Comments on: Evolution http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/01/07/evolution/ by Jeff Jarvis Tue, 02 Dec 2008 23:19:35 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Mary Specht http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/01/07/evolution/#comment-269795 Mary Specht Sun, 07 Jan 2007 17:01:44 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2370#comment-269795 Forget blogs---that battle has been won. Focus on user comments. Neil seems to hint at this at the end of his piece, which Jeff didn't quote. Neil says efforts to attract bloggers "prove there’s a benefit to media organisations in bringing our readers together." He says: "Cling to that thought and you'll be fine." He's right. Clinging to that thought, I think, means giving user comments greater weight on your site and building community around your staff-written news and analysis. Getting linked-to from blogs is good, but it's better to have users participate on your site and spend time there reading other comments. This is good for metrics and for your reputation. News sites are currently awkward about this. Why aren't comments allowed on all articles? Why are comments under articles and not next to them? Why are they displayed in the order they were posted, instead of allowing users to vote them up or down reddit-style? Forget blogs—that battle has been won. Focus on user comments.

Neil seems to hint at this at the end of his piece, which Jeff didn’t quote. Neil says efforts to attract bloggers “prove there’s a benefit to media organisations in bringing our readers together.” He says: “Cling to that thought and you’ll be fine.” He’s right.

Clinging to that thought, I think, means giving user comments greater weight on your site and building community around your staff-written news and analysis.

Getting linked-to from blogs is good, but it’s better to have users participate on your site and spend time there reading other comments. This is good for metrics and for your reputation.

News sites are currently awkward about this. Why aren’t comments allowed on all articles? Why are comments under articles and not next to them? Why are they displayed in the order they were posted, instead of allowing users to vote them up or down reddit-style?

]]> By: Neil McIntosh http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/01/07/evolution/#comment-269556 Neil McIntosh Sun, 07 Jan 2007 10:42:48 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2370#comment-269556 Adrian - good question. The answer really depends on how you view the "existing configuration of jobs in journalism". I think the New York Times will have a harder job keeping its configuration than, say, thelondonpaper. There will still be very difficult questions for everyone in the middle of that range. But another question, perhaps: why keep the current configuration? Adrian - good question. The answer really depends on how you view the “existing configuration of jobs in journalism”. I think the New York Times will have a harder job keeping its configuration than, say, thelondonpaper. There will still be very difficult questions for everyone in the middle of that range. But another question, perhaps: why keep the current configuration?

]]> By: Adrian Monck http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/01/07/evolution/#comment-269508 Adrian Monck Sun, 07 Jan 2007 09:47:43 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2370#comment-269508 The social media space still relies on an events-driven nucleus, be it sport, entertainment or politics - and that nucleus still comprises things like journalism. Whether there are the revenue streams to pay for the existing configuration of jobs in journalism is the question Neil doesn't answer. Anyway, social media seems to me an intermediary stage. We've seen events ownership and information rights become more important in the last twenty years. Even in a marginal area like politics, FNC has developed a proprietary Republican news entertainment brand. I think there's a lot more space for stuff like that to be monetized and come through and limit the space for social media, or else exercise more control over it. The social media space still relies on an events-driven nucleus, be it sport, entertainment or politics - and that nucleus still comprises things like journalism. Whether there are the revenue streams to pay for the existing configuration of jobs in journalism is the question Neil doesn’t answer.

Anyway, social media seems to me an intermediary stage. We’ve seen events ownership and information rights become more important in the last twenty years. Even in a marginal area like politics, FNC has developed a proprietary Republican news entertainment brand. I think there’s a lot more space for stuff like that to be monetized and come through and limit the space for social media, or else exercise more control over it.

]]> By: Jitterin' Thoughts http://www.buzzmachine.com/2007/01/07/evolution/#comment-269301 Jitterin' Thoughts Sun, 07 Jan 2007 06:13:56 +0000 http://www.buzzmachine.com/?p=2370#comment-269301 <strong>A bit of trial and a lot of error: MovableType vs. WordPress (and some thoughts on Drupal)</strong> I started my third (and likely last) weblog sometime around January of 2006 (I almost said earlier this year... but it's 2007 already) and because it was going to be more of an experiment in writing (i.e. seeing if I would perhaps consistently write ... A bit of trial and a lot of error: MovableType vs. WordPress (and some thoughts on Drupal)

I started my third (and likely last) weblog sometime around January of 2006 (I almost said earlier this year… but it’s 2007 already) and because it was going to be more of an experiment in writing (i.e. seeing if I would perhaps consistently write …

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