Gotta hand it to Amazon that they really get the potential to add value to their core value proposition of content (books, CDs, etc.) by wrapping content around this core.
Check out the video for Michael Connelly's new book, The Scarecrow.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/mpd/permalink/m1H95YIB2KWVAP
*for some reason Amazon does not give the embed code for the video....seems like a mistake.
I can get this book in paper, as a Kindle book, or as an audio book. The book is platform independent. Yes, I have arguments that Amazon owns the platforms and locks down (DRMs) the content (in audio and Kindle format), and I think this is ultimately short-sighted.
By also including short (and I assume pretty cheap) original video to accompany the books Amazon is being smart again. I bet the publishers pay for the videos.
What can we learn? How do we move so quick videos or screencasts of professors can be linked to the Web next to the syllabi for students shopping for courses? (Or better yet, student videos or screencasts about the course?) And yes.....curriculum available in multiple formats for multiple platforms whenever possible.
Oh, and by the way, Michael Connelly's writes really excellent books, I hope Amazon's innovative work helps him reach many more readers.
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