Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newspapers, and magazines. With the advent of digital information systems, the scope has expanded to include electronic publishing such as ebooks, academic journals, micropublishing, websites, blogs, video game publishing, and the like
Find your niche business sector For The Internet Matrix and beyond
We've been working in and around the internet and new media now for the better part of two decades and have continued to ramp up our coverage of this most interesting, dynamic and competitive sectors.
I guess you could say we have carved out our own niche (or specifically - niches). More on that later.
So, what is a niche market anyway? It's a specific topic or topics where one can specialize, either in a paid or unpaid capacity - sometimes both.
For example, my background includes crime scene journalism, combat sports, beach sports, lifestyle, big tech (predominantly Australia and Silicon Valley remotely), Australian Army Reserve (Comms), sports management and promotion, creative arts and entertainment management and promotion, and more. That's alot of background and experience, I know. That's a big part of the reason that having just one website, blog and social media channel was not enough for us. We wanted a bigger slice of the action and felt the need to offer more than "just" one site. We usually write about subject matters that we know a lot about - often intel not commonly known to everyone. This helps keep the readership coming back for more.
If you the reader has a vast background also and is looking to get involved in digital and search engine related business, or ramp up, you may like to adopt or dare I say it - copycat to a certain extent (with credit to me) some of my ideas, while putting your own personal stamp and branding iron on it.
For example, the following are websites of ours that also predominantly have blogs, social media channels and so on:
Real Life Examples of niche websites
Media Man Int - our own modest size, international focussed media and digital media company. We cover over a dozen business sectors. Interviews, articles, scoops, even gossip and much more. A mix of full on journalism, gonzo journalism, opinion pieces, trends et al.
Media Man (Australia) - as above but with more of an Australian and Asia Pacific focus.
Australia Sports Entertainment - all about Australian and international sports. Includes health, well-being, training tips, news scoops, videos, interviews and more.
Wrestling News Media - predominantly pro wrestling aka sports entertainment. WWE, AEW, NJPW, NWA, independents and some UFC, ONE Championship, Bellator MMA etc. Articles, interviews, videos, scoops, fighter contracts, media deals, opinion and more.
Cafe News Media - Cafe News and cafe culture, as the name suggests. A focus on Sydney's Eastern Beaches region as well as Melbourne, Las Vegas, Atlantic City and Bali. Google Local Review profile tie-in works a treat every time. Cheers Google.
Casino News Media - casino news, information and trends of course. Vegas, Atlanta City, Florida, Hollywood, Macau, Monico and beyond, with a dash of Casino Royale and James Bond 007 themes thrown in. Shaken, not stirred. Fear And Loathing in Las Vegas, Vegas Baby and some casino king and pit boss feature and interviews.
Hottest On TV - you guessed it. TV aka Television (hopefully not Tell Lie Vision)..Now includes streaming entertainment from the likes of Netflix, Binge, Paramount Plus, WWE Network, FITE TV, NJPW World, PPV (Pay-Per- View), UFC Fight Pass, SBS On Demand, ABC iView, PassionFlix (Tosca Musk), Court TV, Crime TV Network, National Geographic, History Channel, Internet TV on steroids and so it goes on.
Media For Good - good news in and around the media, sports, tech and community sector. Being a former crime scene journalist and social campaigner was the trigger for this. Many other websites copied this, and we don't mind at all. Helping bring transparency and accountability to society and the world. Shining a light or blowtorch I say. Deer in headlights on occasion and when required.
Coastal New Media - anything and everything pertaining to the coast, coastline, beach culture (especially Australia). Best surfing spots, hidden breaks, surfboards, surf and beach fashion and lingo, beach themed movies ala Gidget and so it goes on. Catch the wave. The ripple effect!
Eastern Suburbs Media - Eastern Beaches of Sydney, Australia. Some cross-over with Coastal New Media and Cafe News Media. What's news in these parts? Compliments a Google Local Review profile very nicely. Catch Of The Day mate!
Be unique to stand out!
How can one stand out in a crowded and even super saturated industry, marketplace and world? What makes you and your company or companies truly unique?
For us, we draw upon a few areas. We use significant gonzo journalism themes and influences (thanks Hunter S. Thompson), pro wrestling and MMA influences and banter (we know alot of wrestlers and did some basic training many moons ago), beach bum banter -; having spent much of our life and times around the beach), as well as many references from 'The Matrix', as we are a superfan of sorts. By using a combination of these terms and themes including "insider lingo", our scribes, websites and channels often stand out from the pack. A dash of controversy ever now and again. We got that idea from former wrestling promoter, television executive and author, Eric Bischoff ('Controversy Creates Cash' being his best selling and famous book). Real NWO (New World Order stuff).
