anywhere.”

The origins: "Blueprinting the Information Valet economy:
Dec. 3-5, 2008, Columbia, Mo.

• More than 50 editors, writers, technologists, publishers, entrepreneurs, academics, researchers and students gathered Dec. 3-5, 2008 at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. Their pre-arranged mission: invent a new way to sustain the role of journalism in participatory democracy. Their approach: Create a shared-user web network for demographic privacy management, advertising and information commerce.

Some conclusions: "From Gatekeeper to Information Valet: Work Plans for Sustaining Journalism":
May 27, 2009 / Washington, D.C.

• Notes, video and postings of the May 27, 2009 wrapup of the Information Valet Project, held at George Washington University in Washington, D.C.

Where we're starting

What is the Information Valet Project?

• A one-page description of the Information Valet Project at the Donald W. Reynolds Journalism Institute at the Missouri School of Journalism. (HTML) . . . PDF DOWNLOAD (two pages)

Why is the InfoValet Service needed?

WHY IS 'BLUEPRINT THE IVP' NEEDED? (SHORT VIDEO) . . . ALL VIDEO ARCHIVES
The U.S. news industry struggles as print advertising moves elsewhere and web advertising's double-digit growth sputters. The industry can now rethink and relaunch its relationship with 50 million customers -- to become their "information valet" able to make money whether those users are buying services, information (including music and entertainment) or being paid for web seeking and contact with sponsored messages and advertising.

• Consumers want a customized experience, but want to control and be compensated for use of demographic and usage profiles.
• The Internet needs a user-focused system for sharing identity, exchanging and settling value (including payments), for digital information. The system should allow multiple "Information Valets" to compete for and serve customers with varied topical interests and appetites for demographic sharing. It needs a New(s) Social Network.
  
  

AUDIO: Short talks on the concept and design

• Choose from streaming or MP3 podcast audio discussions which describe the concept, design, purpose and research contributing to the Information Valet Project. (FLASH ANIMATION -- Click on each black carat to launch each segment)

What experts say

• Paul Gillin: "Can Densmore's vision work? It has to."
• Andy Oram: "Why a new proposal for making the news business sustainable deserves attention."
• Additional comments

Other key links

• RJI FELLOW CONCEPT VIDEO: http://tinyurl.com/6zguf8 (60 seconds)
• NINE-MINUTE VIDEO OVERVIEW: http://tinyurl.com/5k8qw8
• ADDITIONAL VIDEO, INCLUDING MOCK MARKETING PITCH
• SLIDESHOW: http://tinyurl.com/569au7
• FLASH ANIMATION: http://web.missouri.edu/~bowera/infovalet.html (click on carats to launch each section)
• KEY BLOG: http://tinyurl.com/6nbz9q
• DEC. 3-5 EVENT NEWS (pdf): http://newshare.com/blueprint.pdf
• MORE NEWS: http://tinyurl.com/6jtjpr
• ABOUT REYNOLDS: http://tinyurl.com/6zkzr4
• RSS FEED: http://feeds.feedburner.com/infovalet
• OWNERSHIP CONCEPT: http://newshare.com/wiki/index.php/Blueprint-form