PHILIP SPIEGEL - DAM Ideas

DAM...DAM...DAMN!

DAM(N)!

Time has been racing by and has left me no time to focus on this blog.  As I review the state of things I am both shocked and embarrassed.  I hope my readers (both of them) can forgive my negligence and give me the chance to redeem myself.  I am committed to a renewed focus on this venue and will be more regular with future posts. Really..I promise.

So, what have I been up to?

For the last 16 months or so I've been working with the LAC Group on assignment at ABC News managing their video and digital library operations.  I've not been away from the DAMsta community per se but instead just too caught up in the excitement and energy of the project to do much else.  However, in this blur called life I've been mentally chewing over a bunch of ideas about DAM and media archive management including value in metadata and finding a pragmatic approach to it...especially when focusing on the content within the asset vs. the asset itself.  I've also spent a lot of time thinking about workflows, storage and disaster recovery and I suspect each will warrant a future post.  Digital storage is especially interesting as it is both an archives potential savior and perhaps biggest curse.

I've not been shy about the rally cry of digitize or else! Digitize before its too late (and frankly for some it probably already is).  I don't doubt that digitally capturing a physical media asset (be it video, audio, photo, etc) before the close of its effective life cycle is a no brainer.  I think this is a well-travelled road, do the best encode (or scan) you can do either technically or financially or both.  But, in our well-intentioned haste to get it all digitized before it's gone perhaps we've not spent enough time considering the long term implications, responsibilities and costs of this exercise.

Creating a digitized archive media asset is like impulse buying a puppy...cute and cuddly now but what about in 10 years?

What is the true cost to own that digital file?  More importantly, what are the responsibilities as an owner or steward of that digital asset to assure its viability for both the immediate future and for the long haul?  Are we blindly driving into a digital brick wall?  I believe media organizations understand the benefits both operationally and in opportunity that come from digitized content and digital workflow but I think sometimes the support services (and costs) around these are overlooked or undervalued or underestimated.  I also think there needs to be more time spent curating the oceans of digital content an organization might create...but that's for another post.

Bottom-line is a DAM-based digital archive has to have a long view.  Budgets and cost projections need to reflect the costs now and and on-going to support the accessibility of the assets.  Good archive managment policy is needed regardless of the digital vs. physical nature of the asset.  Lastly, good technology support and planning are needed to manage software support, version control, reporting, system maintenance and migrations. 

Let's not forget that the goal is the longevity and viability of the digital archive along with the benefits and opportunities that come these digital assets.

Another Dam Blog Podcast Interview

I recently did an interview with Henrik de Gyor for his Another DAM Blog Podcast series.  Check it out at:

http://audioboo.fm/boos/374298-philip-spiegel

Heads up NY DAMsta's, tomorrow I will be attending the DAM NY 2011 Henry Stewart event at the NY Hilton...updates to follow but in the meantime, hope to see you there. 

The Power of Momentum

1. A body at rest will stay at rest.

2. A body in motion will stay in motion.

3. To every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.

I prognosticated that 2011 would be all about content and I think that is proving to be true in general but for me personally the first 5 months of the year have been all about workflow.  Yes, collectively we have the content and yes we have a digital plan and yes there is a digital infrastructure BUT what about the workflow?  Is progress being made necessarily the right progress?

Momentum is a powerful force in nature and also a powerful force in a workflow.  How many of us have come to workflow conversations and encountered productive groups blissfully plowing along and demonstrating timely and ever-growing productivity at a task at hand but without any sense of context to their place in the workflow and more importantly their impact on the rest of that workflow? 

I have no beef with productivity per se…but have an issue with this unchecked productivity that continues on for the sake of process.  The phenomena is peppered with common catchphrases like, “that’s how we always did it,” or “that’s how I was told to do it,” or "but our daily goal is to process X # of files," but the bottom line is they within this bubble they are blindly rolling along, “I do therefore I am.”

This can be a problem in any environment and especially so in a media archive and DAM environment.  Disparate groups possibly in different locations are working on different parts of the physical to digital workflow and production pipeline. With a lack of context this separation can cause those working within these silos to overlook what I like to think of as “the key moments of question” that could / should arise as processes mature and evolve.

Some of the questions should be:

• Does the output from my workflow and the results still meet all the requirements of my neighbors in this workflow? 
• Has anything changed in the production and user cycle that affects how / why / if at all certain tasks are performed or prioritized?
• Is there a better, smarter, cheaper way to be doing what needs to get done?

Once you have identified and addressed this issue it can be kept in check with good communication and collaboration and with good management and team play.  Shared knowledge across department heads creates opportunities for them all to be empowered and better leaders of their teams and better players among their peers.

Remember, every step matters and success is not measured just by the individual steps but by the overall sum of the result.

Lastly, I will be attending the Henry Stewart DAM NY 2011 event at the NY Hilton on June 8th and 9th.  It looks to be a really interesting program with lots of great speaker...see you there!

 

2010

“Everyday, Everyday, Everyday…Everyday is sunshine!”    Fishbone

Around this time last year I happily whisked away 2009 and pondered hopefully on the coming 2010.  I’m pleased to be able to say that the state affairs are better than they were a year ago both personally and professionally.

All in all 2010 was not too shabby and my optimism was rewarded.

Last year, I made the case that 2010 would see the convergence of Archive Managers, Content Managers and Data Managers morphing to one.  

Has that happened? 

Maybe not quite but I do think there has been some movement toward a center.  I personally live in this reality with my feet straddling these three worlds and I generally take the role of the pragmatic conduit for productive interaction across these groups and I suspect that this convergence will only continue to centralize and come together. 

So what will 2011 hold for us all?...Content monetization!  It’s going to be more about content and revenue.  We have waterfalls of content flowing, accessible and online and now that some of the technology hurdles have been jumped the focus will shift back to what to do with all this content and how can we get paid.   It’s the natural next step…the R in ROI…revenue will be in vogue.  It’s the next logical step in the physical to digital transition.  

         “OK …now I can easily access this stuff, so how can I market it?”

Enjoy the rideand have a happy holiday season!

Upcoming Webcast

I will be participating in a Createasphere webcast called "Mining and Monetizing your Digital Archives" on Tuesday, December 7, 2010 at 2pm EDT (11am PDT) .  It should be an interesting discussion with lots of good info and it's free!   The link for more info and to register is:

http://createasphere.com/En/webcasts/item/91-digital-preservation-sound-the-alarm.html