In last year’s EC100 issue, one of our “InSites” was a tool called Paper.li which allows you to aggregate social content into a daily “newspaper.” It’s great for people who want the convenience Twitter and Facebook provide as aggregation tools, without the annoyance of actually having to be on either of those sites. And now EContent is using Paper.li

So, if you want to see what EContent, its columnists, and industry experts are Tweeting about, head over to the The EContent Daily.

According to a new study from MTV and Latitude, the app is changing our lives in three fundamental ways. The study, titled Love ‘Em or Leave ‘Em: Adoption, Abandonment, and the App-Addled Consumer, says:

Apps are enhancing our day-to-day experiences directly by enabling productivity, achievement of our personal goals, and so on—and indirectly through the resulting creation of free time, improved mental well-being, opportunities for positive discovery, and more.

Yes, that’s right. Apps make your life better. In fact, 70% of people said apps “make the rest of life better.” Furthermore, “73% said apps allow time to connect and interact with family and friends.”

More interesting, though, is what the study has to say about the life-cycle of an app:

While the early stages of the app life cycle are often based on recommendations, the final stages are more personal. Only 37% of entertainment apps and 39% of gaming apps continue to be used because friends use the same apps.

For TV and movie apps, ease of use (79%) and new content (55%) are the biggest reasons consumers will use an app for the long term. Whereas better alternatives (55%) and lack of new content (42%) will drive a consumer to delete an app.

Gamers look for apps that are challenging (75%) and easy to use (73%). With gaming apps, more than three-fourths (77%) of consumers say they’ll delete an app simply after they lose interest.

Last week we learned that despite the initial rapid adoption, interest in tablets fell off while interest in e-readers continues to grow steadily. This week, we’re wondering if Google+ will suffer the same fate…or at least Mashable is:

The result of Google’s carefully planned campaign is an estimated user base of 10 million in just two weeks. More importantly, engagement on Google+ is extremely high, with many reporting they get more responses on Google+ than they do on Twitter or Facebook. It’s clear that Google+ has momentum.

That’s nice, but the momentum is starting to blind Google+ users and the press to reality. Here’s the truth: Google+ is dominated almost entirely by early adopters. And early adopters, while important, are not great predictors of the success of a social network.

Out of a sense of obligation, I joined Google+ and spend most of my time on it posting snarky infographics about Google +. So, when I clicked through to an article about the slightly absurd notion that the latest social network will be a “blog killer” I was deeply skeptical…but so was the post’s author.

The main reason blogs won’t succumb to Google+ (or anything else) is that they fill a variety of needs other platforms can’t deliver.

Bloggers beware! You’re no longer the only people turning old media on its head. DIY video-makers aren’t just putting together Flipcam marketing videos. No, they are turning their talents to making actual entertainment and riding the success to cushy gigs on actual TV courtesy of “Channel 101.” NPR reports:

Once a month, DIY media makers gather in Los Angeles to watch a collection of five-minute TV shows they’ve made in their spare time. It’s called Channel 101, but you won’t find it on TV; it’s an underground event that’s been going on since 2003 and today boasts a nationwide fan base.

NPR aired the first of a two-part series about the economic system that has sprung up around Google — and in doing so takes a look at SEO, content farms, and more:

Think of Google like a well traveled interstate. It’s how people get where they want to go on the Internet. You Google “tomatoes, mozzarella and basil” to get instructions on making a caprese salad. It’s your way into the Web. And like a real highway, a whole industry has built up around the popular search engine — like fast food joints and hotels along Interstate 95.

This Slate article about the success of NPR and the…um…struggles of PBS is, in a way, a great study on the larger challenges facing news and content providers in general. Despite problems with NPR’s leadership, the network itself has flourished while it’s televised other half has languished, and there are plenty of lessons to be learned from the stories of each, not the least of which is to be brave and bold when finding a voice for your content.

Ragan’s PR Daily seems to have caught on to what EContent columnist David Meerman Scott has been saying for years: journalists make the best PR and marketing people. As Scott puts it:

Many of the companies I speak with are trying to figure out who will create the content that they need for their online initiatives. Marketers, executives, and entrepreneurs say things such as, “David, I need help. If I knew how to create great content, I’d already be doing it.”

This post from a former literary agent is an interesting look at the dollars and cents of self-publishing vs. traditional publishing:

How is it that authors are making more per copy from $2.99 e-books than traditionally published are with $10.99 e-books? Does it mean everyone should self-publish?

According to WordPress.com, its bloggers will now be able to easily make iPad version of their sites:

Our iPad-optimized view is app-like in its functionality, but pure HTML5 goodness on the backend: it supports touch interactions, swiping, rotation, and many other features of the iPad. Like when we launched our smartphone-optimized WP-Touch integration in 2009 (now responsible for over 150 million page views a month) this is immediately available and active on the over 18 million blogs on WordPress.com.

Now there’s practically no excuse to not have an iPad presence.