As an "ink-stained [newspaper] wretch" and Internet disciple, I'm fascinated by the struggles many newspapers are having embracing/adopting the Web. There are business issues (subscriptions vs. free content), access challenges (everything available vs. select content), advertising (cannibalize the lucrative classified business vs. let Craigslist eat your lunch) and content creation (blogs? podcasts? videocasts?). The Biving Report (hat tip to Jeff Jarvis) offers up nine ways that newspapers can improve their Web sites. Most of them are fairly straightforward: remove registration requirements, improve graphics/design and use RSS. Others are a little more progressive: partnering with local bloggers, the use of tags, and working with "social" Web services such as del.icio.us and Digg. It is curious to see newspapers still grappling with the Web a decade after Netscape helped bring the mainstream online. Then again, the music industry is still trying to figure out how to embrace the digital world. Personally, newspapers have little no choice but to go high or go home as far as the Web goes. With more people getting their news online, newspapers need to experiment and take chances to remain viable and vibrant. Some of these experiments will fail, while some of them will be successful. In an ideal world, newspapers will be able to offer physical and digital (online, wireless) products that meet the needs of a variety of readers AND advertisers.
Update: TechDirt has an interesting post today looking at the Web and newspapers - with a focus on a reporter in Missouri and a discussion about whether the newspaper Web site should provide links to external sites. (Ultimately, they decided not to do it)
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Mark Evansthe blog - examines the world of telecom and technology from a distinctly Canadian perspective.the person - lives in Toronto, CA with his wife and three children, and works as director of community with PlanetEye Inc. 
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Better Newspaper Web Sites
Comments
Re: Better Newspaper Web Sites
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Ed Lee
on Wed 30 Aug 2006 03:05 PM EDT | Permanent Link
completely agree with you but I'd go one step further and say that every journalist should start their own blog. it's just a matter of time before journalists are made to blog on the paper's hosted blog product - depriving them of both their IP and, potentialy, extra revenue.
Ed Re: Re: Better Newspaper Web Sites
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Vava
on Wed 30 Aug 2006 04:41 PM EDT | Permanent Link
Interesting commentary... I agree with the recommendations, and definitely support the idea of getting rid of the registration phase, though I cannnot see this happening. The data that the registration process generates is simply too valuable, aiding in the process of "customizing" advertising - a trend I absolutely loath. Also, recently there has been some interesting commentary on the local sports radio station about the decision of the Los Angeles Times to cease having a reporter follow the local NHL teams. This decision, I believe, will be followed by more newspapers covering more sports since people tend to get their results information online, with which a newspaper cannot compete in its traditional form due to time constraints, while seeking indepth commentary and profile stories in their daily newspaper. Not being a journalist I'd be interested in your opinion on how technology can help/hinder this process, and if you believe that this transition is inevitable in more than just sports journalism.
Keep up the good work! Vava Re: Re: Re: Better Newspaper Web Sites
vava,
thanks for reading the blog! i think you may find newspapers doing more in-depth stories that offer perspective and context. this will apply to sports as well. instead of writing an extensive game story - the details of which will be on the web minutes after the game ends - newspapers will write short game summaries and a long feature to provide readers with insight into players, coaches, etc. the game summary might even be folded into the feature. Re: Better Newspaper Web Sites
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Anonymous
on Wed 30 Aug 2006 05:32 PM EDT | Permanent Link
Mark,
I would be interested hear your opinion of the The Toronto Star;s annoucnement today of producing a mid afternoon updated downloadable version of their newspaper. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060829.wstar0829/BNStory/National/ Looks to me this is geared for all those GO commuters to print out newspaper before heading home from the day. Being paper averse I would prefer fresh content on their site with a time stamp so one could determine which news stories are more current Re: Re: Better Newspaper Web Sites
i think the star's move reflects what i said in my post about the need to experiment and give readers and advertisers what they want. who knows, maybe a downloadable p.m. version will be a huge dud there is no harm in trying something to see what happens.
Re: Re: Re: Better Newspaper Web Sites
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Tyler
on Thu 31 Aug 2006 12:08 AM EDT | Profile | Permanent Link
I was originally skeptical of the idea -- and still am to an extent -- but having seen the design and the options that readers have, I'm more open to it now. (Disclosure: I write for the Star). What's good about it is that you can print it out before leaving work if you want, giving you some updated news to read for the afternoon GO or TTC ride home. But you can also just download the PDF file and read it on your laptop. You don't need an Internet connection on the Go Train/TTC that would be required to read the content online. Plus, you can get a 3 p.m. or 4:30 edition e-mailed to you automatically every day -- and it's free.
Advertisers are giving it a chance, but I think after a few months it will be clearer whether the concept is working -- ultimately, this will be determined by whether advertising keep flowing. One hitch: I can't see employers liking the idea of letting people use workplace resources to print out 16 pages of color copies every work day, which is what the Star is partially counting on. That said, it will be an interesting experiment to watch -- though I don't consider it a long-term strategy for competing against the Web. Re: Re: Re: Better Newspaper Web Sites
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Anonymous
on Thu 31 Aug 2006 01:43 PM EDT | Permanent Link
Please Jeff Jarvis' post today about the Toronto Star and the Guardian's strategy to produce a mid afternoon downloadable paper, some of the comments are also interesting
http://www.buzzmachine.com/index.php/2006/08/31/paper-is-wireless/ Trackbacks
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