Get The Basics Right - All You Can EAT
E - Expert
A - Authority
T - Trustworthy
Become a Go-To person, if you are not already. If something is opinion based, be up-front about it. Opinion pieces are just that. We all have opinions and different life and business experiences. Life and business is full of perceptions and interpretations. This could relate to the good, great and not so much of Google and other big tech firms, "link juice", social media channels, trust in mainstream news, politics and so it goes on. Respect the audience, readership and self. Don't forget the option of becoming a Google Local Guide (for credibility, reach and passion). Google is your friend, remember. Everything matters, just like baking a cake. Get all the ingredients right. Not too many links. Keep adding quality content that the search engines such as Google will love. Keep testing. Choose your social media wisely and be mindful of what you write and put out there. Birds of a feather flock together. Are you a blogger/Blogspot, YouTuber, Twitter, Facebook, or combination hybrid? Does your social media reflect your business? Aim for the best cake humanly possible. The internet has many world class cakes er websites and best of class webby's and experts on all manner of things. Remember, you are writing for the web, not a 1000 page paperback, so keep that in mind. A best selling book may be in your future, but you are a web based businessperson of authority.
References - LinkedIn, website testimonials..
LinkedIn is a big hit for many SEO, marketing and media professionals. Boost your profile and street and industry cred with authentic references. Create a professional LinkedIn profile, and consider having a business branded channel also.
Aim to have strong agency (creative and advertising) contacts that would be sure to recommend you highly if asked. Hard work and quality work pays dividends.
Repeat business is excellent business. No hard-sell required, as they already know how good you are!
Be Honest With Yourself And Your Audience, Customers and Associates
You know what you know, and you don't know what you don't know!
SWAT
Strengths
Weaknesses
Opportunities
Threats
Focus on your strengths. Share your unique and in-depth knowledge built up from years of experience. Don't fall into the trap of pretending you are an expert on everything about websites and internet business, or even sport or elements of pop culture in the world. Specialize. Focus on strengths.
Niche Market (Wikipedia reminder)!
A niche market is the subset of the market on which a specific product is focused. The market niche defines the product features aimed at satisfying specific market needs, as well as the price range, production quality and the demographics that it is intended to target. It is also a small market segment. Sometimes, a product or service can be entirely designed to satisfy a niche market. Not every product can be defined by its market niche. The niche market is highly specialized, and aiming to survive among the competition from numerous super companies. Even established companies create products for different niches; Hewlett-Packard has all-in-one machines for printing, scanning and faxing targeted for the home office niche, while at the same time having separate machines with one of these functions for big businesses. (Wikipedia)
Web Basics 101
Meta-tags
Search Engine Optimization
Website Structure
Links to other authoritative destination websites - Wikipedia, IMDb, CIA world and country directory, Google search tools, popular social media channels.
Create quality and Google / search engine friendly and helpful content, just like 'The Big G' aka Alphabet powers that be keep telling us.
Be Courteous and Respectful to clients, associates, other media - everyone.
Be the white knight with white hat mentality. Some moderate amount of grey is acceptable in my view, but don't become the Black Knight with the black hat and black magic Pandora's Box. The web game is challenging enough already without extra dramas.
Keep building upon your technical skills. Google and Google Console is your best friend!
Have backups and a Plan A, B and C. Things can and do go wrong in business and life in general at times. Minimize the risks. Again, focus on core strengths.
Conclusion
Do your best to offer something of value that is useful and helpful. Most businesses supply products and/or services. You are a problem solver to a problem or challenge. You are also a content creator and even a publisher and educator of sorts. This has a high level of responsibility attached. Know your stuff. Hone your craft. Build up credibility. The right audience will find you. Get your basics and foundation strong, and keep building upon it. To succeed you will need to work hard and work smart. The world is your oyster in the giant ocean and Internet Matrix Of Things. Do enough of the right things well and you are setting yourself up for success. Agent Tingle out for now, and back to the webcode soldier.
Media Man Int Blog
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the quality and quantity of website traffic to a website or a web page from search engines. SEO targets unpaid traffic (known as "natural" or "organic" results) rather than direct traffic or paid traffic. Unpaid traffic may originate from different kinds of searches, including image search, video search, academic search, news search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.
News (Gaming/Gambling): United States Igaming Revenue Report
Total igaming revenue for October 2021 in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, West Virginia, and Delaware added up to $445.2 million, an increase of just under 22% over October 2021…internet-gaming win reported in New Jersey was $147.2 million, reflecting growth of 15.9%...Michigan won a record $141 million from online gamblers…Revenue from igaming in Pennsylvania was $124.5 million, an increase of 17.4% over October 2021…Igaming operators set a revenue record in October at $21.9 million… West Virginia igaming revenue for October came in at $9.4 million, a 32% jump…Delaware’s internet casinos won $1.2 million from gamblers in October 2022, a 22.5% increase.
