That’s what the inauguration (#inaug09) is being called by many tech bloggers.

It was the first big test of a single event of nationwide interest and it was supposed to be a chance for the Internet to take on television. But it looks like the Internet still isn’t ready for the big leagues.

Here’s what I noticed. I put up our streaming video player just before 9 a.m. local time. The NBC video player already wasn’t working, so I embedded the MSNBC video player. Things went smoothly for about an hour. Despite the fact we have six TV’s – just in the newsroom – I wanted something I could hear clearly while sitting at my desk. So I left it playing in the background while I posted stories, Twitter updates and helped Lauren with her blog from Washington.

Around 10 a.m., the problems started. I began to hear intermittent silence. It was very upsetting. Wondering if this was an isolated problem, I switched over to CNN. We are also a CNN affiliate, so I could have easily switched our video feed. But the problem was also happening there. I had problems launching or watching video from every major news source. Some even put me in a virtual waiting room. The nerve.

CNN.com served 21.3 million streams yesterday, with a peak of 1.3 million simultaneous streams. I’m not denying that is a bit overwhelming. But I do have to say that I was disappointed.

TechCrunch’s solution?

“Will it get better? Yes. Akamai and others can always put up more proxy streaming servers at the edge of the network to meet demand. But that is an expensive proposition for infrequent events. Perhaps a better solution for live streaming is a peer-to-peer model where streaming quality improves as more people watch. (Check out RayV, which does this). That would require everyone to download extra add-on software for their browsers. I’d do it in a second if that would solve the live stream stuttering problem.”

Other disappointments – Twitter. The #inaug09 feed was surprisingly devoid of emotion or insights. I have to admit, I used @KWWL to post excerpts from Obama’s speech, but I still took time with @jennjarvis to comment on Aretha’s hat. (Which was awesome.)

Finally I started watching CNN’s Facebook feed. It was full of the emotion and humor I was hoping for, even if the video was lacking.

So here’s my final grade for Inauguration coverage online. A+ for interactive features like past speeches and inaugural gowns (yes both are available on KWWL.com). And an F for the video streams that were at times useless. 

On a side note – it wasn’t just a rough day for news outlets. The J. Crew Web site crashed after it was discovered that Michelle Obama and the girls were wearing items from the company. I guess there’s a limit to how much attention we want, or can handle.

-jj

Posted under Politics, Web/Tech

One of my biggest pet peeves – a slow Internet connection. Really. It drives me crazy. I’m sure everyone gets annoyed when a page won’t load, but as someone who is constantly online, whether on a computer or  cell phone, I can’t handle moving slow.

Imagine my frustration when I read the following analysis from PCMag.com.

“The Midwest has some of the fastest states in the nation-and several of the slowest. Unfortunately, Iowa ranks at the bottom-it’s the slowest state in the Midwest. The state is 46th in terms of speed, and residents know it: A mere 23 percent report satisfaction with their ISP. In other words, Iowans are among the least happy with local speeds. Mediacom Online was fastest in our study, but at just 497 Kbps, it ain’t much to write home about.”

Wow.

PCMag ran a survey on its site to rank connection speeds across the country. About 17,000 people participated, running a Surfspeed application to test their connection speed and fill out a questionaire.

You can read the complete report here, including methodology and a ranking of all 50 states.

Speed is definitely an issue in certain parts of Iowa. In fact, as more and more of our viewers provide feedback, we’ve contemplated launching a separate version of KWWL.com that would cater to slower Internet connections including dial-up (which is still much more common than I ever imagined).

I’ve actually received my Internet services from the same company here in Iowa and when I was living in Missouri, and I’ve always felt like it was slower here, but never paid close enough attention to document a difference. Maybe that’s a project for later. Next time I plan to visit Missouri, I’ll check my connection speed here and then check it out when I get to Missouri. The Show Me State ranks 28th on PCMag’s list.

Thoughts?

-jj

Posted under Web/Tech

Catching up on all the latest viral videos? Take a detour to peruse the latest political news with YouTube’s legislators on demand.

Many legislators already had their own YouTube channel, but now the online video giant has launched two new hubs to organize the chaos. Check out SenateHub and HouseHub. You can simply choose your state from a dropdown and see which lawmakers are going high tech.

So far in Iowa, Republican Rep. Steve King leads the pack in videos posted, with Republican Rep. Tom Latham at the bottom. And Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin are somewhere in the middle.

Some are more formal with clips from C-SPAN and major news networks (King) while others post video updates from their desk (Grassley).

TechCrunch criticizes saying most of the videos are either speeches or more like commercials, but hey, it’s a start.

-jj

Posted under Politics

Here’s what my daily routine consists of.

Wake up, grab the laptop from beside the bed and check KWWL.com. Post a few stories and then get ready and come into work.

Post stories, post ads, meetings, projects, work, work work until at least after the 6 p.m. newscast. If I get lunch I eat it at my desk during a webinar or some activity that doesn’t require lots of typing.

Either pick up food on the way home or cook dinner when I get home. Either way, I’m eating in the living room with one laptop in my lap and the other right beside me and the iPhone within reach. And when I’m done eating, clean up. Then settle in on the couch to watch my recorded shows while rotating between computers.

All of this is not an effort to demonstrate how boring my life is. Instead it’s meant to illustrate my lack of surprise when the following sentence showed up in my inbox.

“According to the 3rd Annual Staples National Small Business Survey (NASDAQ: SPLS), 62 percent of small business owners admitted they were transforming into a ‘mouse potato’ (i.e. constantly on the computer), with two-thirds eating and working at the same time, and one in five replacing breakfast with “deskfast” in an effort to maximize time.”

These might be my two new favorite nerd phrases.

While I’m not a small business owner, I am one of many who find themselves able to do their job from almost anywhere. The ability to work from home and the knowledge that work needs to be done will prompt you to plop the computer in your lap and hope that you don’t spill food on it.

But, we’re not just workaholics.

“The survey also revealed that 69 percent of U.S. small-business owners and managers are constantly trying new things to stimulate their business and 47 percent view themselves as ‘intrapreneurs’ (i.e. an entrepreneur who operates within the corporate structure pursuing innovative projects).”

Please tell me I can get a business card that reads intrapreneur. I enjoy titles that no one understands.

But, seriously, new ideas are what can save a business, including the news business. I remember, back in the day, sitting in a classroom as my journalism professor pulled a brand new iPod out of the box, set it on the table and said, “How can we use this for news?”

But journalists and small business owners are not alone. Things are getting tough, even for the big kids on the block, and intrapreneur has become an automatic part of any job description.

So, here’s to the people who can eat a sandwich and click a mouse at the same time.

Posted under Web/Tech