Linked List: March 30, 2012

Friday, 30 March 2012

Readability Directs Shared Articles to Own Servers, Cuts Out Original Publishers 

A.T. Faust:

Regardless of your computer or mobile platform, when an article link is emailed or tweeted from inside Instapaper or Read It Later, those services will share the original article link (or a shortened version thereof). That way, the article’s official host is properly rewarded for its content. The standard economic model of internet publishing requires this kind of basic cooperation, and most blogs, aggregators, and apps are pretty good about citing sources and redirecting traffic.

Readability is not.

For some reason, when an article gets shared via this particular service, it ends up on Readability’s own servers. If viewing the article on their mobile devices, readers are presented with a formatted facsimile of the original content, and — though a small link of citation is provided — readers are not compelled to seek out or visit the original site. This approach neither drives traffic to the appropriate place nor properly cites the author’s work, and it violates the inherent goodwill required of such service providers.

I’ll give you the reason: Readability is run by scumbags. They collect money on behalf of publishers with whom they have no relationship, and now they steal page views too. Everyone knows shared links should point to the original resource.

Update: Readabilty has now changed the sharing feature to do the right thing, in response to Faust’s criticism. No word on when they’ll stop collecting (and keeping) money on behalf of unaffiliated publishers.

Update, 1 April 2012: My use of the word scumbags has drawn condemnation from Jeffrey Zeldman and Anil Dash — both of whom (a) sit on Readability’s advisory board, and (b) I consider my friends. I take back nothing, and judge Readability only by their actions, but allow me to take another crack at the above:

I’ll give you the reason: Readability has long exhibited a profound sense of entitlement to work published by others. They collect — and if unclaimed, keep — money on behalf of publishers with whom they have no relationship, and so I find it in-character for them to now steal page views too. Everyone knows shared links should point to the original resource.

RIM to Give Up 

Horace Dediu:

The idea of focus has huge benefits. Focus and the art of saying no are keys to greatness. However, you only succeed if you focus on the right thing. “Enterprise” is not the right thing. It’s not a valid target. Enterprise support is a feature, not a product. I don’t mean that as opinion, but as a point of fact. Focus on a set of customers whose only characteristic is a job description is missing the whole point of focus.

RIM’s problem hasn’t been focus. It’s execution. They need to ship a truly great phone. That’s it.

Adobe’s Latest Critical Security Update Pushes Scareware 

Ed Bott on the “PC system checker” promoted in Adobe’s latest Flash Player update:

This is pure, unadulterated scareware. It is designed to prey on unsophisticated computer users who have been told that they need to update their Flash Player and who are then subjected to this misleading advertising and technical mumbo-jumbo to scare them into paying for something they don’t need.

Adobe is trading on their own good brand for a quick buck. Just makes me sad.

Matt Burns: ‘It’s Time to Believe in RIM and the BlackBerry Again’ 

Filed for future claim chowder.