Red Bull drives F1 car through Las Vegas casino days before launch party with Hamilton
Profiles
Red Bull Motorsport Casinos Las Vegas Sports Sports News Casino News Media
Red Bull have helped to promote F1's newest race in Las Vegas set to debut in November next season.
Red Bull have driven a Formula One car through a Las Vegas casino ahead of this weekend’s F1 launch party. Visitors looked shocked as the car shot past blackjack tables at the iconic Wynn Las Vegas Casino.
Ahead of its run, the car was parked in the foyer with fans able to get close to the car. After driving through the casino, the car came to a stop at the front of the building where it was collected by a team of Red Bull mechanics.
The demonstration was completed with a drifting display from the F1 car and Red Bull’s Stadium Super Trucks machine. Social media users were shocked at the footage with some in awe of Red Bull’s display.
Twitter user @burrrke posted: “I would say there’s definitely room for disaster here, but I’ve never been in a casino or driven a F1 car. @masaloin added: “I should’ve been in Vegas seeing the Red Bull f1 car driving in the casino and on the Strip.”
Red Bull also took part in a filming session on the Las Vegas Strip on Wednesday. It comes just days before this weekend’s launch event to mark one year before the first race.
Fans reported on social media that Sergio Perez was behind the wheel of the car as the cameras started rolling. Footage shows Perez driving up and down the famous Strip before doing a 180-degree spin for the crowd.
Perez has already been confirmed to be attending the event at Caesars Palace on Saturday night. He will be joined by Mercedes F1 stars Lewis Hamilton and George Russell as well as Williams driver Alex Albon.
The event will be completely free of charge and will allow fans a chance to get up close with the cars. Spectators will also be treated by a live car demonstration on Las Vegas Boulevard and be introduced to the four drivers on the main stage.
Those in attendance can also enjoy F1's Pit Stop Challenge and grab photos with cars and trophies. F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali said the event would give locals a “taste of things to come” ahead of next season’s debut Grand Prix.
He explained: “We are thrilled to welcome our fans to the launch of the 2023 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The Las Vegas Grand Prix is going to become a regular fixture in the city and on the global sporting calendar, so it is important to have local fans both celebrated and celebrating with us from the very start.
“This launch is a small but exciting taste of things to come over the next year when all the Formula One teams hit The Strip."
bet365 & Incentive Games unveil a daily score predictor game for the World Cup
World’s largest online betting brand launches ‘4 Scores’ for the world’s biggest sporting event
Profiles
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UK: 18 November 2022 – With the World Cup just around the corner, bet365 have ramped up the excitement by launching a daily predictor game for the tournament, called ‘4 Scores Challenge’.
This is yet another collaboration with long-term partners Incentive Games – the industry’s leader in premium free-to-play games.
‘4 Scores Challenge’ does exactly what it says on the tin: offering users prizes for predicting four scores. bet365 successfully launched the ‘6 Scores Challenge’ at the start of the 2022/23 Premier League season, with hundreds of thousands of players taking on the prediction challenge each weekend.
During the World Cup, prizes of up to £250 are on offer each day, but users don’t have to get every prediction right to win – with three correct predictions earning £10, and £2.50 awarded to those with two correct forecasts.
The innovative new game offers football fans a brilliant, free game to play each day of the World Cup, with generous cash prizes available.
John Gordon, CEO and Co-Founder of Incentive Games said: “We are privileged to roll out this incredible title across the bet365 app and website – we're so proud of it.
“Here’s a prediction from us: with its generous cash prizes, despite being free, 4 Scores will become a real fans’ favourite during the World Cup.”
A spokesperson from bet365 said: “We’re thrilled to announce the launch of ‘4 Scores’, in association with our partners at Incentive Games. At bet365 we love to enhance the enjoyment of live sporting events for our customers, and there are none bigger than the World Cup. Good luck to all players with their predictions!”
Gambling Group Estimates US Will Bet $1.8B on World Cup
ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- Americans will bet $1.8 billion on the World Cup this year, the first to be held while legal sports betting is widespread in the U.S., according to the casino industry's national trade group.
About 20.5 million American adults plan to bet on the biggest soccer tournament in the world, legally or otherwise, the American Gaming Association estimated Tuesday. The majority plan to place bets online, with a bookie or at a physical sportsbook.
The survey is the organization's first for World Cup betting.
Thirty-one states plus Washington, D.C., currently offer legal sports betting, with five additional markets due to begin soon.
“As the first World Cup with widespread availability of legal sports betting, this will certainly be the most bet-upon soccer event ever in the U.S.,” said Casey Clark, the group's senior vice president. “With more than half of all American adults having access to legal betting options in their home market, legal sports betting will deepen American fan engagement in the most-watched sporting event in the world.”
