The company is touting it is an easy way to add video and audio to web pages, taking the complexity out of embedding various media players, supporting different formats, etc.

Searchmetrics just released a report highlighting the importance of using video in search engine visibility, particularly with Google’s universal search results. Anything that can help you get video on your site may potentially help you in this area.

“Playable items could be references to supported media or specific recognized terms, such as movie titles,” says Yahoo’s Alex Sirota, Director of Media Web Apps. “Once clicked, a play button will open a slick in-page player that will stream all the detected playable items as a unified playlist.”

Sirota gives a few examples:

1. To play a YouTube video, just link to the corresponding YouTube page, such as Mike Relm vs. Zoetrope (links to http://youtu.be/i56XeM0-b8Y).
2. To play an MP3 file, for example this Awesome Yodel, just link to it (http://mediaplayer.yahoo.com/example3.mp3) on the page.
3. To automatically find and play the most appropriate trailers and clips for a specific movie, just link to the movie’s Yahoo! Movie page, for example TRON: Legacy (links to http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1810096458/info). You don’t need to manually go and search for individual video clips – Yahoo! WebPlayer does that automatically for you.
4. To automatically find relevant terms such as “Cowboys & Aliens” on a page and make them playable, just enable the “term detection” mode when grabbing the Yahoo! WebPlayer code. In this case, it’s enough to merely mention a quoted movie title, and Yahoo! WebPlayer will do the rest – it will highlight the term, add a play button and then find and play the most appropriate videos for that term.

Yahoo says it will be adding support for additional media formats in the future.

A recent post on the Facebook Developer blog discusses just that. "As part of Operation Developer Love, we are are continuing to update our documentation," said Facebook’s Ankur Pansari. "Recently, I was talking with some developers in New York, and they were surprised to learn that they could publish updates to people who have liked their Open Graph Pages."

"You can publish stories to people who like your Open Graph Page the same way you write a Facebook post from your own wall. The stories appear in the News Feeds of people who have clicked the Like button on the Open Graph Page," he added. "You can also publish using our API. If you associate your Open Graph Page with a Facebook app using the fb:app_id meta tag, you can publish updates to the users who have liked your pages via the Graph API."

A tip of the hat goes to Josh Constine at InsideFacebook for pointing this out, as well as raising a good point that publishers should consider: "For instance, retailer Urban Outfitters has Like buttons on every product in their website’s ecommerce store. It sells a wide variety of products, from clothing to bikes. If the Urban Outfitters Facebook Page posted an updated about a new line of bikes it was carrying, only a small part of their audience would find it interesting, while a large portion of their audiences would find the update irrelevant or even spammy, leading them to click the Unlike button."

"Instead, Urban Outfitters could publish the update about bikes to only those users who’ve clicked Like buttons on their bikes," he adds. "By sending product-specific updates to those who Like that type of product, Urban Outfitters can send higher relevancy updates more frequently but to less people, increasing click through rates and driving more traffic to their website without spamming all 600,000 fans of the Facebook Page."

Basically, this has the potential to be a very powerful tool for anyone using "like" buttons on their sites, but like any other powerful tool, handle with care.

Pam Horan, President of the Online Publishers Association (OPA), shared some thoughts with us on both Apple’s and Google’s new subscription services. If you’re unfamiliar with the OPA, it’s a non-profit trade group representing content providers like ABCNews.com, About.com, BBC.com, Bloomberg.com, CBS Interactive, CNBC, CNN.com, Comcast Interactive Media, Condé Nast, ConsumerReports.org, Disney Interactive Media, ESPN.com, Forbes.com, FoxNews.com, Gannett Digital, Gawker Media, Harvard Business Publishing, The Huffington Post, Hearst Coproration, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal Digital Network, and many more.  

Regarding Apple’s, Horan says,  "Right now, one the most audible reactions I’m hearing from publishers is: what does this mean for the consumer? The concern is that Apple’s latest subscription policy limits one of the major needs that all publishers look to address – seamlessly offering their content on whatever platform the consumer wants to access it on." 

"Based on Apple’s policy, specifically, publishers may no longer provide links in their apps (to a web site, for example) which allow the customer to purchase content or subscriptions outside of the app," she continues. "Limiting the publisher to include links with offers or offering direct bundles through their own website, makes authenticating the consumer impossible. Apple’s one click access is great, but consumers have to realize that they are sacrificing portability."

