ContentWise Blog

Publishing Headed for the Toilet?

Sit or Squat appAs implosions and cutbacks continue to rattle our industry, you can now keep track of the body count via a Twitter feed called The Media Is Dying.

Created by an anonymous public relations employee, and previously accessible only to selected viewers, it reports on media layoffs and personnel changes in updates of no more than 140 characters at a time. Unfortunately, the tiny size of these “tweets” doesn’t make the news any easier to take.

And if you had any doubts about publishing being headed to the toilet, a new cell phone app will dispel them. Sit or Squat is a Web-based collection of user-generated reviews of public restrooms around the world. The site recently added mobile applications that, tying into the global-positioning abilities of iPhones and Blackberrys, help users on the go (who need to go) find nearby facilities with good reputations.

Actually, it’s a pretty clever combination of user content and mobile technology to create practical, “have-to-know” information. The New York Times Bits blog reports that the Web site registered more than a million page views last month and that 25,000 people have downloaded the iPhone app.

One response to “Publishing Headed for the Toilet?”

  1. Jonathan Glanz

    You guys are awesome, I am one of the co-creators behind sit or squat and just wanted to thank you guys for the kind words. Remember all the mobile apps are really betas, so any feedback is appreciated on any front….Jon & Danika (support@sitorsquat.com)