Legal wagering is currently available to 132 million Americans in their home states. That is up dramatically from the 2018 World Cup, when only 10 million had access to it in just three states.
That was the year New Jersey won a U.S. Supreme Court case clearing the way for all 50 states to offer legal sports betting if they so choose.
The survey asked respondents what they would bet on if they were given $50 to make a wager on the winner of the tournament. The results were: United States (24%); Brazil (19%); Argentina (17%) and Germany (10%).
It also shows plenty of room for growth in terms of betting on the World Cup. Less than 3 in 10 Americans who plan to watch the tournament say they will bet on it.
The tournament begins Nov. 20 with host nation Qatar taking on Ecuador. The U.S. has its first game the next day against Wales.
WWE announces winter 2023 Live Event schedule including Raw 30th Anniversary
STAMFORD, Conn., November 7, 2022 – WWE today announced more than 30 live events as part of the company’s winter touring schedule for 2023. Tickets go on sale next Friday, November 18. The schedule includes:
Monday, January 2: Raw – Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn.
Saturday, January 7: Saturday Night’s Main Event® – Mississippi State Fair Coliseum in Jackson, Miss.
Sunday, January 8: Sunday Stunner – Von Braun Center in Huntsville, Ala.
Monday, January 9: Raw – Legacy Arena in Birmingham, Ala.
Friday, January 13: SmackDown – Resch Center in Green Bay, Wis.
Saturday, January 14: Saturday Night’s Main Event – Berglund Center Coliseum in Roanoke, Va.
Sunday, January 15: Sunday Stunner – The Corbin Arena in Corbin, Ky.
Monday, January 16: Raw – Heritage Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH
Friday, January 20: SmackDown – Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit
Saturday, January 21: Saturday Night’s Main Event – Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pa.
Sunday, January 22: Sunday Stunner – Visions Veterans Memorial Arena in Binghamton, N.Y.
Monday, January 23: Raw 30th Anniversary – Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia
Friday, January 27: SmackDown – Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas
Monday, January 30: Raw – BOK Center in Tulsa, Okla.
Monday, February 13: Raw – Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Friday, February 17: SmackDown – Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec
Saturday, February 18: Elimination Chamber – Bell Centre in Montreal Quebec
Monday, February 19: Raw – Canadian Tire Centre in Ottawa, ONT
Friday, February 24: SmackDown – Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
Saturday, February 25: Road To WrestleMania Tour – State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill.
Sunday, February 26: Road To WrestleMania Tour – BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford, Ill.
Monday, February 27: Raw – Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich.
Saturday, March 4: Road To WrestleMania Tour – Upstate Medical Arena at The Oncenter War Memorial in Syracuse, N.Y.
Sunday, March 5: Road To WrestleMania Tour – CURE Insurance Arena in Trenton, N.J.
Sunday, March 5: Road To WrestleMania Tour – The Aud in Kitchener, ONT
Saturday, March 11: Road To WrestleMania Tour – Covelli Centre in Youngstown, OH
Friday, March 17: SmackDown – T-Mobile Center in Kansas City, Mo.
Saturday, March 18: Road To WrestleMania Tour – Fargodome in Fargo, N.D.
Sunday, March 19: Road To WrestleMania Tour – Denny Sanford PREMIER Center in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Sunday, March 19: Road To WrestleMania Tour – Bank of Springfield Center in Springfield, Ill.
Monday, March 20 – Raw – Enterprise Center in St. Louis
Friday March 31: SmackDown/2023 Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony – Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
Saturday, April 1: NXT Stand & Deliver – Crypto.com Arena in Angeles
Monday, April 3: Raw – Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles
Australia's Crown Resorts fined $77 million by regulators
Australian casino operator Crown Resorts has been fined A$120 million ($77.3 million) for serious misconduct, regulators of the state of Victoria said on Monday.
The breaches by Crown, which was acquired by private equity firm Blackstone Inc (BX.N) for $6.3 billion, was "extensive, sustained, systemic, and very serious", the Victorian Gambling and Casino Control Commission said in its report published on its website.
Some of the breaches included failing to prevent gambling harm by allowing players to gamble continuously for 12 hours or more without observation or interaction, with some customers allowed to gamble continuously for well over 24 hours, it said.
The casino operation also allowed large numbers of customers in the problem gambling category to escape attention, the report added.
Australia's gambling industry has been in the spotlight in recent years, with public inquiries lashing its biggest casino operators due to lapses in money laundering protections.
In the fallout from the inquires into Crown, all of which found it unfit for a gambling licence, the company accepted an A$8.9 billion buyout by private equity giant Blackstone Inc.
Last month rival Star Entertainment Group said a regulator-appointed manager would step in to run its Sydney casino after an investigation by an independent commission found it had failed to prevent money laundering and criminal activity.
($1 = 1.5533 Australian dollars)