"The second issue is that Apple’s doesn’t allow publishers access to any consumer information – from who is purchasing to what articles and tools that [they] are finding valuable based on their use," she adds. "Consumer insights are paramount for publishers to be able to offer consumers the products they want. We would hope that Apple would take these issues into consideration to ensure that we are all serving their consumers’ best interest."

On Google’s new service, Horan says, "At first pass, the Google OnePass model may address several of the concerns that publishers have with the Apple subscription model unveiled earlier this week. Google is sharing the customer’s name, ZIP code and e-mail address (unless the customer opts out) which will help publishers gain the valuable consumer insight that is necessary to help them evolve their products."

"Another difference between this and the Apple offering is the pricing structure – it appears more flexible as does the ability to purchase bundling solutions," she adds. "With OnePass, publishers can try different models, like subscriptions, so-called metered access and selling single articles. The service also lets publishers give free access to existing subscribers."

Horan is not alone in her analysis. Google’s model seems to be getting a lot better feedback than Apple’s, though Apple’s model certainly has its supporters. Apple’s model has actually been tied to antitrust concerns, though nothing has been made of such concerns on the parts of either Apple or the Justice Department. 

The new service called Google One Pass allows publishers to control how and when they charge for content. Users who buy One Pass can access content on tablets, smartphones and websites using a single sign-in with an email and password.

The move by Google puts it in direct competition with Apple’s subscription service announced yesterday.  With Google One Pass, Google will get 10 percent of revenues, compared to Apple’s 30 percent for its subscriptions.

Google says it launched One Pass because it “cares a lot about helping high quality content thrive online and about the future of journalism.”

Initial publishers participating in One Pass include German companies Axel Springer AG, Focus Online and Stern.de. Other publishers include Media General, NouvelObs, Popular Science, Prisa and Rust Communications.

Google One Pass is currently available for publishers in Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S.

The product is designed for online publishers. "The solution makes paying for content online convenient and secure for consumers, a long-time challenge for all sorts of digital content providers," a PayPal representative tells WebProNews.

The product was actually announced last year, but it is now out of beta, and is widely available to developers, publishers, or anyone else selling digital content on a global scale. 

"When consumers pay for online content, PayPal for digital goods allows them to pay in as little as two clicks without ever leaving a publisher’s game, news, music, video or media site," explains PayPal’s Carey Kolaja. "It’s the online equivalent to dropping a quarter in the slot to buy a gumball."

"Based on PayPal’s existing security, the service offers a faster, safer and more cost-effective way to send and receive micropayments," she adds.

Fees for micropayments are 5% plus 5 cents for purchases under $12.

PayPal says it closed out last year with $3.4 billion of total payment volume for digital goods.

Do you think Hearst’s success in traditional publishing will extend to triumph in the online world? Let us know in the comments section.

With 14 magazines and 23 sites, the company has 40 apps to accompany them. "Our digital library is a huge asset," he said, later adding "It’s not just the assets. It’s what you do with them."

Hearst goes well beyond simply re-creating its print experiences for digital platforms whether they be the publications’ websites or mobile apps. For its sites it creates unique content. For its apps it not only creates unique content, but unique app experiences altogether. Many of Heart’s brand apps offer different services or entertaining experiences that aren’t just reading. And this goes beyond even video, audio, and animation. It’s about creating a interesting experience. 

None of these apps are free. Loughlin says that while much of the Blogosphere says this stuff should be free, he disagrees, noting that these bloggers should see the bills that come along with developing this stuff. 

"It’s not just about brand exposure," said Loughlin. "It’s about creating a sufficiently strong impression."

"When people ask me, ‘Is print dead?’ I say hell no" he added.

Hearst’s paid print subscriptions sold via the web have gone up significantly in the last four years.

While I’ve long been skeptical of the notion that a substantial amount of people will pay for digital content when there is so much other content available for free, 

Hearst has the right idea when it comes to making this work, I think, if it’s really going to.  It’s all about keeping it unique and creating interesting experiences beyond just readable (or even watchable or listenable) content.

Let us know what you make of Loughlin’s thoughts — and if you have any additional ideas — in the comments section.

"We want to see all publishers experience the same success, so we’re providing every publisher, big or small, with a chance to invite their readers to the new Digg, before our GA launch," says Michael Cieri.

