Blogs around the web (Wired, Gizmodo, Techdirt, TechCrunch) have reported that The New York Times pressured Apple to remove the most popular RSS reader from the App Store because the reader was making “commercial use” of the NYT RSS feeds. It is an interesting story and still developing as the app had been pulled earlier today and is now back up. Read the other accounts above for more information on the story.

But for me this is just another move in the wrong direction for the New York Times. Under the leadership of Vivian Schiller the Times set a benchmark for how a newspaper should adapt to digital media. It undertook local blogging initiatives, refined a beautiful site design and removed pay walls. The Times was experimental with graphics and use of data to tell stories. They were the benchmark.

Now that Schiller is with NPR it seems that conservatives within the organization have been taking reactionary steps to undo many initiatives. The idea of a paywall is back and being built right now. And fences around content apparently now extend to public RSS feeds. At this point why not just shut those down? I use google reader for my feeds and it is most certainly commercial. Then I reference all the knowledge I get from the feeds to do my job every day and make money, another commercial use. Heck I use a laptop I bought from Apple and a browser that makes money for Google – both commercial. But besides the bizarre attempt to fence in content, the magic just seems to have dissipated. It feels like The New York Times has packed up its toys and is leaving the playground.

My friend thought it was like the last season of Lost. Jacob was the cork who kept an evil spirit from spilling out into the world. It feels like Vivian Schiller was a cork that kept all the stupid ideas rumbling around in executives’ heads from spilling out into the world. She is gone now and dumb ideas are flowing out. Sad.

The speaker is Joelle Gropper Kaufman, Senior VP, Marketing, Adify – our fantastic technology partner. It is an amazing feeling to hear her talk about our network that has been live for only 2 months. Out of over 250 networks Adify powers she really focused on all of us from Sacramento!

Just wanted to share that we are making major waves with this innovative advertising network. Thanks for the acknowledgment and we will keep growing SLOAN.

Thanks Joelle!

Sacramento Local Online Ad Network (SLOAN) Introduction from Ben Ilfeld on Vimeo.

Today is not only another big day for SLOAN, it’s a great moment in the evolution of the Sacramento digital and advertising landscape.

SLOAN is the Sacramento Local Online Ad Network. In essence, it is a powerful coalition of local, online publishers who bundle their traffic so that our sales team can efficiently offer one efficient buy to advertisers. Rather than working with 25+ different web sites on a campaign, a company can work with one point of contact, deliver one set of creative, and SLOAN serves it up to all the sites, with detailed reporting. It’s a tremendous offering.

We hope you enjoy the launch of SLOAN and our new site, as this is truly a revolutionary moment for Sacramento’s media landscape!

At the time we had already begun work on SLOAN, The Sacramento Local Online Ad network. Geoffrey Sakala from The Rancho Cordova Post and I were exploring a partnership to help both publications. An advertising network made sense theorhetically, but it took 8 months to actually make SLOAN a reality.

The practical challenges of building a local advertising network are daunting. Details from sales territories to publisher payments have to be worked out and tested. Publishers in the local space have been so fiercely competitive for so long that just getting everyone in a room is challenging. In addition, most hyper-local publishers have full time jobs other than running websites. Keeping in contact is difficult let alone building the level of trust necessary for a local advertising network.

We hired Lynn Mayugba, an expert in sales and corporate strategy, as the lead on this porject. She has been nothing short of phenomenal. Trust me, the theories are all wrong. While local advertising networks are crucial infrastructure of local media markets, it takes a personality – a force of nature – like Lynn to put passion and theory into practice. These are not organic structures built of my dreams, but rather through tireless effort.

Now that SLOAN is a reality, I want to thank a few people who really put in the time to make this all happen.

Thank you Lynn for all the reasons stated above and for your continued excellence.

Thank you Geoff Samek, co-founder of The Sacramento Press. He is my daily rock and inspiration. So much of SLOAN was defined in conversation between us at our desks over the last eight months.

Thank you Geoff Sakala. This was your vision as much or more than mine. You researched platform partners and found Adify. You endorsed SLOAN when there was only vaproware and helped bring publishers together.

Thank you Bryan, Eva, Leif, and Welly from Adify. I know its your business to help, but you always seem to give a little extra with SLOAN. I can feel your passion for our project.

Thank you staff of The Sacramento Press. When I think of the future of local media, you’re it. Our newsroom is so vibrant and optimistic and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

Thank you publishers for taking a step forward with us. What an amazing day. You are the best of the best. Small to large you are the area’s premier local online publications.

Thank you advertising partners. With your help not only can we build a more efficient market, but we can build stronger than ever brands. With your guidance we will continue to make SLOAN better and better.

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