The Death Of Analog.
The evolution of Schoolyard Digital and the growth of the platform.

Since it's inception, books have, and will most likely, remain an analog product. The printing press has been the forefront technology for this format for over centuries. Yeah there is a digital format for this media. If you can truly call it that. But it does exist at least. However, the book will forever remain an analog thing. That's not something horrible to scoff at. However, what it horrible is how this media gets distributed and shared amongst the world. It's shady at best. Yet, it's not the most effective way. Or isn't the most effective way in today's standards of process.


This keynote won't definitely be selling you moxie for a new idea. What more can you really do with a book medium at this point anyway? No, for Schoolyard, it's about passing the buck onto the platform for Schoolyard Digital, and the content it builds. Independent publishers and authors have to come to a reality sooner or later. Your printer is making more dollars than you getting your product printed and sold. Now as a industry of print and paper, the whole world has accepted this construct. Yet it has always fell flat, because it only rewards what it wants to reward. Is talent front and center in this equation?


And that's a loaded question for any creative industy. For Schoolyard, the answer could simply be a resounding "No"! Looking at history (or "His Story" for humor reasons), politics play a much bigger role in what is palatable for consumption. Sure there's some crafty ways to make it look like talent. Even then, the "talent" must succumb to the strings of political atomspheres.


So why does analog die now at Schoolyard? Well analog has it's own political problems. Class warfare produces whom gets to create safely. And whom doesn't get the safety to create. So for the sake of the company, I just finally rather focus on building the Schoolyard platform and it's digital branches. Of course physical products won't simply go away. We can't lessen the power of digital and it's tangible value, that's constantly taken for granted.


As you know for Schoolyard, we've always made sure your digital products are more affordable than it's physical sibling. And even with physical, with razor thin (extremely razor thin at that), margins to provide value to that product as well. So the digital front for us has always been tangible and valuable. Even when the physical product is not in your hands, you get the digital for temporary replacement. (even when you specify for the physical product) So I will always make digital feel as important as a analog product. But it's time for more digital to go above and beyond.

Schoolyard Comics going digital library.

No I'm not announcing a "subscription" service for Schoolyard comics. You will always have access to Schoolyard's digital comics. But this is for the official digital library for Schoolyard's comic series. Omelette, and Brry will create the ultimate exclusive library for all Schoolyard comic books and comic specials. That means Schoolyard will upload, archive, and forever preserve the content of SYBC's projects and products. So if you want to read anything, go to Omelette and Brry. Forever.


And that signals the begining of a new platform frontier. Creating a larger digital platform creates a new home for Schoolyard's prestigious comic series. And to have a permanent place where these hero reside is the ultimate goal for a long term vision. for Schoolyard's digital reach to extend and build roots into the blue internet of tomorrow. And the seed being Omelette.



So Schoolyard Digital comics will be available in differnt forms, and in different ways to access content. Of course you can read for free at Omelette. You can also purchase at the Schoolbrary store. Schoolyard Mix-Tape was created from the Schoolyard Digital platform. It will continue to develop as a digital asset. Eventually it will be a analog product.

Brry and archiving history.

One of the issues in the digital landscape is where does all the content go to die. For Schoolyard that answer has already been solved. We've introduced Brry a few years ago. The purpose is to archive everything. And I mean EVERYTHING that Schoolyard creates. Brry is basically the "Library of Schoolyard". I know that the customer may see it different. However, here at Schoolyard, all of the projects. Good or bad, matter. So each and one of these things need to have a home where they will stay forever. However Brry will evolve from now to beyond.


So you will be able to check out past works, view past designs, and more on Brry. No subscription needed. (But please donate so subs don't have to be a thing) Brry for the time being is in it's infancy. Yet as time grows, Brry will indeed become a strong utility for Schoolyard Digital. As much as a all digital future is negatively looked upon, we must embrace the archival infrastructure that will help build an more effective Schoolyard Book Company.



Starting this Autumn, you will be able to visit Brry in it's digital form and even "check out" books that you can read digitally. This is a big task. And it can be extremely risky. Yet it's one of the payoffs that has to have major impacts for all time. Brry is live, but newer updates will continue to be added throughout the year and more. Please make sure you check out Brry for the history and culture of "All Things Schoolyard".

AS-IF and digital community.

Lastly, AS-IF is our forum/social aspect of the Schoolyard platform. This Autumn, we'll be working on building it's final skeleton of the site. Hopefully it will be completed with the Schoolyard App suite. We want AS-IF to be built as a place to speak on Schoolyard projects from a community framework. Another extention of the Schoolyard Digital framework. It's going to be a big haul. Yet it's possible to create it with the Schoolyard flair added into it.


Schoolyard Apps



Another bridge for Schoolyard Digital is apps. Many of SYBC's divisions will have utilities that will definitely need indepentdent apps to create a creative collective. This is to continue to strengthen the Schoolyard platform in a non internet infrastructure. So many of the sites that are live now, will eventually get their respective apps that will be covered amongst the platform. Plans on the app suite will be ongoing this Autumn. More news about what will appear first will be available in the Friday Night news cycle. Hopefully from 2027 and beyond apps will be coming.


And that's all for now. Schoolyard will continue to balance the rift between analog/physical and digital. I hope to continue to share this topic through the Friday Night news cycle. I hope to continue to carve a path with digital ownership, and perserving IPs for future generations to come. Enjoy this Autumn. Hopefully with Schoolyard products and offerings. Thank you.



S