So, WebProNews has a thousand invitations to the new Digg (I like the new version better already). If you click this link, you can go to the new Digg, and you will follow WebProNews on Digg (that is a default of the invite link Digg is providing, but hopefully you’ll be happy to follow us anyway).

Digg has been talking about this new version since SXSW in March. Now you have an opportunity to experience it for yourself, ahead of the mainstream. Join, and feel free to Digg some WebProNews stories.

Thanks.

After accounting for potential cannibalization of some print subscriptions, the industry could realize $1.3 billion in incremental revenue, the consortium says.

The study dealt with about 230 periodical titles and surveyed 1,800 consumers in the U.S. It looked at "likely formats and features of emerging interactive periodicals" and did not take into account advertising, commerce or single copy sales. In other words, we’re talking subscriptions only.

"The landscape for digitally distributing magazines and newspapers is about to rapidly change," said Martin Kon, partner and head of the global media and entertainment practice at Oliver Wyman, which conducted the study for Next Issue. "Our Future Marketplace Simulation shows significant consumer enthusiasm for interactive periodicals that offer enhanced features, personalization, multimedia content and optimized layout and navigation."

Next Issue lists the following as "key findings that underpin the revenue projections" in the study:

1. Among device-owning subscribers, the availability of interactive editions at the point of renewal, at the same price as today’s print editions, drives a 9 point increase in the overall subscription renewal rate, from today’s 55% industry average to 64%.

3. The interactive format enables effective cross-selling via recommendation engines and browsing features; 17% of current subscribers make additional purchases.
 
4. Automatic renewals eliminate the traditional "bill-me later" model and greatly reduce churn, from an average of 45% today to 25%.
 
5. The introduction of interactive editions in an online store setting, at the same price as today’s print editions, triples uptake rates among device-owning non-subscribers, from 5% to 15%.

The findings can be perused in a white paper available here (pdf).

Actually, Twitter is working with TweetMeme on this one. TweetMeme has been offering probably the most popular version of the tweet button for publishers. Twitter says TweetMeme will be switching over to the official Twitter button anyway.

"When you click on the Tweet Button, a Tweet box will appear — pre-populated with a shortened link that points to the item that you’re sharing," explains Twitter’s Carolyn Penner. "After you post to Twitter, you may see suggestions for accounts to follow. These accounts are suggested by the web site you visited and may include, for example, the news outlet and reporter of the article you shared."

"The Tweet Button is not only simple for users, but for publishers of all sizes, too," adds Penner. "Recreational bloggers to large media companies can quickly and easily add the Tweet Button to their sites. It only takes a few lines of code. The Tweet Button will help publishers grow traffic and increase their Twitter following."

Twitter also announced a number of sites that are already using the new Tweet button starting today. These include Ask.com, CBS Interactive, CNN, Cracked, eHow, Gawker Media, Huffington Post, Hulu, The Onion, Time.com, USAToday, and YouTube.

Update: TweetMeme had the following to say on their blog:

"Firstly we will be assisting Twitter with the technical challenges involved with the button and secondly we will be working even more closely in the future on delivering real-time curation of the Twitter Firehose. This will manifest itself in the launch of a number of new products and the first of these is being unveiled today."

Tweetmeme also notes that it has grown to over 750 million daily retweet button impressions.

For each book sold from the Kindle Store for Kindle, Kindle DX, or one of the Kindle apps for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, BlackBerry, PC, Mac and Android phones, authors and publishers who choose the new 70 percent royalty option will receive 70 percent of the list price, minus delivery costs.

Delivery costs are based on file size, and pricing is set at $0.15/MB. At today’s median DTP file size of 368KB, delivery costs would be less than $0.06 per unit sold. For example, on an $8.99 book an author would make $3.15 with the standard option and $6.25 with the new 70 percent option. This new option, first announced in January, will be in addition to and will not replace the existing DTP standard royalty option.

"We’re excited about the launch of the 70 percent royalty option and user experience enhancements in DTP because they enable authors and publishers to conveniently offer more content to Kindle customers and to make more money from the books they sell," said Russ Grandinetti, Vice President of Kindle Content.

To qualify for the 70 percent royalty option, authors and publishers must meet a number of requirements.  The author or publisher list price must be between $2.99 and $9.99 and the list price must be 20 percent below the lowest price for the physical book. In addition, books must be offered at or below the price of any competitor, including physical book prices.